Nippō Main Line
| Nippō Main Line | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Kirishima limited express train crossing Ōyodo River, Miyazaki
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| Overview | |||
| Type | Heavy rail | ||
| Locale | Kyushu | ||
| Termini |
Kokura Kagoshima |
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| Stations | 111 | ||
| Operation | |||
| Owner | JR Kyushu | ||
| Technical | |||
| Line length | 467.2 km (290.3 mi) | ||
| Track gauge | 1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in) | ||
| Electrification | 20 kV AC (60 Hz) | ||
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The Nippō Main Line (日豊本線 Nippō-honsen?) is a railway line in Kyushu, in southern Japan, operated by Kyushu Railway Company (JR Kyushu). The line connects Kokura Station in Kitakyushu, Fukuoka, and Kagoshima Station in Kagoshima via the east coast of Kyushu, passing through the prefectural capitals of Ōita and Miyazaki.
Though Kagoshima is the southern terminus for the line, some trains continue via the Kagoshima Main Line to the adjacent Kagoshima-Chūō station.
The Kyushu Railway Co. opened the 6 km Kokura - Jono section in 1895, and the Hōshū Railway Co. opened the 46 km Yukuhashi - Buzen Nagasu section in 1897. The former company acquired the latter in 1901, and was nationalised in 1907. The lines were connected in 1909, and extended south to Usa in the same year, the line reaching Beppu and Oita in 1911, Usuki in 1915 and Shigeoka in 1922.
The section from Kagoshima - Hayato opened as part of the Hisatsu line in 1901.
The original rail connection to Miyazaki (via the Kitto Line) opened in 1916, and the line was extended north to Takanabe in 1920, Bibi Tsu in 1921 and connected to the line from Kokura in 1923. The line west of Miyakonojo opened in sections from 1929, connecting to Hayato in 1932.
The 2.8 km Obase - Yukuhashi section was the first to be duplicated in 1956, and the Kokura - Jono section was double-tracked by 1958, continued to Obase by 1965 and extended south to Tateishi by 1983. The Naka Yamaga - Kisuki section was double-tracked between 1977 and 1978, and the Hiji - Oita section between 1966 and 1987.
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