Nippō Main Line

The Nippō Main Line (日豊本線, Nippō-honsen) is a railway line in Kyushu, in southern Japan, operated by Kyushu Railway Company (JR Kyushu). Also known as the Fukuhoku Nippo Line, The line connects Kokura Station in Kitakyushu, Fukuoka, and Kagoshima Station in Kagoshima via the east coast of Kyushu, passing through the prefectural capitals of Ōita and Miyazaki. A number of Limited Express trains operate along the route, including Limited Express Sonic trains between Hakata and Oita.

Nippō Main Line
Kirishima limited express train crossing Ōyodo River, Miyazaki
Overview
Owner	JR Kyushu
Locale	Kyushu
Termini	Kokura Kagoshima
Stations	111
Service
Type	Heavy rail
Technical
Line length	467.2 km (290.3 mi)
Track gauge	1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in)
Electrification	20 kV AC (60 Hz)
Route map

Stations

●: Stops

▲: Rapid service connecting to Hitahikosan Line non-stop,

｜: Non-stop

Liner services: Sawayaka Liner, Home Liner

Numbering	Station		Distance (km)	Rapid	Liner		Transfers	Location
JF  01	Kokura	小倉	0.0	●			Sanyo Shinkansen ■ Kagoshima Main Line Kitakyushu Monorail	Kokurakita-ku, Kitakyushu	Fukuoka Prefecture
JF  02	Nishi Kokura	西小倉	0.8	●			■ Kagoshima Main Line
JF  03	Minami Kokura	南小倉	3.5	▲
JF  04	Jōno	城野	6.1	●			■ Hitahikosan Line	Kokuraminami-ku, Kitakyushu
JF  05	Abeyama Kōen	安部山公園	8.4	｜
JF  06	Shimosone	下曽根	11.6	｜
JF  07	Kusami	朽網	15.0	｜
JF  08	Kanda	苅田	18.6	｜				Kanda
JF  09	Obase Nishikōdai-mae	小波瀬西工大前	22.2	｜			Kanda Minato Line (freight)
JF  10	Yukuhashi	行橋	25.0	●			■ Heisei Chikuho Railway Tagawa Line	Yukuhashi
	Minami Yukuhashi	南行橋	26.8	｜
	Shindenbaru	新田原	30.2	｜
	Tsuiki	築城	33.9	●				Chikujō
	Shiida	椎田	36.9	●
	Buzen Shōe	豊前松江	41.8	｜				Buzen
	Unoshima	宇島	45.2	●
	Mikekado	三毛門	48.0	｜
	Yoshitomi	吉富	50.0	｜				Yoshitomi
	Nakatsu	中津	51.8	●				Nakatsu	Ōita Prefecture
	Higashi Nakatsu	東中津	56.7	●
	Imazu	今津	60.1	●
	Amatsu	天津	62.5	●				Usa
	Buzen Zenkōji	豊前善光寺	65.5	●
	Yanagigaura	柳ケ浦	69.1	●
	Buzen Nagasu	豊前長洲	71.0
	Usa	宇佐	75.8
	Nishi Yashiki	西屋敷	79.4
	Tateishi	立石	85.2					Kitsuki
	Naka Yamaga	中山香	90.4
	Kitsuki	杵築	99.2
	Ōga	大神	103.3					Hiji
	Hiji	日出	107.2
	Yōkoku	暘谷	108.4
	Bungo Toyooka	豊後豊岡	111.3
	Kamegawa	亀川	114.9					Beppu
	Beppu Daigaku	別府大学	117.0
	Beppu	別府	120.8
	Higashi Beppu	東別府	122.8
	Nishi Ōita	西大分	130.4					Ōita
	Ōita	大分	132.9				■ Kyūdai Main Line ■ Hōhi Main Line
	Maki	牧	136.2
	Takajō	高城	138.0
	Tsurusaki	鶴崎	141.0
	Ōzai	大在	144.3
	Sakanoichi	坂ノ市	147.4
	Kōzaki	幸崎	151.8
	Sashiu	佐志生	159.0					Usuki
	Shitanoe	下ノ江	161.0
	Kumasaki	熊崎	164.7
	Kami Usuki	上臼杵	167.6
	Usuki	臼杵	169.2
	Tsukumi	津久見	178.9					Tsukumi
	Hishiro	日代	184.4
	Azamui	浅海井	188.2					Saiki
	Kariu	狩生	192.0
	Kaizaki	海崎	194.8
	Saiki	佐伯	197.8
	Kamioka	上岡	202.4
	Naomi	直見	208.8
	Naokawa	直川	213.6
	Shigeoka	重岡	224.2
	Sōtarō	宗太郎	231.0
	Ichitana	市棚	238.5					Nobeoka	Miyazaki Prefecture
	Kitagawa	北川	243.2
	Hyūga Nagai	日向長井	246.7
	Kita Nobeoka	北延岡	251.3
	Nobeoka	延岡	256.2		●
	Minami Nobeoka	南延岡	259.6		●
	Asahigaoka	旭ケ丘	263.1		｜
	Totoro	土々呂	265.7		｜
	Kadogawa	門川	270.0		●			Kadogawa
	Hyūgashi	日向市	276.6		●			Hyūga
	Zaikōji	財光寺	278.9		｜
	Minami Hyūga	南日向	283.1		｜
	Mimitsu	美々津	289.7		｜
	Higashi Tsuno	東都農	294.1		｜			Tsuno
	Tsuno	都農	298.7		●
	Kawaminami	川南	305.6		｜			Kawaminami
	Takanabe	高鍋	313.6		●			Takanabe
	Hyūga Shintomi	日向新富	320.0		｜			Shintomi
	Sadowara	佐土原	326.7		●			Miyazaki
	Hyūga Sumiyoshi	日向住吉	330.9		●
	Hasugaike	蓮ケ池	334.7		｜
	Miyazaki Jingū	宮崎神宮	337.4		｜
	Miyazaki	宮崎	339.9		●	●
	Minami Miyazaki	南宮崎	342.5		●	●	■ Nichinan Line
	Kanō	加納	345.1			｜
	Kiyotake	清武	347.8			●
	Hyūga Kutsukake	日向沓掛	352.5			●
	Tano	田野	358.0			●
	Aoidake	青井岳	369.3			｜		Miyakonojō
	Yamanokuchi	山之口	379.1			●
	Mochibaru	餅原	382.0			●		Mimata
	Mimata	三股	385.6			●
	Miyakonojō	都城	389.9			●	■ Kitto Line	Miyakonojō
	Nishi Miyakonojō	西都城	392.4			●
	Isoichi	五十市	395.2
	Takarabe	財部	399.4					Soo	Kagoshima Prefecture
	Kitamata	北俣	403.0
	Ōsumi Ōkawara	大隅大川原	408.1
	Kita Naganoda	北永野田	413.4					Kirishima
	Kirishima Jingū	霧島神宮	419.4
	Kokubu	国分	432.1
	Hayato	隼人	434.7				■ Hisatsu Line
	Kajiki	加治木	441.6					Aira
	Kinkō	錦江	443.3
	Chōsa	帖佐	445.5
	Aira	姶良	447.1
	Shigetomi	重富	448.7
	Ryūgamizu	竜ケ水	455.7					Kagoshima
	Kagoshima	鹿児島	462.6				■ Kagoshima Main Line Kagoshima City Tram

