Chikuhō Electric Railroad Line

The Chikuhō Electric Railroad Line (筑豊電気鉄道線, Chikuhō Denki Tetsudō-sen) is a railway line in Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan, connecting Kurosaki-Ekimae in Kitakyushu with Chikuhō-Nōgata Station in Nōgata, operated by Chikuhō Electric Railroad (筑豊電気鉄道, Chikuhō Denki Tetsudō). The line does not have an official name. The company and the line is also called Chikutetsu (筑鉄). The company is a subsidiary of Nishi-Nippon Railroad (Nishitetsu), founded in 1951.^[1] The line originally had a through service with the Nishitetsu Kitakyushu Line, a tram line closed in 2000. Because of this, the Chikutetsu Line only uses tram vehicles. However, the line is legally classified as a railway under Railway Business Act, not a tramway under Tram Act, and the line does not share any segments with public roads.

Chikuhō Electric Railroad Line
A Chikutetsu 3000 series train on the Chikuho Railroad in April 2016
Overview
Native name	筑豊電気鉄道線
Owner	Nishitetsu Group
Locale	Fukuoka Prefecture
Termini	Kurosaki Chikuhō-Nōgata
Stations	21
Service
Rolling stock	2000 series 3000 series 5000 series
History
Opened	March 21, 1956
Technical
Line length	16.0 km (9.9 mi)
Track gauge	1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in)
Minimum radius	300 m
Electrification	600 V DC overhead lines
Operating speed	60 km/h (35 mph)

Station list

Code	Station name	Japanese	Distance (km) (between stations)	Total distance (km)	Transfers	Location
CK 01	Kurosaki-Ekimae	黒崎駅前	-	0.0	■ Kagoshima Main Line ■ Fukuhoku Yutaka Line (Kurosaki Station)	Yahatanishi-ku, Kitakyushu
CK 02	Nishi-Kurosaki	西黒崎	0.2	0.2
CK 03	Kumanishi	熊西	0.4	0.6
CK 04	Hagiwara	萩原	1.1	1.7
CK 05	Anō	穴生	0.6	2.3
CK 06	Morishita	森下	0.5	2.8
CK 07	Imaike	今池	0.9	3.7
CK 08	Einomaru	永犬丸	0.8	4.5
CK 09	Sangamori	三ヶ森	0.5	5.0
CK 10	Nishiyama	西山	0.7	5.7
CK 11	Tōritani	通谷	1.0	6.7		Nakama, Fukuoka
CK 12	Higashi-Nakama	東中間	0.5	7.2
CK 13	Chikuhō-Nakama	筑豊中間	0.7	7.9
CK 14	Kibōgaoka-Kōkōmae	希望が丘高校前	0.9	8.8
CK 15	Chikuhō-Katsuki	筑豊香月	1.4	10.2		Yahatanishi-ku, Kitakyushu
CK 16	Kusubashi	楠橋	1.3	11.5
CK 17	Shin-Koyanose	新木屋瀬	0.6	12.1
CK 18	Koyanose	木屋瀬	0.5	12.6
CK 19	Ongano	遠賀野	1.3	13.9		Nōgata, Fukuoka
CK 20	Ganda	感田	1.3	15.2
CK 21	Chikuhō-Nōgata	筑豊直方	0.8	16.0	Note: Nogata Station (Fukuhoku Yutaka Line) & Heisei Chikuhō Railway (Ita Line) is 750m away

Rolling stock

The Chikuhō Electric Railroad operates the following fleet of tramcars.^[2]

• 3000 series 2-car articulated EMUs
• 5000 series 3-car articulated low-floor tramcars

3000 series

Nine 3000 series sets were introduced between 1988 and 1996.^[3] As of 1 April 2017^[update], all nine 3000 series sets were in operation, numbered 3001 to 3009.^[2] Many 3000 series received all-over advertising.

• 
  Set 3001 in September 2016
• 
  Set 3002 in September 2016
• 
  Set 3004 in April 2016
• 
  Set 3005 in old-style livery in November 2016
• 
  Set 3006 in October 2007
• 
  Set 3007 in September 2019

5000 series

The 5000 series is a 17.6 m long low-floor tramcar type with three articulated units mounted on two bogies. As of 1 April 2017^[update], three 5000 series sets were in operation,^[2] with a total of four sets scheduled to be in operation by March 2018.^[4]

Individual car histories are as follows.^[2]

Set No.	Manufacturer	Delivery date	Service entry date	Livery
5001	Alna Sharyo	February 2015	14 March 2015	Pink
5002	Alna Sharyo	February 2016	1 March 2016	Green
5003	Alna Sharyo	February 2017	13 February 2017	Pink
5004	Alna Sharyo	2017	18 December 2017[5]	Light blue

• 
  5001 in March 2015
• 
  5002 in November 2016
• 
  5003 in September 2019
• 
  5004 in August 2018

Former rolling stock

• 2000 series 3-car articulated EMUs
• 2100 series two-car articulated EMUs

2000 series

The 2000 series sets were purchased from Nishitetsu and rebuilt as three-car articulated units with four bogies.^[3]

As of 1 April 2017^[update], three of the original seven 2000 series sets (2002, 2003, 2006) remained in operation.^[2] Each car was finished in a different colour livery as follows.^[6] The remaining 2000 series sets were decommissioned around November 2022.

Set No.	Livery	Notes
2001	Purple	Withdrawn
2002	Indigo
2003	Blue
2004	Green	Withdrawn
2005	Yellow	Withdrawn
2006	Orange
2007	Red	Withdrawn

• 
  Purple-liveried set 2001 in October 2007
• 
  Set 2003 in original livery in October 2007
• 
  Blue-liveried set 2003 in March 2008
• 
  Yellow-liveried set 2005 in July 2009
• 
  Red-liveried set 2007 in July 2009

2100 series

• 
  Set 2105 in 2000

History

The Chikuho Electric Railroad was founded 15 February 1951.^[1] The line opened on 21 March 1956, initially from Kumanishi to Chikuhō-Nakama. This was extended to Koyanose on 29 April 1958, and to Chikuhō-Nōgata on 18 September 1959.^[1]

See also

• List of railway companies in Japan
• List of railway lines in Japan