Hitahikosan Line


The Hitahikosan Line is a railway line in Japan, operated by Kyushu Railway Company. It connects Jōno Station in Kitakyushu, Fukuoka Prefecture with Yoake Station in Hita, Ōita Prefecture. The line is named after Hita and Mount Hiko.

Stations

History

The Toyo-shu Railway Co. opened the Tagawa-Ita - Buzen Kawasaki section as part of the Tagawa Line in 1899. That company merged with the Kyushu Railway Company in 1901, which extended the line to Soeda in 1903. The company was nationalised in 1907.
The Jono - Tagawa-Ita section was opened in 1915 by the Kokura Railway Co., that company being nationalised in 1943. The Soeda - Daigyoji section opened between 1937 and 1946, and the Daigyoji - Yoake section opened in 1956.
CTC signalling was introduced on the entire line in 1984. Freight service ceased beyond Tagawa-Gotōji in 1986, and totally in 1999.

Typhoon damage

On 5 July 2017, torrential rainfall damage resulted in the closure of the section between Kanyusha Kikosan and Hita. The line remains disconnected as of the start of 2020. On the 12 February 2020 it was proposed to not restore the rail service, and permanently replace it with bus rapid transit.

Former connecting lines

Buzen Kawasaki Station: The 26 km Kamiyamada Line opened from Iizuka to Shimoyamada in 1898, extended to Kamiyamada in 1929 and to Buzen Kawasaki in 1966. Freight services ceased in 1980, and the line closed in 1988. This line had two connections:
Soeda station - The Ogura Railway Co. opened a line to Ipponmatsu in 1915. The line was nationalised in 1943 and closed in 1985.