Hisatsu Orange Railway

Japanese third-sector railway company

Not to be confused with Hisatsu Line.

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Hisatsu Orange Railway Line

Hisatsu Orange Railway 100 series train

Route map

Legend

|  |  |

elev (M)
or length (m)
in metres

|
|
|
|

|  |

|  |

Kagoshima Main Line

|  |

0.0

| Yatsushiro |

6 M

|  |

|  |
|  |

|  |

Hisatsu Line

|  |

2.6

Kuma River

528 m

|  |

4.8

| Higo-Kōda  |

6 M

|  |

10.1

| Hinagu-Onsen  |

6 M

|  |

10.9

Hinagu tunnel

219 m

|  |

|  |

National Route 3

|  |

13.7

| Higo-Futami  |

2 M

|  |

14.1

Futami River

58 m

|  |

18.0

| Kami-Tanoura  |

4 M

|  |

18.4

Hatajiri tunnel

85 m

|  |

20.7

Tanoura tunnel

757 m

|  |

22.1

|  | Tanoura-

Otachimisaki-Kōen

4 M

|  |

22.5

Tanoura River

51 m

|  |

23.6

| Higo-Tanoura  |

2 M

|  |

|  |

National Route 3

|  |

25.8

Uminoura tunnel

307 m

|  |

26.7

| Uminoura  |

27 M

|  |

26.8

Sashiki tunnel

1,501 m

|  |

29.2

Sashiki River

63 m

|  |

29.8

| Sashiki  |

2 M

|  |

33.7

| Yunoura  |

7 M

|  |

|  |

Kyūshū Shinkansen

|  |

35.2

Yunoura River

41 m

|  |

|  |
|  |

37.1

Tsunagi tunnel

| ↑ 1,416 m

↓ 1,348 m

|  |

|  |
|  |

40.1

|  |

41.8

|  |

|  |

Kyūshū Shinkansen

|  |

42.4

| Tsunagi  |

9 M

|  |

42.7

|  |

|  |
|  |

|  |
|  |

45.8

| Shin-Minamata |

32 M

|  |

46.9

Minamata River

123 m

|  |

48.3

|  |

49.6

| Minamata  |

2 M

|  |

|  |

National Route 3

|  |

54.0

Fukuro River

46 m

|  |

55.4

| Fukuro  |

41 M

|  |

|  |

National Route 3

|  |

56.0

|  |

57.1

|  |

61.3

| Komenotsu  |

4 M

|  |

|  |

Kyūshū Shinkansen

|  |

|  |
|  |

65.6

| Izumi |

14 M

|  |

66.2

|  |

68.3

| Nishi-Izumi  |

41 M

|  |

71.0

Takaono River

79 m

|  |

72.1

| Takaono  |

46 M

|  |

74.2

Nodagō River

134 m

|  |

75.3

| Nodagō  |

26 M

|  |

|  |

National Route 3

|  |

80.2

|  |

80.7

| Origuchi  |

5 M

|  |

83.1

Akasegawa signal box

19 M

|  |

|  |

National Route 3

|  |

86.2

| Akune  |

5 M

|  |

86.8

|  |

92.2

| Ushinohama  |

13 M

|  |

93.9

Ōkawa tunnel

253 m

|  |

94.2

Ōkawa River

35 m

|  |

95.7

| Satsuma-Ōkawa  |

9 M

|  |

|  |

original line

|  |

95.8

Shin-Shirinasi tunnel

413 m

|  |

|  |
|  |

|  |

National Route 3

|  |

|  |
|  |

99.6

| Nishikata  |

7 M

|  |

100.4

Nishikata tunnel

129 m

|  |

|  |

National Route 3

|  |

101.6

|  |

102.3

| Satsuma-Taki  |

9 M

|  |

102.4

|  |

103.0

Sayama tunnel

207 m

|  |

107.3

| Kusamichi  |

3 M

|  |

|  |

National Route 3

|  |

111.4

|  |

113.7

| Kami-Sendai  |

7 M

|  |

115.0

|  |

116.0

Sendai River

244 m

|  |

116.9

| Sendai |

9 M

|  |

|  |

| Kagoshima

Main Line
│ Kyūshū

Shinkansen

|  |

elev (M)
or length (m)
in metres

|  |  |  |  |  |

This diagram:

