Amagi Railway Amagi Line
| Amagi Railway Amagi Line | |
|---|---|
AR401 DMU, nicknamed "Himiko", at Kiyama Station | |
| Overview | |
| Native name | 甘木鉄道甘木線 |
| Owner | Amagi Railway |
| Locale | Saga Prefecture and Fukuoka Prefecture |
| Termini | |
| Stations | 11 |
| History | |
| Opened | April 28, 1939 |
| Technical | |
| Line length | 13.7 km (8.5 mi) |
| Track gauge | 1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in) |
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The Amagi Line (甘木線, Amagi-sen) is a Japanese railway line connecting Kiyama Station (on the Kagoshima Main Line), Kiyama and Amagi Station, Asakura. This is the only railway operated by the third-sector railway company Amagi Railway (甘木鉄道, Amagi Tetsudō). The company, and sometimes the line, are also called Amatetsu (甘鉄).
History
The line was opened on April 28, 1939 by the Japanese National Railways (JNR) as the Amagi Line, in order to supply military equipment to Tachiarai Airfield.[1] In 1981, the line was named a specified local line and considered for closure. Freight services ceased in 1984.
On April 5, 1985, it was agreed that the line would be transferred to a newly created third sector railway company. Amagi Railway was thus created and inherited the former JNR line on April 1, 1986.[1] While the conversion of the line into a bus route was unopposed by both Saga and Fukuoka Prefectures due to the Nishitetsu Amagi Line's existence, the municipalities Amagi and Miwa requested the line be kept in operation. After the transferring of the line, Ogōri Station was relocated by 400 meters to allow easier connection to the Nishitetsu Ogōri Station. The number of services were increased from seven return trips a day in 1982 to 42 in 2023 on weekdays.[2] The AR400 series in use on the line is planned to be replaced by the ARe500 series starting from 2025.[3]
Stations
| Station name | Japanese | Distance (between station) | Total distance | Transfers | Location | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kiyama Station | 基山駅 | - | 0.0 | Kagoshima Main Line | Saga Prefecture | Kiyama |
| Tateno Station | 立野駅 | 1.3 | 1.3 | |||
| Ogōri Station | 小郡駅 | 2.5 | 3.8 | Nishitetsu Tenjin Ōmuta Line (Nishitetsu Ogōri Station) | Fukuoka Prefecture | Ogōri |
| Ōitai Station | 大板井駅 | 0.7 | 4.5 | |||
| Matsuzaki Station | 松崎駅 | 1.9 | 6.4 | |||
| Imaguma Station | 今隈駅 | 1.3 | 7.7 | |||
| Nishi-Tachiarai Station | 西太刀洗駅 | 0.7 | 8.4 | Tachiarai | ||
| Yamaguma Station | 山隈駅 | 1.2 | 9.6 | Chikuzen | ||
| Tachiarai Station | 太刀洗駅 | 0.8 | 10.4 | |||
| Takata Station | 高田駅 | 1.4 | 11.8 | |||
| Amagi Station | 甘木駅 | 1.9 | 13.7 | Nishitetsu Amagi Line | Asakura | |
See also
References
- ^ a b "甘木鉄道株式会社│会社概要". www.amatetsu.jp. Retrieved 2021-05-17.
- ^ "ライバルは取り込め！「三セクの優等生」ローカル線 乗って分かった利便性". 乗りものニュース (in Japanese). 2024-01-04. Retrieved 2025-10-29.
- ^ "「佐賀‐福岡」にまたがる三セク鉄道が新型「電気式気動車」導入へ 既存車両をすべて置き換え". 乗りものニュース (in Japanese). 2025-10-01. Retrieved 2025-10-29.
External links
- Media related to Amagi Railway at Wikimedia Commons
- Official website (in Japanese)