Hisatsu Orange Railway

Not to be confused with Hisatsu Line.

Hisatsu Orange Railway Line
Hisatsu Orange Railway 100 series train
Route map km elev (M) or length (m) in metres Kagoshima Main Line 0.0 Yatsushiro 6 M Hisatsu Line 2.6 Kuma River 528 m 4.8 Higo-Kōda 6 M 10.1 Hinagu-Onsen 6 M 10.9 Hinagu tunnel 219 m National Route 3 13.7 Higo-Futami 2 M 14.1 Futami River 58 m 18.0 Kami-Tanoura 4 M 18.4 Hatajiri tunnel 85 m 20.7 Tanoura tunnel 757 m 22.1 Tanoura- Otachimisaki-Kōen 4 M 22.5 Tanoura River 51 m 23.6 Higo-Tanoura 2 M National Route 3 25.8 Uminoura tunnel 307 m 26.7 Uminoura 27 M 26.8 Sashiki tunnel 1,501 m 29.2 Sashiki River 63 m 29.8 Sashiki 2 M 33.7 Yunoura 7 M Kyūshū Shinkansen 35.2 Yunoura River 41 m 37.1 Tsunagi tunnel ↑ 1,416 m ↓ 1,348 m 40.1 41.8 Kyūshū Shinkansen 42.4 Tsunagi 9 M 42.7 45.8 Shin-Minamata 32 M 46.9 Minamata River 123 m 48.3 49.6 Minamata 2 M National Route 3 54.0 Fukuro River 46 m 55.4 Fukuro 41 M National Route 3 56.0 57.1 61.3 Komenotsu 4 M Kyūshū Shinkansen 65.6 Izumi 14 M 66.2 68.3 Nishi-Izumi 41 M 71.0 Takaono River 79 m 72.1 Takaono 46 M 74.2 Nodagō River 134 m 75.3 Nodagō 26 M National Route 3 80.2 80.7 Origuchi 5 M 83.1 Akasegawa signal box 19 M National Route 3 86.2 Akune 5 M 86.8 92.2 Ushinohama 13 M 93.9 Ōkawa tunnel 253 m 94.2 Ōkawa River 35 m 95.7 Satsuma-Ōkawa 9 M original line 95.8 Shin-Shirinasi tunnel 413 m National Route 3 99.6 Nishikata 7 M 100.4 Nishikata tunnel 129 m National Route 3 101.6 102.3 Satsuma-Taki 9 M 102.4 103.0 Sayama tunnel 207 m 107.3 Kusamichi 3 M National Route 3 111.4 113.7 Kami-Sendai 7 M 115.0 116.0 Sendai River 244 m 116.9 Sendai 9 M Kagoshima Main Line │ Kyūshū Shinkansen km elev (M) or length (m) in metres

Hisatsu Orange Railway Co., Ltd. (肥薩おれんじ鉄道株式会社, Hisatsu Orenji Tetsudō Kabushiki-gaisha) is a third-sector railway company which operates Hisatsu Orange Railway Line in Kumamoto and Kagoshima prefectures. The line follows the former part of the JR Kyushu Kagoshima Main Line that connected Yatsushiro and Sendai in Kumamoto and Kagoshima Prefectures, known historically as Higo and Satsuma Provinces. The length of the line is 116.9 km.

Hisatsu Orange Railway went into service on March 13, 2004, when ownership was transferred from JR and the high speed Kyushu Shinkansen service began. The Hisatsu Orange Railway runs close to the Yatsushiro Sea and East China Sea and connects to the Kagoshima Main Line on both ends. The route is indirect and winding, but connects several cities along the coast.

Although the line is electrified and used by electric freight trains, due to budgetary limitations passenger service is provided by diesel railcars.

Shareholders in the railway include prefectures of Kumamoto and Kagoshima, cities of Yatsushiro, Minamata, Izumi, Akune and Satsumasendai, towns of Tsunagi and Ashikita, and the Japan Freight Railway Company.

History

The Sendai–Yatsushiro section was built by the (then) Japanese Imperial Railway and opened between 1922 and 1927, at which time this route replaced the Hisatsu Line to become the southern part of the Kagoshima Main Line.

