Tagawa Line

The Tagawa Line (田川線, Tagawa-sen) is a 26.3 km railway line owned by the Heisei Chikuhō Railway. The line runs west along the Ima River from Yukuhashi to Tagawa, all within Fukuoka Prefecture.

Tagawa Line
A Heisei Chikuhō train at Tagawa-Ita Station
Overview
Native name田川線
Owner Heisei Chikuhō Railway
LocaleFukuoka Prefecture
TerminiYukuhashi
Tagawa-Ita
Stations17
Websitewww.heichiku.net
Service
TypeHeavy rail
History
Completed15 August 1895 (1895-08-15)
Privatized1 October 1989 (1989-10-01)
Technical
Line length26.3 km (16.3 mi)
Track gauge1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in)
ElectrificationNone
Operating speed85 km/h (53 mph)
Route map

History

The line was first built in 1895 by the Hōshū Railway (豊州鉄道), which was merged in 1901 with Kyushu Railway. It was an important railway line to transport coal between the Chikuhō coal mine with Kanda Port (苅田港) in Kanda, north of Yukuhashi. Kyushu Railway was nationalized in 1907 and was merged into Japanese Government Railway, where it was named the Tagawa Line. In 1942, the line was extended south from Ita Station (now Tagawa-Ita Station) to Hikosan Station. The portion between Hikosan and Soeda Station was later reorganized into the Hita Line (now Hitahikosan Line) in 1956, and the section between Soeda and Ita was also merged into the same line in 1960 to form the current Tagawa Line.

Between 1899 and 1973, a short freight-only branch line ran north from Kawara Station (now Magarikane Station) to Natsuyoshi.[1]

Ridership suffered with the decline and closure of the Chikuhō coal mine. Therefore, JR Kyushu, the successor of Japanese Government Railway, privatized and transferred the Ita Line, Itoda Line, and Tagawa Line to the newly founded Heisei Chikuhō Railway in 1997.

Operations

The line is not electrified and is single-tracked for the entire line. Some services continue past Tagawa-Ita Station on the Ita Line to Nōgata Station.[2]

The Tagawa Line runs through many historical sites, including the Second Issaka Tunnel (第二石坂トンネル), the oldest railway tunnel in Japan, and the Uchida Triple-Arch Bridge (内田三連橋梁), an old brick arch bridge. Both sites were registered as national cultural heritage sites in 1999.[3][4]

Stations

All stations are within Fukuoka Prefecture.

Name Distance (km) Connections Location
Yukuhashi 行橋 0.0 JR Kyushu: Nippō Main Line Yukuhashi
Reiwa Costa Yukuhashi 令和コスタ行橋 1.3  
Miyakoizumi 美夜古泉 2.3  
Imagawa-Kappa 今川河童 3.0  
Toyotsu 豊津 4.9  
Shin-Toyotsu 新豊津 5.8   Miyako
Higashi-Saigawa-Sanshirō 東犀川三四郎 8.2  
Saigawa 犀川 9.7  
Sakiyama 崎山駅 12.4  
Genjiinomori 源じいの森 15.8   Aka
Yusubaru 油須原 16.9  
Aka 赤 18.4  
Uchida 内田 20.7  
Kakishita-Onsen-Guchi 柿下温泉口 22.5   Kawara
Magarikane 勾金 23.6  
Kamiita 上伊田 24.9   Tagawa
Tagawa-Ita 田川伊田 26.3 ■ Ita Line
JR Kyushu: Hitahikosan Line

References
  1. "香春駅 －現勾金駅－". 田川市立図書館／筑豊・田川デジタルアーカイブ (in Japanese). ADEAC. Retrieved 25 July 2019.
  2. "平成筑豊鉄道全駅時刻表 直方 → 金田 → 田川伊田 → 行橋・金田 → 田川後藤寺" (PDF). 平成筑豊鉄道 (in Japanese). 平成筑豊鉄道. 16 March 2019. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2 April 2019. Retrieved 3 May 2019.
  3. "石坂トンネル（第２隧道） いしざかとんねる（だいにずいどう）". Cultural Heritage Online (in Japanese). Archived from the original on 24 July 2019. Retrieved 24 July 2019.
  4. "内田三連橋梁 うちださんれんきょうりょう". Cultural Heritage Online (in Japanese). Archived from the original on 24 July 2019. Retrieved 24 July 2019.
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