The is a 2.1 km

heritage railway A heritage railway or heritage railroad (U.S. usage) is a railway operated as living history to re-create or preserve railway scenes of the past. Heritage railways are often old railway lines preserved in a state depicting a period (or periods) ...

line owned by

Kitakyushu City 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 ...

and operated by

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 on a former freight route in Moji-ku, Kitakyushu,

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 Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

. One passenger train named the runs on the track.

History

Various railroads have operated in the Moji area in the past, including a line by

JR Freight , 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 ...

to Sotohama Station (near present day Idemitsu Art Museum Station) and a private passenger line known as the . After the closure of these lines, multiple proposals were made to preserve these lines as a heritage railway. One such proposal by the Heisei Chikuhō Railway was finally approved on March 13, 2008 between

Mojikō Station is a railway station on the Kagoshima Main Line in Moji-ku, Kitakyushu, Japan, operated by the Kyushu Railway Company (JR Kyushu). Lines Mojikō Station is served by the Kagoshima Main Line. The station is located close to Kyushu Railway His ...

and Mekari Park (now Kanmon Straits Mekari Station). In preparation for its reopening, promotional events were held on the tracks throughout 2008. Plans for the railroad was formally announced January 2009, and

naming rights Naming rights are a financial transaction and form of advertising or memorialization where a corporation, person, or other entity purchases the right to name a facility, object, location, program, or event (most often sports venues), typical ...

to the station were sold before its formal opening on April 26. For their preservation efforts, Kitakyushu City was awarded a "Railroad Cultural and Tourism Award" by the

Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism The , abbreviated MLIT, is a ministry of the Japanese government.国土交通省設置法

. The 2018 Japan floods heavily damaged the tracks, forcing the line to be closed for a month.

Operations

One four-car passenger train named the runs on the track. The line operates year-round (previously, only between March and November). Except for certain weeks such as during the

Obon or just is a fusion of the ancient Japanese belief in ancestral spirits and a Japanese Buddhist custom to honor the spirits of one's ancestors. This Buddhist custom has evolved into a family reunion holiday during which people return to ance ...

period, trains only operate on weekends and holidays. Eleven round-trip services are run per day at 40-minute intervals. Though operated by the

, this line does not connect to the rest of Heichiku's network. 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 single-tracked for the entire line.

Stations

All stations are within Moji-ku, Kitakyushu,

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mojiko Retro Scenic Line Railway lines in Japan Rail transport in Fukuoka Prefecture Railway lines opened in 2009 Japanese third-sector railway lines Heritage railways in Japan