Chitose Line

Railway line in Hokkaido, Japan

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Chitose Line

A 721 series EMU on an Airport rapid service at Minami-Chitose Station

Overview
Native name| 千歳線
Owner|  JR Hokkaido
Locale| Hokkaido
Termini|

* Numanohata / New Chitose Airport / Minami-Chitose
* Sapporo

Stations| 15
Service
Type| Airport rail link
Commuter rail
History
Opened| 21 August 1926; 98 years ago (1926-08-21)
Technical
Line length| 56.6 km (35.2 mi)
Number of tracks| Double (except Airport branch which is single)
Track gauge| 1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in)
Electrification| AC 20 kV 50 Hz with overhead catenary

Route map

The 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 in Shiroishi-ku, Sapporo, linking the Muroran Main Line and Hakodate Main Line. There also is a branch line to New Chitose Airport.

## Service outline

[edit]

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

The section between Sapporo and Minami-Chitose is also a part of the trunk route between Sapporo and eastern Hokkaido. The Ōzora and Tokachi limited express services to Obihiro and Kushiro run through.[1]

The rapid trains Special Rapid Airport and Rapid Airport previously ran approximately once every 12 minutes, functioning as the airport rail link between New Chitose Airport Station and Sapporo or Otaru. Since the Chitose Line goes through the most urbanized area in Hokkaido, there are roughly 3 to 4 local train services per hour.

On 16 March 2024, a new rapid service named "Semi-Rapid Airport" plying between Sapporo and New Chitose Airport Station was introduced, operating only during the daytime at two trains per hour. This train stops at Sapporo, Shin-Sapporo and all stations between Kita-Hiroshima and New Chitose Airport. Since then, no local services operate between Kita-Hiroshima and Chitose during the daytime, and the daytime service frequency of other rapid trains was adjusted to one per hour for Special Rapid Airport trains and three per hour for Rapid Airport trains. Local services are operated at two trains per hour between Sapporo and Kita-Hiroshima and one train per hour between Chitose and Tomakomai during the daytime.[2]

### Former services

[edit]

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

## Station list

[edit]

Source:[3]

SRA: Special Rapid Airport
RA: Rapid Airport
SmRA: Semi-Rapid Airport
L: Local
All rapid trains stop at stations signed "+", some at "◌", and all skip stations marked "-".[4] Local trains stop at most stations but some skip stations signed "◌".
No. | Station name | Japanese | Distance (km) | SRA | RA | SmRA | L | Transfers | Location (all in Hokkaido)

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Tomakomai to Numanohata: officially Muroran Main Line
H18 | Tomakomai | 苫小牧 | -8.8 |  |  |  | + |

* ■ Muroran Main Line (for Higashi-Muroran)
* ■ Hidaka Main Line

| Tomakomai
Chitose Line (Main Line)
H17 | Numanohata | 沼ノ端 | 0.0 |  |  |  | + | ■ Muroran Main Line (for Oiwake) | Tomakomai
H16 | Uenae | 植苗 | 6.4 |  |  |  | ◌ |
H14 | Minami-Chitose | 南千歳 | 18.4  | + | + | + | + |

* ■ Airport Branch Line
* ■ Sekishō Line

| Chitose
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  | + | + | + | + |  Tōzai Line (T19)
H04 | Heiwa | 平和 | 54.4  | - | - | - | + |  | Shiroishi-ku, Sapporo
Shiroishi to Sapporo: officially Hakodate Main Line
H03 | Shiroishi | 白石 | 56.6  | - | ◌ | - | + | ■ Hakodate Main Line (for Asahikawa) | Shiroishi-ku, Sapporo
H02 | Naebo | 苗穂 | 60.2  | - | - | - | + |  | Chūō-ku, Sapporo
01 | Sapporo | 札幌 | 62.4  | + | + | + | + |

* ■ Hakodate Main Line (for Otaru)
* ■ Sasshō Line (Gakuentoshi Line)
* Namboku Line (N06)
* Tōhō Line (H07)
* Hokkaido Shinkansen Hokkaido Shinkansen (planned)

| Kita-ku, Sapporo

### Airport Branch Line

[edit]

No. | Station name | Japanese | Distance (km) | SRA | RA | SmRA | L | Transfers | Location (all in Hokkaido)

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H14 | Minami-Chitose | 南千歳 | 0.0  | + | + | + | + |

* Chitose Line (Main Line)
* ■ Sekishō Line

| Chitose
AP15 | New Chitose Airport | 新千歳空港 | 2.6  | + | + | + | + |

### Closed station

[edit]

* H15 Bibi: Closed since 4 March 2017, now a signal base.

