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 is the third-largest island of Japan's five main islands and the most southerly of the four largest islands ( i.e. excluding Okinawa). In the past, it has been known as , and . The historical regional name referred to Kyushu and its surround ...

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 n ...

and the

JR Kyushu Jet Ferry 250px, Beetle ferry is a hydrofoil ferry service that travels between Fukuoka, Japan and Busan, South Korea. It is operated by JR Kyushu Jet Ferry, a division of Kyushu Railway Company. Although journey times are longer, ferry travel is genera ...

Beetle

hydrofoil A hydrofoil is a lifting surface, or foil, that operates in water. They are similar in appearance and purpose to aerofoils used by aeroplanes. Boats that use hydrofoil technology are also simply termed hydrofoils. As a hydrofoil craft gains s ...

service across the Tsushima Strait between

Fukuoka is the sixth-largest city in Japan, the second-largest port city after Yokohama, and the capital city of Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan. The city is built along the shores of Hakata Bay, and has been a center of international commerce since anc ...

and

Busan Busan (), officially known as is South Korea's most populous city after Seoul, with a population of over 3.4 million inhabitants. Formerly romanized as Pusan, it is the economic, cultural and educational center of southeastern South Korea ...

South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and sharing a Korean Demilitarized Zone, land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed ...

. It also operates hotels, restaurants, and drugstores across its service region. JR Kyushu's headquarters are in

Hakata-ku, Fukuoka is a ward of the city of Fukuoka in Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan. Many of Fukuoka Prefecture and Fukuoka City's principal government, commercial, retail and entertainment establishments are located in the district. Hakata-ku is also the location ...

.Corporate Summary
." Kyushu Railway Company. Retrieved on March 27, 2010.

History

When

Japanese National Railways The abbreviated JNR or , was the business entity that operated Japan's national railway network from 1949 to 1987. Network Railways As of June 1, 1949, the date of establishment of JNR, it operated of narrow gauge () railways in all 46 pre ...

was divided in 1987, Kyushu Railway Company inherited its assets and operations on the island of

along with losses of around 28.8 billion yen, exacerbated by a growing highway network in Kyushu and many lightly used rural lines. After privatization, JR Kyushu diversified its business into new ventures such as fish and mushroom farming and car sales. Two of its more successful side ventures were the ''Beetle'' ferry, started in 1991, and the Train d'or bakery chain, started in 1992. JR Kyushu also built up its premium rail services through the development of the Kyushu Shinkansen

high-speed rail High-speed rail (HSR) is a type of rail system that runs significantly faster than traditional rail, using an integrated system of specialised rolling stock and dedicated tracks. While there is no single standard that applies worldwide, lines ...

line and the ''

Seven Stars in Kyushu The is a deluxe sleeping car excursion train operated by Kyushu Railway Company (JR Kyushu) in Japan since October 2013. Design The overall design concept of the train was overseen by industrial designer Eiji Mitooka. The name of the train is ...

'' luxury excursion train. The company introduced SUGOCA, a

smart card A smart card, chip card, or integrated circuit card (ICC or IC card) is a physical electronic authentication device, used to control access to a resource. It is typically a plastic credit card-sized card with an embedded integrated circuit (IC) c ...

ticketing system, from 1 March 2009. JR Kyushu executed its

initial public offering An initial public offering (IPO) or stock launch is a public offering in which shares of a company are sold to institutional investors and usually also to retail (individual) investors. An IPO is typically underwritten by one or more investme ...

in October 2016. Non-railway operations account for roughly 60% of the company's sales and most of its profits.

Lines

Shinkansen line

* Kyushu Shinkansen (Kagoshima Route) * Nishi Kyushu Shinkansen

Main lines

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 t ...

* Nagasaki Main Line * Kyūdai Main Line: Nicknamed Yufu Kōgen Line * Hōhi Main Line: Nicknamed Aso Kōgen Line * Nippō Main Line *

Chikuhō Main Line The is a railway line in Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan, operated by Kyushu Railway Company (JR Kyushu). It connects Wakamatsu Station in Kitakyushu with Haruda Station in Chikushino. Between Orio Station and Haruda Station, as well as from Keise ...

: Divided to three segments with different nicknames, namely Haruda Line, Fukuhoku Yutaka Line, and Wakamatsu Line.

Other lines

Chikuhi Line The is a railway line in Kyushu, Japan, connecting Meinohama Station in Fukuoka, Fukuoka (and via a subway through service, Fukuoka itself) to Karatsu Station in Karatsu, Saga, and from Yamamoto Station in Karatsu to Imari Station in Imari, ...

Fukuhoku Yutaka Line The is the collective name for four sections of railway lines operated by Kyushu Railway Company (JR Kyushu) in Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan. It runs between Kurosaki Station and Hakata station (66.6 km). The sections called Fukuhoku Yutaka ...

: A nickname for the route formed by portions of Kagoshima Main Line, Chikuhō Main Line, and the whole part of Sasaguri Line. *

Gotōji Line The is a Japanese railway line in Fukuoka Prefecture connecting Tagawa-Gotōji Station in the city of Tagawa and Shin-Iizuka Station in the city of Iizuka. It is part of the JR Kyushu network. Basic data *Operator, distances: ** Kyushu Rail ...

