Chitose Line

Chitose Line

A 721 series EMU on an Airport rapid service at Minami-Chitose Station
Overview
Native name 千歳線
Type Airport rail link
Commuter rail
Locale Hokkaido
Termini Numanohata
Shiroishi
Stations 15
Operation
Opened 1926
Owner JR Hokkaido
Technical
Line length 56.6 km (35.2 mi)
No. of tracks Double
Track gauge 1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in)
Electrification 20 kV AC, overhead catenary
Route map

Chitose Line (千歳線 Chitose-sen) is a railway line in Hokkaido operated by Hokkaido Railway Company (JR Hokkaido), connecting Numanohata, Tomakomai and Shiroishi Station, Shiroishi Ward, Sapporo, linking the Muroran Main Line and Hakodate Main Line. There also is a branch line to New Chitose Airport.

Service outline

The line forms part of the trunk route between Sapporo and southern Hokkaido. As such, Super Hokuto and Hokuto limited express trains run between Sapporo and Hakodate once every 1 to 2 hours, as well as the Suzuran between Sapporo and Muroran.

There also are sleeper trains between Honshu and Hokkaido, such as the Hokutosei, Cassiopeia, Twilight Express, and Hamanasu.

The section between Sapporo and Minami-Chitose is also a part of the trunk route between Sapporo and eastern Hokkaido. The limited express trains Super Ōzora, Super Tokachi, and Marimo run through.

The rapid train Airport runs once every 15 minutes, functioning as the airport rail link between New Chitose Airport Station and Sapporo, Otaru, or Asahikawa. Since the Chitose Line goes through the most urbanized area in Hokkaido, there are roughly 3 to 4 local train services per hour.

Stations

L: Local
R: Rapid
All the trains stop at stations signed "+". Some trains stop at "*". No trains (other than local) stop at "-".
No. Station name Japanese Distance (km) L R Transfers Location (all in Hokkaido)
Muroran Main Line
H18 Tomakomai 苫小牧 -8.8 + Hidaka Main Line Tomakomai
H17 Numanohata 沼ノ端 0.0 +  Chitose Line
Chitose Line (Main Line)
H17 Numanohata 沼ノ端 0.0 +  Muroran Main Line Tomakomai
H16 Uenae 植苗 6.4 *
H15 Bibi 美々 13.9 * Chitose
H14 Minami-Chitose 南千歳 18.4 + +  Chitose Line (Shin-Chitose-Kūkō Branch Line),  Sekishō Line
H13 Chitose 千歳 21.4 + +
H12 Osatsu 長都 24.9 + -
H11 Sapporo Beer Teien サッポロビール庭園 27.1 * - Eniwa
H10 Eniwa 恵庭 29.4 + +
H09 Megumino 恵み野 31.9 + -
H08 Shimamatsu 島松 34.1 + -
H07 Kitahiroshima 北広島 40.6 + + Kitahiroshima
H06 Kami-Nopporo 上野幌 48.6 + - Atsubetsu-ku, Sapporo
H05 Shin-Sapporo 新札幌 51.5 + + Sapporo Subway:  Tōzai Line (T19)
H04 Heiwa 平和 54.4 + - Shiroishi-ku, Sapporo
H03 Shiroishi 白石 56.6 + *  Hakodate Main Line
Hakodate Main Line
H03 Shiroishi 白石 56.6 + *  Chitose Line Shiroishi, Sapporo
H02 Naebo 苗穂 60.2 + - Chūō-ku, Sapporo
01 Sapporo 札幌 62.4 + + Hokkaido Shinkansen (planned),  Sasshō Line (Gakuentoshi Line)
Sapporo Subway:  Namboku Line (N06),  Tōhō Line (H07)
Kita-ku, Sapporo
Chitose Line (Shin-Chitose-Kūkō Branch Line)
H14 Minami-Chitose 南千歳 0.0 + +  Chitose Line (Main Line),  Sekishō Line Chitose
AP15 Shin-Chitose-Kūkō (New Chitose Airport) 新千歳空港 2.6 + +

Rolling stock

History

The entire line opened on 21 August 1926. The Chitose-Eniwa section was double-tracked in September 1965, and extended to Kitahiroshima in September 1966.

The Chitose-Uenae section was double-tracked in 1968, and extended to Numanohata in 1969. The Shiraishi-Kitahiroshima section was double-tracked in 1973, completing the work to double-track the line. Chitose Station and its approaches were elevated in 1980, and the line was electrified in association with the opening of the nearby Chitose airport.

The Minami-chitose—Chitose Airport branch opened as an electrified line in 1992.

See also

References

This article incorporates material from the corresponding article in the Japanese Wikipedia

External links

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