The is a railway line in

Hokkaido is the list of islands of Japan by area, second-largest island of Japan and comprises the largest and northernmost prefectures of Japan, prefecture, making up its own list of regions of Japan, region. The Tsugaru Strait separates Hokkaidō fr ...

operated by Hokkaido Railway Company (JR Hokkaido), connecting Numanohata, Tomakomai and Shiroishi Station in Shiroishi-ku, Sapporo, linking the Muroran Main Line and

Hakodate Main Line The is a railway line connecting the cities of Hakodate, Hokkaido, Hakodate and Asahikawa, Hokkaido, Asahikawa via Sapporo in Hokkaido, Japan. It is one of the trunk lines that is operated by the Hokkaido Railway Company (JR Hokkaido). The Sawa ...

. There also is a branch line to

New Chitose Airport is an international airport located south-southeast of Chitose, Hokkaidō, Chitose and Tomakomai, Hokkaidō, Japan, serving the Sapporo metropolitan area. By both traffic and land area, it is the largest airport in Hokkaidō. It is adjacent ...

Service outline

The line forms part of the trunk route between Sapporo and Southern Hokkaido. As such, '' Hokuto'' limited express trains run between

Sapporo is a Cities designated by government ordinance of Japan, designated city in Hokkaido, Japan. Located in the southwest of Hokkaido, it lies within the alluvial fan of the Toyohira River, a tributary of the Ishikari River. Sapporo is the capital ...

and

Hakodate is a Cities of Japan, city and seaports of Japan, port located in Oshima Subprefecture, Hokkaido, Japan. It is the capital city of Oshima Subprefecture. As of January 31, 2024, the city had an estimated population of 239,813 with 138,807 househol ...

once every 1 to 2 hours, as well as the '' Suzuran'' limited express between Sapporo and Muroran. The section between Sapporo and Minami-Chitose is also a part of the trunk route between Sapporo and eastern Hokkaido. The '' Ōzora'' and '' Tokachi'' limited express services to Obihiro and

Kushiro is a city in Kushiro Subprefecture on the island of Hokkaido, Japan. Located along the coast of the North Pacific Ocean, it serves as the subprefecture's capital and it is the most populated city in the eastern part of the island. History An ...

run through. The rapid trains ''Special Rapid Airport'' and ''Rapid Airport'' previously ran approximately once every 12 minutes, functioning as the

airport rail link An airport rail link is a service providing passenger rail transport between an airport and a nearby city. Direct links operate straight from the airport terminal to the city, while other links require an intermediate use of a people mover or ...

between New Chitose Airport Station and Sapporo or

Otaru is a Cities of Japan, city and Seaports of Japan, port in Shiribeshi Subprefecture, Hokkaido, Japan, northwest of Sapporo. The city faces Ishikari Bay and the Sea of Japan, and has long served as the main port of the bay. With its many historical ...

. Since the Chitose Line goes through the most urbanized area in Hokkaido, there are roughly 3 to 4 local train services per hour. On 16 March 2024, a new rapid service named "''Semi-Rapid Airport''" plying between Sapporo and New Chitose Airport Station was introduced, operating only during the daytime at two trains per hour. This train stops at Sapporo, Shin-Sapporo and all stations between Kita-Hiroshima and New Chitose Airport. Since then, no local services operate between Kita-Hiroshima and Chitose during the daytime, and the daytime service frequency of other rapid trains was adjusted to one per hour for ''Special Rapid Airport'' trains and three per hour for ''Rapid Airport'' trains. Local services are operated at two trains per hour between Sapporo and Kita-Hiroshima and one train per hour between Chitose and Tomakomai during the daytime.

Former services

There were sleeper trains between

Honshu , historically known as , is the largest of the four main islands of Japan. It lies between the Pacific Ocean (east) and the Sea of Japan (west). It is the list of islands by area, seventh-largest island in the world, and the list of islands by ...

and

, such as the '' Hokutosei'', ''

Cassiopeia Cassiopeia or Cassiopea may refer to: Greek mythology * Cassiopeia (mother of Andromeda), queen of Aethiopia and mother of Andromeda * Cassiopeia (wife of Phoenix), wife of Phoenix, king of Phoenicia * Cassiopeia, wife of Epaphus, king of Egy ...

'', '' Twilight Express'', and '' Hamanasu''.

Station list

Source: :SRA: Special Rapid Airport :RA: Rapid Airport :SmRA: Semi-Rapid Airport :L: Local :All rapid trains stop at stations signed "+", some at "◌", and all skip stations marked "-". Local trains stop at most stations but some skip stations signed "◌".

Airport Branch Line

Closed station

* H15 : Closed since 4 March 2017, now a signal base.

Rolling stock

* 721 series EMUs * 731 series EMUs *

733 series __NOTOC__ Year 733 (Roman numerals, DCCXXXIII) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Julian calendar. The denomination 733 for this year has been used since the early medieval period, when the Anno Domini calendar era became the preval ...

EMUs * 735 series EMUs File:JR Hokkaido 721 series EMU 003.JPG, A 721 series EMU on the Chitose Line, June 2008 File:JR Hokkaido 731.jpg, A 731 series EMU on the Chitose Line, July 2006 File:733 B104 Chitose Line 20140209.jpg, A 733 series EMU on the Chitose Line, February 2014 File:JR HOKKAIDO EC735 A-101 TRAIN.jpg, 735 series EMUs, May 2012

History

The entire line opened on 21 August 1926.

Duplication

The Chitose-Eniwa section was double-tracked in September 1965, and extended to Kitahiroshima in September 1966. The Chitose-Uenae section was double-tracked in 1968, and extended to Numanohata in 1969. The Shiraishi-Kitahiroshima section was double-tracked in 1973, completing the work to double-track the line.

Electrification

Chitose Station and its approaches were elevated in 1980, and the line was electrified in association with the opening of the nearby Chitose airport. The Minami-chitose—Chitose Airport branch opened as an electrified line in 1992.

References

External links

* {{authority control Rail transport in Hokkaido Lines of Hokkaido Railway Company Airport rail links in Japan Railway lines opened in 1926 1926 establishments in Japan 20 kV AC railway electrification