Though Kagoshima is the southern terminus for the line, some trains continue via the Kagoshima Main Line to the adjacent Kagoshima-Chūō station.

History

The Kyushu Railway Co. opened the 6 km Kokura - Jono section in 1895, and the Hōshū Railway Co. opened the 46 km Yukuhashi - Buzen Nagasu section in 1897. The former company acquired the latter in 1901, and was nationalised in 1907. The lines were connected in 1909, and extended south to Usa in the same year, the line reaching Beppu and Oita in 1911, Usuki in 1915 and Shigeoka in 1922.

The section from Kagoshima - Hayato opened as part of the Hisatsu line in 1901.

The original rail connection to Miyazaki (via the Kitto Line) opened in 1916, and the line was extended north to Takanabe in 1920, Bibi Tsu in 1921 and connected to the line from Kokura in 1923. The line west of Miyakonojo opened in sections from 1929, connecting to Hayato in 1932.

The 2.8 km Obase - Yukuhashi section was the first to be duplicated in 1956, and the Kokura - Jono section was double-tracked by 1958, continued to Obase by 1965 and extended south to Tateishi by 1983. The Naka Yamaga - Kisuki section was double-tracked between 1977 and 1978, and the Hiji - Oita section between 1966 and 1987.

The 152 km Kokura - Saizaki section was electrified in 1967, extended 191 km to Minami Miyazaki in 1974, and a further 120 km to Kagoshima in 1979.

