is a 10.8 km

railway line Rail terminology is a form of technical terminology. The difference between the American term ''railroad'' and the international term ''railway'' (used by the International Union of Railways and English-speaking countries outside the United Sta ...

owned by the

Kumamoto Electric Railway The is a public transport company in Kumamoto Prefecture, Japan. It is abbreviated as or . The company was founded in 1909. The company operates railway and bus lines. Lines * Kikuchi Line (菊池線) ** Kami-Kumamoto — Miyoshi: * Fu ...

, serving

Kumamoto City is the capital city of Kumamoto Prefecture on the island of Kyushu, Japan. , the city has an estimated population of 738,907 and a population density of 1,893 people per km2. The total area is 390.32 km2. had a population of 1,461,000, ...

and Kōshi,

Kumamoto Prefecture is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located on the island of Kyūshū. Kumamoto Prefecture has a population of 1,748,134 () and has a geographic area of . Kumamoto Prefecture borders Fukuoka Prefecture to the north, Ōita Prefecture to ...

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

. The line runs northward from Kami-Kumamoto Station on the

Kagoshima Main Line The is a major railway line operated by the Kyushu Railway Company (JR Kyushu) between Mojikō in Kitakyushu, and Kagoshima Station in Kagoshima City, at the southern end of Kyushu. Until March 13, 2004, it extended 393 km between its two ...

, operated by

JR Kyushu The , also referred to as , is one of the seven constituent companies of Japan Railways Group (JR Group). It operates intercity rail services within Kyushu, Japan and the JR Kyushu Jet Ferry Beetle hydrofoil service across the Tsushima Strait ...

, terminating at Miyoshi Station. Previously, the line ran as far as

Kikuchi, Kumamoto is a city located in Kumamoto Prefecture on the island of Kyushu, Japan. The city was founded on August 1, 1958. As of March 31, 2017, the city has an estimated population of 49,455 and a population density of 180 persons per km2. The total area ...

, an

onsen In Japan, are the country's hot springs and the bathing facilities and traditional inns around them. As a volcanically active country, Japan has many onsens scattered throughout all of its major islands. There are approximately 25,000 hot ...

resort town. However, ticket sales were replaced with road traffic on

Japan National Route 387 National Route 387 is a national highway of Japan connecting Usa, Ōita and Kita-ku, Kumamoto is one of the five wards of Kumamoto City, Japan. Meaning literally "north ward," it is bordered by the Nishi-ku, Chūō-ku, Higashi-ku and al ...

, and the section between Miyoshi and Kikuchi ceased operations on February 16, 1986.

Operations

The line is

electrified Electrification is the process of powering by electricity and, in many contexts, the introduction of such power by changing over from an earlier power source. The broad meaning of the term, such as in the history of technology, economic history ...

with

overhead lines An overhead line or overhead wire is an electrical cable that is used to transmit electrical energy to electric locomotives, trolleybuses or trams. It is known variously as: * Overhead catenary * Overhead contact system (OCS) * Overhead equipmen ...

and is single-tracked for the entire line. Passing loops are located at Horikawa Station and Kuroishi Station.

Kita-Kumamoto Station is a railway station in Kumamoto City, Kumamoto Prefecture, Japan. It is on the Kikuchi Line and is the northern terminus of the Fujisaki Line, operated by the Kumamoto Electric Railway. Trains arrive every thirty minutes. Lines * Kumamoto E ...

has a passing loop for trains continuing on the

Fujisaki Line The is a 2.3 km railway line owned by the Kumamoto Electric Railway, serving Kumamoto City, Kumamoto Prefecture, Japan. The line branches southward from Kita-Kumamoto Station to Fujisakigū-mae Station. Previously, this line extended to Kam ...

Two types of passenger services run on the line. The first runs between Kami-Kumamoto Station and

, while the second runs between

Fujisakigū-mae Station is a railway station in Kumamoto City, Kumamoto Prefecture, Japan. It is on the Fujisaki Line, operated by the Kumamoto Electric Railway. Trains arrive every thirty minutes. This station is located near Fujisaki Hachimangū, where its name or ...

on the Fujisaki Line to Miyoshi Station, running through Kita-Kumamoto. Both types of services stop at every station. Busses operated by the Kumamoto Electric Railway connect Miyoshi with Kikuchi along the abolished track.

Stations

Current stations

Terminated stations

References

{{Kumamoto Electric Railway Kikuchi Line Kumamoto Electric Railway Kikuchi Line Railway lines in Japan Rail transport in Kumamoto Prefecture Railway lines opened in 1913 Japanese third-sector railway lines