* view
* talk
* edit

Hisatsu Orange Railway Co., Ltd. (肥薩おれんじ鉄道株式会社, Hisatsu Orenji Tetsudō Kabushiki-gaisha) is a third-sector railway company which operates Hisatsu Orange Railway Line in Kumamoto and Kagoshima prefectures. The line follows the former part of the JR Kyushu Kagoshima Main Line that connected Yatsushiro and Sendai in Kumamoto and Kagoshima Prefectures, known historically as Higo and Satsuma Provinces. The length of the line is 116.9 km.

Hisatsu Orange Railway went into service on March 13, 2004, when ownership was transferred from JR and the high speed Kyushu Shinkansen service began. The Hisatsu Orange Railway runs close to the Yatsushiro Sea and East China Sea and connects to the Kagoshima Main Line on both ends. The route is indirect and winding, but connects several cities along the coast.

Although the line is electrified and used by electric freight trains, due to budgetary limitations passenger service is provided by diesel railcars.

Shareholders in the railway include prefectures of Kumamoto and Kagoshima, cities of Yatsushiro, Minamata, Izumi, Akune and Satsumasendai, towns of Tsunagi and Ashikita, and the Japan Freight Railway Company.

## History

[edit]

The Sendai–Yatsushiro section was built by the (then) Japanese Imperial Railway and opened between 1922 and 1927, at which time this route replaced the Hisatsu Line to become the southern part of the Kagoshima Main Line.

The Yunoura–Tsunagi section was duplicated between 1966 and 1968. CTC signalling was commissioned from Yatsushiro–Sendai in 1969/70, and the line was electrified in 1970.

In 2004, following the opening of the Kagoshima–Shin Yatsushiro section of the Kyushu Shinkansen, operation of the section was transferred under the Third Sector arrangements.

### Former connecting lines

[edit]

Minamata Station: The first section of the Yamano line was opened from Kurino (on the Hisatsu Line) 24 km to Yamano in 1921. The 14 km Minamata–Kugino section opened in 1934, and the 10 km Yamato–Satsuma section the following year. In 1937 the 8 km Kugino–Satsuma section, including the Okawa spiral opened. Freight services ceased in 1986, and the line closed in 1988.

## Hisatsu Orange Railway Line

[edit]

JR Freight operates Hisatsu Orange Railway Line as a Category-2 operator.

### Overview

[edit]

* Length: 116.9 km
* Gauge: 1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in)
* Number of Stations: 28
* Track
* Double: between Yunoura and Tsunagi
* Single: the rest of the line
* Electrification: 20 kV AC, 60 Hz

Hisatsu Orange Railway Line, between Higo-Futami and Kami-Tanoura

### Stations

[edit]

* ● = Trains stop
* | = Trains pass
* The stations are going to be stopped by all trains from 13 March 2021.[1]

No.  | Station  | Distance (km)  | Rapid Express
Super Orange | Rapid Express
Ocean Liner
Satsuma | Connections  | Location

