The Kumamoto Electric Railway (熊本電気鉄道, Kumamoto Denki Tetsudō) is a public transport company in Kumamoto Prefecture, Japan. It is abbreviated as Kumamoto Dentetsu (熊本電鉄) or Kumaden (熊電). The company was founded in 1909. The company operates railway and bus lines.
| Kumamoto Electric Railway | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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 A 6000 series and 03 series train | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Overview | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Status | Operational | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Owner | Kumamoto Electric Railway | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Locale | Kumamoto Prefecture | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| History | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Opened | 15 August 1909 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Technical | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Line length | 13.1 km (8.1 mi) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Track gauge | 1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Electrification | 600 V DC overhead catenary | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Operating speed | 50 km/h (30 mph)[1] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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For the tram (streetcar) system in Kumamoto, see Kumamoto City Transportation Bureau.
Lines
edit- Kikuchi Line (菊池線)
- Kami-Kumamoto — Kita-Kumamoto — Miyoshi: 10.8 km (6.7 mi)
- Fujisaki Line (藤崎線)
- Kita-Kumamoto — Fujisakigū-mae: 2.3 km (1.4 mi)
A short section of the Fujisaki Line shares its track with public road, like a tram line.
Routes & Operation
editAs is the case with many Japanese rail and tram companies, the actual routes operated differ from the officially designated lines[2]
Trains operate on two routes:
- Kikuchi Line or "Kami-Kumamoto Line":[3] Kami-Kumamoto — Kita-Kumamoto
- Fujisaki/Kikuchi Line or "Main Line":[4] Miyoshi — Kita-Kumamoto — Fujisakigū-mae
Services from all 3 termini (Kami-Kumamoto, Miyoshi and Fujisakigū-mae) meet at Kita-Kumamoto at the same times allowing seamless transfer between services. Routes operate every 30 minutes, but during am & pm peak periods the "Main Line" (Miyoshi — Kita-Kumamoto — Fujisakigū-mae) route operates every 15 minutes.
At Kami-Kumamoto, passengers can transfer to JR Kyushu Kagoshima Line trains and Kumamoto City Transportation Bureau tram (streetcar) Route B.
Rolling stock
editAll trains are 2-car sets acquired second-hand from other operators.
- 1000 series EMUs (former Shizuoka Railway 1000 series), 2 x 2-car sets, since April 2024
- 03 series EMUs (former Tokyo Metro 03 series ), 3 x 2-car sets, since April 2019[5]
- 01 series EMUs (former Tokyo Metro 01 series), 2 x 2-car sets, since March 2015[6]
- 6000 series EMUs (former Toei 6000 series), 5 x 2-car sets, since 1995. As of February 2024, only 1 x 2-car set (6111A + 6118A) is still in service.
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Kumamoto Electric Railway 1000 series, February 2024 -
Kumamoto Electric Railway 03 series -
Kumamoto Electric Railway 01 series -
Kumamoto Electric Railway 6000 series
Former Rolling Stock
edit- 200 series EMU (former Nankai Electric Railway 22000 series)
- 5000 series EMUs (former Tokyu 5000 series)
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Kumamo Electric Railway 200 series -
Kumamoto Electric Railway 5000 series
History
editThe forerunner of the company, Kikuchi Tramway (菊池軌道), was established in on 15 August 1909, and opened the 914 mm (3 ft) gauge steam-hauled line from Ikeda Station (池田駅) (close to the present-day Kami-Kumamoto Station) to Sendanbatamachi Station (千反畑町駅) (present-day Fujisakigū-mae Station) on 1 October 1911.[1] On 27 August 1913, the line between Ikeda and Waifu Station (隈府駅) (later named Kikuchi) was opened.[1]
From 31 August 1923, the line was converted to 1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in) gauge and electrified at 600 V DC.[1]
The current section of the Kikuchi Line between Kita-Kumamoto and Kami-Kumamoto opened on 1 October 1950, resulting in two lines between those stations, the original via Fujisakigū-mae and the new line.[1] In June 1953 the original line from Kami-Kumamoto to Fujisakigū-mae closed.[1] The 13.5 km Miyoshi to Kikuchi section closed on 16 February 1986 due to falling patronage.[1]
See also
editReferences
editThis article incorporates material from the corresponding article in the Japanese Wikipedia.
- ^ a b c d e f g Terada, Hirokazu (19 January 2013). データブック日本の私鉄: 全国私鉄165社局掲載 データブック日本の私鉄 [Databook: Japan's Private Railways]. Japan: Neko Publishing. p. 186. ISBN 978-4-7770-1336-4.
- ^ "デジタル JR時刻表 Pro". 株式会社交通新聞社 (in Japanese). Kotsu Shimbunsha. Retrieved 4 November 2024.
- ^ "熊本電気鉄道 上熊本線 路線図・停車駅". レイルラボ(RailLab) (in Japanese). Retrieved 4 November 2024.
- ^ "熊本電気鉄道 熊本電気鉄道本線 路線図・停車駅". レイルラボ(RailLab) (in Japanese). Retrieved 4 November 2024.
- ^ 中古車両、熊本電鉄で「第二の人生」５車種すべて移籍組 東京メトロの３編成導入へ [Old rolling stock to spend new life, 5 different types already transferred, 3 Tokyo Metro trains to be introduced] (in Japanese). Japan: Nishinippon Shimbun. 15 January 2018. Archived from the original on 16 January 2018. Retrieved 16 January 2018.
- ^ Kekke, Manabu (June 2015). 熊本電気鉄道01形 [Kumamoto Electric Railway 01 series]. Tetsudō Daiya Jōhō Magazine (in Japanese). Vol. 44, no. 374. Japan: Kotsu Shimbun. pp. 44–47.
External links
edit- Official website (in Japanese)
- Official website (in English)