Former connecting lines

The Beppu Daigaku - Sumiyoshi Shrine 'human' powered line, appears to be ~915mm (~3') gauge

A 3 km 'Kokura Bypass' line (junctioning 2 km north of Kokura on the Kagoshima Main Line) to the Nippo Main Line was opened in 1903, together with another line linking back to the Kagoshima Main Line south of Kokura. The 'Bypass' was built due to the Japanese army expressing concern at the vulnerability of Kokura to enemy naval gunfire. However, following Japan's success in the 1904 Russo-Japanese War, this concern diminished and the Kokura Bypass sections closed in 1911.

• Jono station - The 4 km Nishitetsu Northern Line was built as a 1067mm (3'6") gauge line to Kawaraguchi between 1906/07. It was regauged to 1435mm and electrified at 600 VDC in 1920, and extended from Kawaraguchi to Uomachi (on the Kagoshima Main Line) in 1932. The line closed in 1980.
• Unoshima station - The Yabakei Railway Co. opened the 762mm (2'6") gauge 17 km line to Yabakei in sections between 1914 and 1918 and was replaced by a bus service in 1936.

Yabakei Railway train at Nakatsu, ~1975

Tablet exchange on the Yabakei Railway, ~1975

• Nakatsu station - The Yabakei Railway Co. also opened the 36 km 762mm gauge line to Morizane Onsen in sections between 1913 and 1924. The line was regauged to 1067mm in 1929. In 1944 the line commenced servicing the Nakatsu Steel works, until it closed in 1966. The 26 km section beyond Noji closed in 1971, with the remainder closing in 1975.
• Buzen Zenkoji station - The 16 km 762mm gauge line to Buzen Futsukaichi opened in 1914/15, and closed in 1951 as a result of bridge damage caused by Typhoon Ruth.
• Usa station - The 9 km line from Bungotakada to Usa Hachiman, including a connection to and overpass of the Nippo Main line at Usa, opened in 1916, closing in 1965.
• Kitsuki station - The 30 km line to Kunisaki line was opened in sections between 1922 and 1935. A planned extension to Bungotakada was not built. Typhoon damage to bridges in 1961 saw the line formally closed in 1965.
• Beppu Daigaku station - the Miyazaki Prefectural government built a human powered 1.7 km line of unknown gauge to the Sumiyoshi shrine in 1914. It closed in 1929.
• Nishi Oita station - The 2 km freight line to Oita Minato operated 1911–1984.
• Saizaki station - The Nippon Mining Co. opened a 9 km 762mm gauge line to Nikko Saganoseki in 1946. Passenger services commenced in 1948, freight service ceased in 1960 and the line closed in 1963.

Segawa bridge on the Takachiho line

Kuzuhara tunnel at Takachiho on the uncompleted line to Takamori

Kuzuhara tunnel now being used as a sake storage area

• Nobeoka station - The 50 km line to Takachiho was opened to Hinokage (38 km) between 1935 and 1939, and to Takachiho in 1972. Construction of the 27 km section to the Takamori line continued until 1977, when flooding 2050m into the 6500m Takamori tunnel (16 km north of Takachiho) resulted in work being suspended. Construction was formally abandoned in 1980, after 30% of the line had been constructed. Freight service ceased in 1974, and in 1982 all service was suspended for four months due to Typhoon damage. In 1989 the line was transferred to the Third Sector Takachiho Railway, which operated until the line was extensively damaged by a typhoon in 2005, formal closure occurring in 2008.
• Hyuga station - The 3.5 km line to Hoso-to Port opened in 1921. Passenger services ceased in 1972 and the line closed in 1993.
• Sadowara station - The 19 km line to Hokita opened in 1922. Freight services ceased in 1972 and the line closed in 1984.
• Nishi Miyakonojo station - The 39 km line to Shibushi opened between 1923 and 1925, connecting to the Nichinan Line. Freight service ended in 1983 and the line closed in 1987.
• Kokubo station - The 98 km line to Shibushi, also connecting to the Nichinan Line, was not completed until 1972. The first section was opened by the Osumi Light Railway Co. as a 762mm gauge line from Funama to Kushira, via a reversing station at Kanoya, between 1915 and 1923. The line was nationalised in 1935, the same year the Shibushi - Higashikushira line was opened by JR. The 1 km connection to Kushira opened the following year, and in 1938 the Kushira - Funama section was regauged, with a new station at Kanoya removing the need to reverse direction there. The Funama - Kaigata section opened in 1961 as a passenger only line, and the Kaigata - Kokubu section also opened without freight service. The rest of the line lost freight service in 1982, and the entire line closed in 1987.

Accidents

On September 17, 2006, at 14:05, the Nichirin Number 9 train on the Nippo Line derailed near Minami-Nobeoka Station, causing some injuries.