* Hisatsu Line *

Hitahikosan Line The is a railway line in Japan, operated by Kyushu Railway Company (JR Kyushu). It connects Jōno Station in Kitakyushu, Fukuoka Prefecture with Yoake Station in Hita, Ōita Prefecture and features the 4380 m Shakadake Tunnel between Chikuze ...

* Ibusuki Makurazaki Line *

Kashii Line The is a railway line in Japan operated by Kyushu Railway Company (JR Kyushu). It connects Saitozaki Station in Fukuoka with Umi Station in Umi Umi or UMI may refer to: Geography * Umi, Iran, a village in Razavi Khorasan Province, Iran * Umi ...

Karatsu Line The is a regional railway line in Saga Prefecture, Japan, owned and operated by Kyushu Railway Company (JR Kyushu). It connects in Saga City to in Karatsu City, both in Saga Prefecture, Japan. The line was originally constructed to carry ...

Kitto Line The is a railway line on the island of Kyushu, Japan. It connects Yoshimatsu Station in Yūsui, Kagoshima Prefecture with Miyakonojō Station in Miyakonojō, Miyazaki Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan located on the island of Kyūshū ...

* Misumi Line * Miyazaki Kūkō Line *

Nichinan Line The is a railway line in south-eastern Kyushu, Japan, operated by Kyushu Railway Company (JR Kyushu). It connects Minami-Miyazaki Station in Miyazaki, Miyazaki to Shibushi Station in Shibushi, Kagoshima is a city located in Kagoshima Prefect ...

* Ōmura Line *

Sasaguri Line is a railway line in Japan operated by Kyushu Railway Company (JR Kyushu). It connects Keisen Station in Keisen, Fukuoka with Yoshizuka Station in Fukuoka, Fukuoka. Stations History The Kyushu Railway Co. opened the Yoshizuka - Sasaguri ...

* Sasebo Line

Limited express and tourist train services

* '' Ariake'' (

Hakata is a ward of the city of Fukuoka in Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan. Many of Fukuoka Prefecture and Fukuoka City's principal government, commercial, retail and entertainment establishments are located in the district. Hakata-ku is also the location o ...

- Kumamoto) * '' Aru Ressha'' ( Ōita - Hita ''April to June'')( Sasebo -

Nagasaki is the capital and the largest city of Nagasaki Prefecture on the island of Kyushu in Japan. It became the sole port used for trade with the Portuguese and Dutch during the 16th through 19th centuries. The Hidden Christian Sites in the ...

''July to September'') * '' Aso Boy'' (Kumamoto - Miyaji) * ''

A-Train is a series of business simulation video games developed and published by Japanese game developer Artdink in Japan. The first game in the series was published in 1985. The first release in the United States was ''Take the A-Train II'', published ...

'' (Kumamoto - Misumi) * '' Hayato no Kaze'' (Kagoshima-Chūō - Yoshimatsu) * ''

Huis Ten Bosch Huis ten Bosch ( nl, Paleis Huis ten Bosch, ; English: "House in the Woods") is a royal palace in The Hague, Netherlands. It is one of three official residences of the Dutch monarch; the two others being the Noordeinde Palace in The Hague a ...

'' (Hakata -

) * ''

Ibusuki no Tamatebako The is a limited express service operated by Kyushu Railway Company (JR Kyushu) in Japan since March 2011. It operates between Kagoshima-Chūō Station and Ibusuki Station via the Ibusuki Makurazaki Line. Service pattern There are three re ...

'' (Kagoshima-Chūō - Ibusuki) * '' Isaburo & Shinpei'' ( Hitoyoshi - Yoshimatsu) * '' Kaiō'' (Hakata - Nōgata) * ''Kasasagi'' (Hakata - Hizen-Kashima) * '' Kawasemi Yamasemi'' (Kumamoto - Hitoyoshi) * '' Kirameki'' ( Mojikō - Hakata) * '' Kirishima'' ( Miyazaki - Kagoshima-Chūō) * '' Kumagawa'' (Kumamoto - Hitoyoshi) * '' Midori'' (Hakata - Sasebo) * '' Nichirin''/'' Nichirin Seagaia'' ( Kokura - Miyazaki Kūkō) * ''

Relay Kamome is a limited express train operated by JR Kyushu in Japan. It operates between Hakata and Nagasaki on the Kagoshima Main Line and the Nagasaki Main Line. ''Kamome'' means seagull in Japanese. As of 23 September 2022, the name was inherited by ...

'' (Hakata - Takeo-Onsen) * ''

'' (Circular tours of Kyushu) * '' SL Hitoyoshi'' (Kumamoto - Hitoyoshi/Kumamoto - Tosu) * ''

Sonic Sonic or Sonics may refer to: Companies *Sonic Drive-In, an American drive-in fast-food restaurant chain * Sonic (ISP), an Internet provider and CLEC, serving more than 100 California communities * Sonic Foundry, a computer software company wh ...

'' (Hakata - Ōita) * '' Trans-Kyushu Limited Express'' (Hitoyoshi - Ōita) * '' Umisachi-Yamasachi'' (Miyazaki - Nangō) * '' Yufu'' / '' Yufu DX''/'' Yufuin-no-mori'' (Hakata - Ōita)

Notes

References

External links

Homepage
{{Authority control Railway companies established in 1987 Companies based in Fukuoka Prefecture Transport in Fukuoka