## Rolling stock

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* 721 series EMUs
* 731 series EMUs
* 733 series EMUs
* 735 series EMUs

* A 721 series EMU on the Chitose Line, June 2008

* A 731 series EMU on the Chitose Line, July 2006

* A 733 series EMU on the Chitose Line, February 2014

* 735 series EMUs, May 2012

## History

[edit]

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The entire line opened on 21 August 1926.

### Duplication

[edit]

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.

### Electrification

[edit]

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

[edit]

* Hakodate Main Line
* Muroran Main Line
* Airport rail link
* List of railway lines in Japan

## References

[edit]

1. ^ a b "Train Guide". Hokkaido Railway Company. Archived from the original on 2012-05-11. Retrieved 2016-11-20.
2. ^ "JR北海道，3月16日にダイヤ改正を実施" [JR Hokkaido to implement timetable revision on 16 March]. Japan Railfan Magazine Online (in Japanese). Japan: Koyusha Co., Ltd. 15 December 2023. Retrieved 24 April 2024.
3. ^ "列車運行情報｜JR北海道- Hokkaido Railway Company".
4. ^ "New Chitose Airport => Sapporo Travel Information". Hokkaido Railway Company. Retrieved 2020-04-23.

## External links

[edit]

* JR Hokkaido official website

* v
* t
* e

Mass transit in Hokkaido

JR Hokkaido lines|

* Hokkaido Shinkansen
* ■■ Chitose
* ■ Furano
* ■■■ Hakodate
* ■ Hidaka
* ■ Kaikyō
* ■■ Muroran
* ■■ Nemuro
* ■ Rumoi
* ■ Sasshō
* ■ Sekihoku
* ■ Sekishō
* ■ Senmō
* ■ Sōya

JR named trains|

* Hayabusa
* Hayate
* Hokuto
* Kamui
* Kitami
* Lilac
* Okhotsk
* Ōzora
* Sarobetsu
* Sōya
* Suzuran
* Taisetsu
* Tokachi

Discontinued JR named trains|

* Cassiopeia
* Hakuchō
* Hamanasu
* Ishikari
* Super Hakuchō
* Super White Arrow
* Twilight Express
* White Arrow

Sapporo Municipal Subway|

* Namboku Line
* Tōzai Line
* Tōhō Line

Other railways|

* South Hokkaido Railway Company
* Hakodate Streetcar
* Sapporo Streetcar
* Taiheiyō Coal (freight only)

Terminals|

* Rail
* Hakodate
* Shin-Hakodate-Hokuto
* Sapporo
* Ōdōri
* Shin-Sapporo
* Asahikawa
* Airports
* Asahikawa
* New Chitose
* Hakodate
* Kushiro
* Memanbetsu
* Monbetsu
* Nakashibetsu
* Okadama
* Okushiri
* Rishiri
* Tokachi–Obihiro
* Wakkanai
* Ports
* Hakodate
* Otaru
* Tomakomai
* Kushiro

Public Ferries|

* Heart Land Ferry (ja) (Wakkanai—N. Islands)
* Silver Ferry (Tomakomai—Hachinohe)
* Tsugaru Kaikyō Ferry (Hakodate—Aomori)
* Seikan Ferry (Hakodate—Aomori)
* Shin Nihonkai Ferry
* MOL Ferry
* Taiheiyō Ferry
* Haboro-Enkai Ferry (ja) (Haboro—Yagishiri Island)

Miscellaneous|

* Cards
* Kitaca
* SAPICA
* Tunnels
* Seikan Tunnel

* Japan transit: Tokyo
* Keihanshin
* Nagoya
* Fukuoka
* Hakone Fuji Izu
* Hokkaido
* Aomori
* Sendai
* Akita
* Niigata
* Toyama
* Nagano
* Okayama
* Hiroshima
* Shikoku
* Metro systems
* Shinkansen
* trams (list)
* aerial lifts (list)

* v
* t
* e

Airport rail links in Japan

In service|

* New Chitose Airport
* Chitose Line
* Fukuoka Airport
* Kūkō Line
* Haneda Airport
* Keikyū Airport Line
* Tokyo Monorail
* Itami Airport
* Osaka Monorail Main Line
* Kansai International Airport
* Kansai Airport Line
* Haruka
* Nankai Airport Line
* Rapi:t
* Miyazaki Airport
* Miyazaki Kūkō Line
* Chubu Centrair International Airport
* Meitetsu Airport Line
* Narita International Airport
* Keisei Main Line
* Keisei Narita Airport Line
* Skyliner
* Narita Line
* Narita Express
* Naha Airport
* Okinawa Urban Monorail
* Sendai Airport
* Sendai Airport Line
* Kobe Airport
* Port Island Line
* Yonago Airport
* Sakai Line

Planned|

* Haneda Airport
* Haneda Airport Access Line
* Kama-Kama Line

Defunct|

* Airport Narita
* Cityliner

* Rail transport in Japan
* List of airports in Japan

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