The is a third-sector operator of four railway lines in

Fukuoka Prefecture is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located on the island of Kyūshū. Fukuoka Prefecture has a population of 5,109,323 (1 June 2019) and has a geographic area of 4,986 Square kilometre, km2 (1,925 sq mi). Fukuoka Prefecture borders ...

, Japan. The railway's nickname is ''Heichiku.''

Principal investors

Fukuoka Prefecture holds 27.5% of the stock in the railway. The cities of Tagawa, Nōgata, and Yukuhashi hold 14.8%, 6.6%, and 6.6% each.

Lines

* Ita Line (16.1 km) - The Nogata to Kaneda section opened in 1893, and the Kaneda to Tagawa-Ita section in 1899. The line was double-tracked in 1911, and freight services ceased in 2004. * Itoda Line (6.8 km) - The Tagawa-Gotoji to Itoda section opened in 1897 to haul coal and the Itoda to Kaneda section opened in 1929 to service a cement plant. * Tagawa Line (26.3 km) - The entire Tagawa-Ita to Yukuhashi line opened in 1895. * Mojikō Retro Kankō Line (2.1 km) - The Mojiko to Moji Harbour line opened in 1929, and freight services ceased in 2004. Despite a significant landslide in 2006, the line was reopened as a tourist line in 2009. The Mojikō Retro Kankō Line is classified as a under the Railway Business Act of Japan as it does not purport to transport daily passengers or freight. Heisei Chikuhō Railway operates trains as Category 2 operator (as defined in the Act, see "

Rail transport in Japan Rail transport in Japan is a major means of passenger public transport, transport, especially for mass and high-speed rail, high-speed travel between major cities of Japan, cities and for commuter rail, commuter transport in urban areas. I ...

" for details) on the track owned by the city of

Kitakyūshū is a city located in Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan. As of June 1, 2019, Kitakyushu has an estimated population of 940,978, making it the second-largest city in both Fukuoka Prefecture and the island of Kyushu after the city of Fukuoka. It is one o ...

as Category 3 operator.

Rolling stock

, the railway operates a fleet of 12 single-car 400 series diesel railcars (numbered 401 to 412) and one 500 series diesel railcar (numbered 501). File:Heichiku 401.jpg, 400 series DMU car 401 in August 2007 File:Heisei Chikuho 401-402 COTO COTO Train 20201009.jpg, 400 type diesel train 401 + 402 " Coto Coto Train" File:Heichiku 501.jpg, 500 series DMU car 501 in March 2008 File:Heisei chikuho railway kiha 2004.jpg, Former Hitachinaka Seaside Railway KiHa 2004 in December 2016 In 2016, the railway purchased former KiHa 2000 series diesel rail car KiHa 2004 from the Hitachinaka Seaside Railway in

Ibaraki Prefecture is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located in the Kantō region of Honshu. Ibaraki Prefecture has a population of 2,828,086 (1 July 2023) and has a geographic area of . Ibaraki Prefecture borders Fukushima Prefecture to the north, ...

, which was withdrawn from service in December 2015. In 2019, the Coto Coto Train started as a new touristic service in the

Former rolling stock

File:HCR DMU 106.jpg, 100 series DMU car 106 in December 2007 File:Heisei Chikuho DMU 202.jpg, 200 series DMU car in December 2007 File:Heichiku 304.jpg, 300 series DMU car 304 in March 2008 The former 300 series DMU cars operated by the railway were withdrawn December 2010. Car 303 was shipped to

Myanmar Myanmar, officially the Republic of the Union of Myanmar; and also referred to as Burma (the official English name until 1989), is a country in northwest Southeast Asia. It is the largest country by area in Mainland Southeast Asia and has ...

, and car 304 is retained in operating condition for use on special driving days by members of the general public.

History

The company was founded on April 26, 1989. On October 1, 1989 it assumed the operations of its three lines, which were formerly part of the

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. It formerly operated the Beetle hydrofoil service across the Tsushima Strait be ...

network. On April 26, 2009 the company started the operation of the Mojikō Retro Kankō Line, a short railway for tourists in

Moji-ku, Kitakyūshū is a Japanese Wards of Japan, ward of the city of Kitakyushu in Fukuoka Prefecture. It is the former city of Moji which was one of five merged to create Kitakyūshū in 1963. It faces the city of Shimonoseki across the Kanmon Straits between Hon ...

References

This article incorporates material from the corresponding article in the Japanese Wikipedia.

External links

Heichiku Net
{{DEFAULTSORT:Heisei Chikuho Railway Railway companies of Japan Japanese third-sector railway lines 1989 establishments in Japan