Ibusuki Makurazaki Line

Ibusuki Makurazaki Line
Nishi-Ōyama Station with Kaimondake volcano in the background, and a post marking it as the southernmost JR railway station in Japan
Overview
Native name	指宿枕崎線
Status	In operation
Owner	JR Kyushu
Locale	Kagoshima Prefecture
Termini	Kagoshima-Chūō Makurazaki
Stations	36
Service
Operator(s)	JR Kyushu
Rolling stock	KiHa 40 series DMU, KiHa 200 series DMU
History
Opened	1930
Technical
Line length	87.8 km (54.6 mi)
Number of tracks	Entire line single tracked
Character	Rural and quiet
Track gauge	1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in)
Electrification	None
Operating speed	85 km/h (53 mph) (Kagoshima-Chūō–Yamakawa) 65 km/h (40 mph) (Yamakawa–Makurazaki)
Route map km Kagoshima Main Line 0.0 Kagoshima-Chūō Kagoshima Main Line 2.2 Kōrimoto 3.5 Minami-Kagoshima 4.9 Usuki 7.4 Taniyama 9.2 Jigenji 11.3 Sakanoue 14.1 Goino 17.2 Hirakawa 20.6 Sesekushi 24.0 Nakamyō 26.6 Kiire 30.4 Maenohama 35.0 Nukumi 37.9 Satsuma-Imaizumi 40.7 Miyagahama 43.4 Nigatsuden 45.7 Ibusuki 50.0 Yamakawa 54.2 Ōyama 56.7 Nishi-Ōyama 57.8 Satsuma-Kawashiri 59.6 Higashi-Kaimon 61.0 Kaimon 62.8 Irino 66.1 Ei 67.7 Nishi-Ei 70.4 Goryō 72.8 Ishikaki 74.2 Mizunarikawa 76.0 Ei-Ōkawa 78.1 Matsugaura 79.9 Satsuma-Shioya 81.9 Shirasawa 84.4 Satsuma-Itashiki 87.8 Makurazaki Nansatsu Railway to Kaseda km This diagram:

A Nanohana rapid service

A Ibusuki no Tamatebako limited express

The Ibusuki Makurazaki Line (指宿枕崎線, Ibusuki Makurazaki-sen) is a railway line in Kagoshima Prefecture, Japan, operated by the Kyushu Railway Company (JR Kyushu). It connects Kagoshima-Chūō Station in Kagoshima, to Makurazaki Station in Makurazaki, paralleling the eastern and southern coasts of Satsuma Peninsula. Excluding the Okinawa Urban Monorail in Okinawa, this is the southernmost JR railway line in Japan, with Nishi-Ōyama Station being the southernmost station overall.

Services

The line is operationally divided into two sections. The section between Kagoshima-Chūō and Yamakawa functions as a commuter rail of Kagoshima. As such, there are relatively many local trains. From Kagoshima-Chūō, there is roughly one train per 20 minutes to Goino, one per 20 to 40 minutes to Kiire, and one per one hour to Ibusuki or Yamakawa. The Ibusuki no Tamatebako limited express and Nanohana (なのはな) rapid services operate on this section. The limited express train runs three times a day, and the rapid train runs southward three times a day, northward four times a day.

The section between Yamakawa and Makurazaki is an extremely quiet local line. During the daytime, there is no train service for six hours. In this section, all but Nishi-Ei are unmanned stations, including Makurazaki, the terminus.

The Nanohana DX (なのはなDX) rapid service was discontinued from the start of the revised timetable on March 12, 2011.

Stations

The Ibusuki Makurazaki Line is entirely in Kagoshima Prefecture.

Note': All trains stop at stations marked "+". Some trains stop at "*". No trains stop at "-".

History

The 14 km (8.7 mi) Nishi-Kagoshima (now Kagoshima-Chūō) to Goino section opened in 1930, and was extended 32 km (20 mi) to Ibusuki in 1934, and a further 4 km (2.5 mi) to Yamakawa in 1936. The next 18 km (11 mi) extension to Nishi-Ei opened in 1960 as a passenger only line, and Makurazaki (a further 20 km or 12 mi) was reached in 1963.

Steam locomotives were withdrawn in 1973, and freight services in 1980. CTC signalling was commissioned between Nishi-Kagoshima and Yamakawa in 1983.

See also

• List of railway lines in Japan

References