The Yunoura–Tsunagi section was duplicated between 1966 and 1968. CTC signalling was commissioned from Yatsushiro–Sendai in 1969/70, and the line was electrified in 1970.

In 2004, following the opening of the Kagoshima–Shin Yatsushiro section of the Kyushu Shinkansen, operation of the section was transferred under the Third Sector arrangements.

Former connecting lines

Minamata Station: The first section of the Yamano line was opened from Kurino (on the Hisatsu Line) 24 km to Yamano in 1921. The 14 km Minamata–Kugino section opened in 1934, and the 10 km Yamato–Satsuma section the following year. In 1937 the 8 km Kugino–Satsuma section, including the Okawa spiral opened. Freight services ceased in 1986, and the line closed in 1988.

Hisatsu Orange Railway Line

JR Freight operates Hisatsu Orange Railway Line as a Category-2 operator.

Overview

• Length: 116.9 km
• Gauge: 1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in)
• Number of Stations: 28
• Track
  • Double: between Yunoura and Tsunagi
  • Single: the rest of the line
• Electrification: 20 kV AC, 60 Hz

Hisatsu Orange Railway Line, between Higo-Futami and Kami-Tanoura

Stations

• ● = Trains stop
• | = Trains pass
• The stations are going to be stopped by all trains from 13 March 2021.

No.	Station		Distance (km)	Rapid Express Super Orange	Rapid Express Ocean Liner Satsuma	Connections	Location
Kagoshima Main Line							Kumamoto Prefecture	Yatsushiro
through to				Kumamoto
	Shin-Yatsushiro	新八代	2.8	｜		Kyushu Shinkansen, Kagoshima Main Line
Hisatsu Orange Railway Line
OR01	Yatsushiro	八代	0.0	●		Kagoshima Main Line, Hisatsu Line (Ebi-no-kōgen Line)
OR02	Higo Kouda	肥後高田	4.8	｜
OR03	Hinagu Onsen	日奈久温泉	10.1	●
OR04	Higo Futami	肥後二見	13.7	｜
OR05	Kami Tanoura	上田浦	18.0	｜				Ashikita
OR06	Tanoura Otachimisaki Park	たのうら御立岬公園	22.1	｜
OR07	Higo Tanoura	肥後田浦	23.6	｜
OR08	Uminoura	海浦	26.7	｜
OR09	Sashiki	佐敷	29.8	●
OR10	Yunoura	湯浦	33.7	｜
OR11	Tsunagi	津奈木	42.4	｜				Tsunagi
OR12	Shin-Minamata	新水俣	45.8	｜		Kyushu Shinkansen		Minamata
OR13	Minamata	水俣	49.6	●
OR14	Fukuro	袋	55.4	｜
OR15	Komenotsu	米ノ津	61.3	｜			Kagoshima Prefecture	Izumi
OR16	Izumi	出水	65.6	●	●	Kyushu Shinkansen
OR17	Nishi-Izumi	西出水	68.3		｜
OR18	Takaono	高尾野	72.1		●
OR19	Nodagou	野田郷	75.3		●
OR20	Origuchi	折口	80.7		｜			Akune
OR21	Akune	阿久根	86.2		●
OR22	Ushinohama	牛ノ浜	92.2		｜
OR23	Satsuma Ohkawa	薩摩大川	95.7		｜
OR24	Nishikata	西方	99.6		｜			Satsumasendai
OR25	Satsuma Taki	薩摩高城	102.3		｜
OR26	Kusamichi	草道	107.3		｜
OR27	Kami Sendai	上川内	113.7		●
OR28	Sendai	川内	116.9		●	Kyushu Shinkansen, Kagoshima Main Line
through to					Kagoshima-Chūō

Discount tickets

Hisatsu Orange Railway's Orange 18 Free Kippu, priced at 2100 yen, is sold to customers carrying JR's corresponding Seishun 18 Kippu.

See also

• List of railway lines in Japan

References

• Route diagram: Nippon Rettō – Tetsudō-kigen (にっぽん列島 – 鉄道紀元) p. 15–17, Vol. 14, October 25, 2006 – JTB Publishing Inc. [1]

External links

• Official website (in Japanese)