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Kagoshima Main Line | Kumamoto
Prefecture | Yatsushiro
through to  |  | Kumamoto |  |
| Shin-Yatsushiro | 新八代  | 2.8  | ｜  |  | Kyushu Shinkansen, Kagoshima Main Line
Hisatsu Orange Railway Line
OR01  | Yatsushiro | 八代  | 0.0  | ●  |  | Kagoshima Main Line, Hisatsu Line (Ebi-no-kōgen Line)
OR02  | Higo Kouda | 肥後高田  | 4.8  | ｜  |  |
OR03  | Hinagu Onsen | 日奈久温泉  | 10.1  | ●  |  |
OR04  | Higo Futami | 肥後二見  | 13.7  | ｜  |  |
OR05  | Kami Tanoura | 上田浦  | 18.0  | ｜  |  |  | Ashikita
OR06  | Tanoura Otachimisaki Park | たのうら御立岬公園  | 22.1  | ｜  |  |
OR07  | Higo Tanoura | 肥後田浦  | 23.6  | ｜  |  |
OR08  | Uminoura | 海浦  | 26.7  | ｜  |  |
OR09  | Sashiki | 佐敷  | 29.8  | ●  |  |
OR10  | Yunoura | 湯浦  | 33.7  | ｜  |  |
OR11  | Tsunagi | 津奈木  | 42.4  | ｜  |  |  | Tsunagi
OR12  | Shin-Minamata | 新水俣  | 45.8  | ｜  |  | Kyushu Shinkansen | Minamata
OR13  | Minamata | 水俣  | 49.6  | ●  |  |
OR14  | Fukuro | 袋  | 55.4  | ｜  |  |
OR15  | Komenotsu | 米ノ津  | 61.3  | ｜  |  |  | Kagoshima
Prefecture | Izumi
OR16  | Izumi | 出水  | 65.6  | ●  | ●  | Kyushu Shinkansen
OR17  | Nishi-Izumi | 西出水  | 68.3  |  | ｜  |
OR18  | Takaono | 高尾野  | 72.1  |  | ●  |
OR19  | Nodagou | 野田郷  | 75.3  |  | ●  |
OR20  | Origuchi | 折口  | 80.7  |  | ｜  |  | Akune
OR21  | Akune | 阿久根  | 86.2  |  | ●  |
OR22  | Ushinohama | 牛ノ浜  | 92.2  |  | ｜  |
OR23  | Satsuma Ohkawa | 薩摩大川  | 95.7  |  | ｜  |
OR24  | Nishikata | 西方  | 99.6  |  | ｜  |  | Satsumasendai
OR25  | Satsuma Taki | 薩摩高城  | 102.3  |  | ｜  |
OR26  | Kusamichi | 草道  | 107.3  |  | ｜  |
OR27  | Kami Sendai | 上川内  | 113.7  |  | ●  |
OR28  | Sendai | 川内  | 116.9  |  | ●  | Kyushu Shinkansen, Kagoshima Main Line
through to  |  |  | Kagoshima-Chūō |  |

## Discount tickets

[edit]

Hisatsu Orange Railway's Orange 18 Free Kippu, priced at 2100 yen, is sold to customers carrying JR's corresponding Seishun 18 Kippu.

## See also

[edit]

* List of railway lines in Japan

## References

[edit]

1. ^ Timetable will be revised on 13 March 2021

* Route diagram: Nippon Rettō – Tetsudō-kigen (にっぽん列島 – 鉄道紀元) p. 15–17, Vol. 14, October 25, 2006 – JTB Publishing Inc. [1]

## External links

[edit]

* Official website (in Japanese)

* v
* t
* e

Parallel Conventional Lines of Seibi Shinkansen

of Hokuriku Shinkansen
(JR East/JR West)|

| Old Shinetsu Main Line|

* (JR Bus Kanto Usui Line)
* Shinano Railway Line
* Shinano Railway Kita-Shinano Line
* ETR Myōkō Haneuma Line

|

Old Hokuriku Main Line|

* ETR Nihonkai Hisui Line
* Ainokaze Toyama Railway Line
* IR Ishikawa Railway Line
* Hapi-Line Fukui Line

of Tōhoku Shinkansen
(JR East)|

| Old Tōhoku Main Line|

* Iwate Galaxy Railway Line
* Aoimori Railway Line

|

of Kyushu Shinkansen
(JR Kyushu)|

| Old Kagoshima Main Line|

* Hisatsu Orange Railway Line

|

of Hokkaido Shinkansen
(JR Hokkaido)|

| Old Esashi Line|

* Dōnan Isaribi Tetsudō Line

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section in parentheses has railway abandoned
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