Hōhi Main Line

Hōhi Main Line

The Hōhi Main Line (豊肥本線 Hōhi-honsen) is a railway line in Kyushu, southern Japan, operated by the Kyushu Railway Company (JR Kyushu). It connects the west and east coasts of the island. The line originates at Kumamoto Station in Kumamoto and ends at terminal of Ōita Station in Ōita.

In 2012, part of the line was seriously damaged by heavy rain, making it impassable. It took a year to rebuild.^[1]

Data

• Gauge: 1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in)
• Length: 148.0 km
• Stations: 37 (including terminals)
• Track: Single track
• Electrification:
  • Kumamoto - Higo Ōzu: 20 kV AC (60 Hz)
  • Higo Ōzu - Ōita: None
• Maximum service speed: 95 km/h

Stations

•: Stops, |: Passes through

Stations	Distance (km)	Rapid Hōhi Liner	Transfers	Location
Kumamoto	0.0	•	Kagoshima Main Line, Kyushu Shinkansen Kumamoto City Transportation Bureau: Trunk Line・Tasaki Line (Kumamoto-Ekimae Station)	Nishi-ku, Kumamoto	Kumamoto
Heisei	2.7	|		Chūō-ku, Kumamoto
Minami Kumamoto	3.6	|
Shin Suizenji	5.2	•	Kumamoto City Transportation Bureau: Trunk Line (Suizenji-Ekidori Station)
Suizenji	5.8	•
Tōkai Gakuen-mae	7.8	|		Higashi-ku, Kumamoto
Tatsutaguchi	8.9	|		Kita-ku, Kumamoto
Musashizuka	12.9	•
Hikari no Mori	14.8	•
Sanrigi	15.8	|		Kikuyō
Haramizu	18.9	|
Higo Ōzu	22.6	•		Ōzu
Seta	27.2
Tateno	32.3		Minami Aso Railway Takamori Line	Minamiaso
Akamizu	40.2			Aso
Ichinokawa	42.6
Uchinomaki	46.4
Aso	49.9
Ikoi no Mura	51.2
Miyaji	53.4
Namino	64.1
Takimizu	69.0
Bungo-Ogi	75.2			Taketa	Ōita
Tamarai	84.9
Bungo-Taketa	88.0
Asaji	93.9			Bungo Ōno
Ogata	100.3
Bungo-Kiyokawa	105.4
Miemachi	111.9
Sugao	117.3
Inukai	125.2
Takenaka	130.8			Ōita
Nakahanda	136.3
Ōita-Daigaku-mae	138.8
Shikido	140.2
Takio	142.9
Ōita	148.0		Nippō Main Line, Kyudai Main Line

History

Construction of the line commenced from both Oita and Kumamoto in 1914, with connection being achieved with the opening of the Miyaji - Tamarai section in 1928.

Steam locomotives were withdrawn from the line in 1973, and CTC signalling was commissioned on the entire line in 1983. The 22.5 km Kumamoto - Higoozu section was electrified in 1999.

Typhoon damage

In 1990-91, the line was severed for a year by landslides caused by torrential rain, with a further eight-month period of disruption occurring in 1993-94.

A three-month period of disruption occurred in 2004, and the line was severed from July 2012 until August 2013 due to further landslides induced by torrential rainfall.

Former connecting lines

• Minami Kumamoto Station: the 29 km Yūen Railway to Tomochi opened in sections between 1915 and 1932, and closed in 1964.
• Kamikumamoto Station: the 22 km 762 mm (2 ft 6 in) gauge Kumamoto Light Railway to Otsu opened 1907 and 1914, with a 2.4 km branch to Suizenji. Despite proposals to regauge the line to 1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in) gauge and electrify it, the anticipated development of the area did not occur at an acceptable rate and the line was closed in 1921.

References

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

1. "豊肥線　復旧へ１年L 2012年08月01日". mytown.asahi.com. Retrieved 2 August 2012.