The is a 16.1 km

railway line Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport using wheeled vehicles running in tracks, which usually consist of two parallel steel rails. Rail transport is one of the two primary means of land transport, next to road ...

owned by the third-sector company

Heisei Chikuhō Railway The is a third-sector operator of four railway lines in Fukuoka Prefecture, 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 Yu ...

. The line runs north from

Tagawa 270px, Views of Tagawa-Ita Station and Mount Iidake from Tagawa City Coal Mining Historical Park 270px, Site of Mitsui Tagawa Coal Mine is a city located in Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 45,389 in 24248 h ...

to Nōgata, all within

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 ...

History

The line was first built by the Chikuhō Kōgyō Railway, later renamed , as a branch line of the

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, Fukuoka, Chikushino. Between Orio Station and Haruda Station, as ...

. Used to transport coal from the Chikuhō coal mine, the line had two stations:

Nōgata Station is a junction passenger railway station located in the city of Nōgata, Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan. It is operated jointly by JR Kyushu and by the third-sector railway operator Heisei Chikuhō Railway. Regarding the Heisei Chikuho Railway port ...

and

Kanada Station is a passenger railway station located in the town of Fukuchi, Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan. It is operated by the third-sector railway operator Heisei Chikuhō Railway. On 1 April 2009, two local onsen operators, Fujiyunosato and Hinōnoyu-O ...

. The entire Chikuhō Railway system was merged in 1897 with

Kyushu Railway was a company that built and operated railways in Kyushu, one of four main islands of Japan. Most of its lines came under the control of Japanese Government Railways following nationalization in 1907, and many are now operated by Kyushu Railway ...

, where the line was extended to Ita Station (now

Tagawa-Ita Station is a junction passenger railway station located in the city of Tagawa, Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan. It is operated jointly by the Kyushu Railway Company (JR Kyushu) by the third-sector railway operator Heisei Chikuhō Railway. On 1 April 200 ...

) in 1899. Kyushu Railway was

nationalized Nationalization (nationalisation in British English) is the process of transforming privately owned assets into public assets by bringing them under the public ownership of a national government or state. Nationalization contrasts with priv ...

in 1907 and was merged into

Japanese Government Railway The Japanese Government Railways (JGR) was the national railway system directly operated by the until 1949. It was a predecessor of Japanese National Railways and the later Japan Railways Group. Name The English name "Japanese Government Rail ...

. Even though the Ita Line was widened to a

double-track railway A double-track railway usually involves running one track in each direction, compared to a single-track railway where trains in both directions share the same track. Overview In the earliest days of railways in the United Kingdom, most lin ...

in 1911, ridership suffered with the decline of the Chikuhō coal mine. Therefore,

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 ...

, the successor of

privatized Privatization (rendered privatisation in British English) can mean several different things, most commonly referring to moving something from the public sector into the private sector. It is also sometimes used as a synonym for deregulation w ...

and transferred the Ita Line,

Itoda Line The is a 6.8 km railway line owned by the Heisei Chikuhō Railway. The line runs north from Tagawa to Kanada Station, all within Fukuoka Prefecture. History The Itoda Line was built in two parts. The first part was built in 1897 as a bran ...

, and Tagawa Line to the newly founded Heisei Chikuhō Railway. Even after privatization, the

Japan Freight Railway Company , or , is one of the seven constituent companies of Japan Railways Group (JR Group). It provides transportation of cargo nationwide throughout Japan. Its headquarters are in Shibuya, Tokyo near Shinjuku Station. The Japan Railways Group was foun ...

still ran trains from Kanada north to Mojiko Station in

Kitakyushu is a Cities of Japan, 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 Fuk ...

, transporting cement from a Mitsui Tankō plant near Kanada Station. This service ceased with the plant's closure in March 2004.

Operations

The line is not

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. In the context of history of technology and economic development, electrification refe ...

and is

double-tracked Double tracking or doubling is an audio recording technique in which a performer sings or plays along with their own prerecorded performance, usually to produce a stronger or bigger sound than can be obtained with a single voice or instrument. ...

for the entire line. Some services continue past

on the

to Tagawa-Gotōji Station.

Stations

All stations are within

References

{{Specified local lines, state=collapsed Railway lines in Japan Rail transport in Fukuoka Prefecture Railway lines opened in 1893 Japanese third-sector railway lines