Tenjin Ōmuta Line

The Tenjin Ōmuta Line (天神大牟田線, Tenjin Ōmuta sen^?) is a heavy rail line in Fukuoka Prefecture in Kyūshū, Japan, being the main line of a Japanese private railway company Nishi-Nippon Railroad (Nishitetsu). The line is from Nishitetsu Fukuoka (Tenjin) Station^[1] in Chūō-ku, Fukuoka, stretching south to Ōmuta Station in Ōmuta. Until 2000 the line was Ōmuta Line (大牟田線, Ōmuta sen^?).

Overview

• Length: 74.8km
• Gauge: 1435mm
• Track
  • Double: Nishitetsu Fukuoka (Tenjin) - Shikenjōmae, Daizenji - Kamachi, Hiraki - Ōmuta
  • Single: the rest
• Traction: Electric 1500V DC

Entirely this line parallels to the Kagoshima Main Line of Kyushu Railway Company (JR Kyushu), but connection of the lines is poor.

History

The Kyūshū Railway (九州鉄道, Kyūshū Tetsudō^?)^[2] built and operated the first Interurban railway line in Kyushu from Fukuoka, destined to Kumamoto, but this plan was later abandoned.

• April 12, 1924: Fukuoka (presently Nishitetsu Fukuoka (Tenjin)) - Kurume (presently Nishitetsu Kurume) opened by Kūshū Railway (II). 1435mm gauge, electrified, double tracked
• December 28, 1932: Kurume - Tsubuku opened, single tracked
• June 22, 1937: Ōkawa Railway was merged to Kūshū Railway. Kamikurume - Tsubuku - Daizenji - Enokizu became a part of Kūshū Railway network, single tracked, 1067mm gauge
• October 1, 1937: Tsubuku - Daizenji of ex-Ōkawa Railway regauged to 1435mm (the remainder abandoned later). Daizenji - Yanagawa (presently Nishitetsu Yanagawa) opened
• December 1, 1938: Fukuoka - Tsubuku from Tram Act to Local Railway Act
• September 1, 1938: Yanagawa - Nakashima (presently Nishitetsu Nakashima) opened
• October 1. 1938: Nakashima - Sakaemachi (presently Shin-Sakaemachi) opened
• July 1, 1939: Sakaemachi - Ōmuta opened, the line completed
• September 19, 1942: Kyūshū Electric Tramway (九州電気軌道, Kyūshū Denki Kidō^?) merged, under wartime condition, Kyūshū Railway and some other railway companies in Fukuoka Prefecture
• September 22, 1942: Kyūshū Electric Tramway renamed to Nishi-Nippon Railroad, the line became its Ōmuta line
• November 11, 1951: Nishitetsu Kurume - Shikenjōmae track doubled
• March 20, 1960: Kuranaga - Nishitetsu Ginsui track doubled
• April, 1961: Nishitetsu Ginsui - Sakaemachi track doubled
• June 21, 1961: Sakaemachi - Ōmuta track doubled
• November 20, 1965: Hiraki - Kuranaga track doubled
• February, 1967: Daizenji - Mizuma, Ōmizo - Kamachi track doubled
• January 15, 1997: Mizuma - Ōmizo track doubled
• January 1, 2001: proper names changed to Tenjin-Ōmuta Line from Ōmuta Line, Nishitetsu Fukuoka (Tenjin) Station (with Tenjin in parentheses) from Nishitetsu Fukuoka Station
• March 27, 2010: The Rapid Express (快速急行, Kaisoku Kyūkō^?) and Non-Stop (直行, Chokkō^?) services were discontinued

Operation

Rapid service

The operator Nishitetsu offers two types of rapid trains as well as Local trains. Abbreviations are tentative for this article.

Local (普通, Futsū^?)

Stops all stations. Between Nishitetsu Fukuoka (Tenjin) and Chikushi or Daizenji inside the line, Nishitetsu Fukuoka (Tenjin) and Dazaifu of Dazaifu Line, Amagi of Amagi Line and Ōmuta. Trains inside the line and Dazaifu Line with 4-7 car EMU, through trains to Amagi Line with 2-car EMU 7000 and 7050 series

Express (急行, Kyūkō^?) (Ex)

Operated all day. Some Expresses are operated as Locals in southern part (Ōmuta side). In day hours, 2 per hour per direction between Nishitetsu Fukuoka (Tenjin) and Nishitetsu Ogōri, and 2 between Nishitetsu Fukuoka and Hanabatake. Five-car EMU 3000 series, 6-car EMU 2000 and 5000 series

Limited Express (特急, Tokkyū^?) (LE)

Between Nishitetsu Fukuoka (Tenjin) and Ōmuta, 2 service per direction per hour. Seven-car EMU 8000 series in day hours, 5000, 6000 and 6050 series in the morning and evening hours

Number of trains

In day hours around 10 to 16, numbers of trains per direction per hour are as follows:

Nishitetsu Fukuoka (Tenjin) - Nishitetsu Futsukaichi

2 LE, 4 Ex, 6 Lo

Nishitetsu Futsukaichi - Chikushi

2 LE, 4 Ex, 4 Lo

Chikushi - Nishitetsu Ogōri

2 LE, 2 Ex, 2 Lo (north of Chikushi as Ex), 2 Lo

Nishitetsu Ogōri - Miyanojin

2 LE, 2 Ex, 2 Lo

Miyanojin - Hanabatake

2 LE, 2 Ex, 2 Lo, 2 Lo through to Amagi Line

Hanabatake - Daizenji

2 Lo, 4 Lo

Daizenji - Ōmuta

2 LE, 2 Lo

Stations

• lower case shows some trains stop
• e1: Expresses only for Chikushi stop
• e2: Expresses only down for Nishitetsu Ogōri, some ups from Hanabatake, Shikenjōmae, Tsubuku, Nishitetsu Yanagawa stop

Footnote

1. ^ Until December 31, 2000, Nishitetsu Fukuoka was the official name. In order to clarify the station is in Tenjin district of the downtown Fukuoka, the proper name now carries the location in parentheses.
2. ^ This company was the second. The first built and operated, in Meiji period, nearly all the railway lines in Kyushu, and was nationalized in 1907.