Kumamoto Electric Railway

Railway and bus company in Fukuoka, Japan

For the tram system in Kumamoto, see Kumamoto City Transportation Bureau.

Kumamoto Electric Railway

A 6000 series and 03 series train

Overview
Status| Operational
Owner| Kumamoto Electric Railway
Locale| Kumamoto Prefecture
History
Opened| 15 August 1909
Technical
Line length| 13.1 km (8.1 mi)
Track gauge| 1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in)
Electrification| 600 V DC overhead catenary
Operating speed| 50 km/h (30 mph)[1]

Route map

Legend

|  |  |

|  | Kikuchi

(until 1986)

|
|
|
|

|  |

10.8

| Miyoshi
|  |

| 3.4

(F) 0.0

Kita-Kumamoto
|  |

(F) 2.3

| Fujisakigū-mae
|  |

0.0

| Kami-Kumamoto
|  |

(F)

\- Fujisaki Line

|  |  |  |  |  |

The Kumamoto Electric Railway (熊本電気鉄道, Kumamoto Denki Tetsudō) is a public transport company in Kumamoto Prefecture, Japan. It is abbreviated as Kumamoto Dentetsu (熊本電鉄) or Kumaden (熊電). The company was founded in 1909. The company operates railway and bus lines.

## Lines

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* Kikuchi Line (菊池線)
* Kami-Kumamoto -- Kita-Kumamoto -- Miyoshi: 10.8 km (6.7 mi)
* Fujisaki Line (藤崎線)
* Kita-Kumamoto -- Fujisakigū-mae: 2.3 km (1.4 mi)

A short section of the Fujisaki Line shares its track with public road.

## Routes & Services

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Train services operate on two routes:[2][3][4][5][6][7]

* Kami-Kumamoto — Kita-Kumamoto (a portion of the Kikuchi Line)
* Miyoshi — Kita-Kumamoto — Fujisakigū-mae (the remaining portion of the Kikuchi Line combined with the Fujisaki Line)

Services from the 3 termini (Kami-Kumamoto, Miyoshi and Fujisakigū-mae) meet at Kita-Kumamoto at the same times allowing seamless transfer between services.

From 3 February 2025, Kumamoto Electric Railway implemented service reductions due to chronic driver shortages.[8] Kami-Kumamoto — Kita-Kumamoto services will operate every 40 minutes (previously every 30 minutes), and Miyoshi — Kita-Kumamoto — Fujisakigū-mae services will operate every 20 minutes during morning & evening peak hours (previously every 15 minutes) and every 40 minutes at other times (previously every 30 minutes).

At Kami-Kumamoto, passengers can transfer to JR Kyushu Kagoshima Line trains and Kumamoto City Transportation Bureau tram (streetcar) Route B.

## Rolling stock

[edit]

All trains are 2-car sets acquired second-hand from other operators.

### Current

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* 1000 series EMUs (former Shizuoka Railway 1000 series), since March 2022[9]
* 03 series EMUs (former Tokyo Metro 03 series), 3 x 2-car sets, since April 2019[10]
* 01 series EMUs (former Tokyo Metro 01 series), 2 x 2-car sets, since March 2015[11]
* 6000 series EMUs (former Toei 6000 series), 5 x 2-car sets, since 1995

* Kumamoto Electric Railway 1000 series, February 2024

* Kumamoto Electric Railway 03 series

* Kumamoto Electric Railway 01 series

* Kumamoto Electric Railway 6000 series

### Former

[edit]

* 200 series EMU (former Nankai Electric Railway 22000 series)
* 5000 series EMUs (former Tokyu 5000 series)

* Kumamoto Electric Railway 200 series

* Kumamoto Electric Railway 5000 series

## History

[edit]

The forerunner of the company, Kikuchi Tramway (菊池軌道), was established in on 15 August 1909, and opened the 914 mm (3 ft) gauge steam-hauled line from Ikeda Station (池田駅) (close to the present-day Kami-Kumamoto Station) to Sendanbatamachi Station (千反畑町駅) (present-day Fujisakigū-mae Station) on 1 October 1911.[1] On 27 August 1913, the line between Ikeda and Waifu Station (隈府駅) (later named Kikuchi) was opened.[1]

From 31 August 1923, the line was converted to 1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in) gauge and electrified at 600 V DC.[1]

The current section of the Kikuchi Line between Kita-Kumamoto and Kami-Kumamoto opened on 1 October 1950, resulting in two lines between those stations, the original via Fujisakigū-mae and the new line.[1] In June 1953 the original line from Kami-Kumamoto to Fujisakigū-mae closed.[1] The 13.5 km Miyoshi to Kikuchi section closed on 16 February 1986 due to falling patronage.[1]

## See also

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* List of railway companies in Japan

## References

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

1. ^ a b c d e f g Terada, Hirokazu (19 January 2013). データブック日本の私鉄: 全国私鉄165社局掲載 データブック日本の私鉄 [Databook: Japan's Private Railways]. Japan: Neko Publishing. p. 186\. ISBN 978-4-7770-1336-4.
2. ^ "路線図・駅情報 | 熊本電気鉄道株式会社". www.kumamotodentetsu.co.jp. Retrieved 4 August 2025.
3. ^ "ourline.pdf" (PDF). www.kumamotodentetsu.co.jp. Retrieved 5 August 2025.
4. ^ "電車 | よくあるご質問 | 熊本電気鉄道株式会社". www.kumamotodentetsu.co.jp. Retrieved 4 August 2025.
5. ^ "Kumamoto Electric Railway". Railway Gazette International. Retrieved 4 August 2025.
6. ^ "上熊本駅(ＪＲ・熊本電鉄) 御代志方面 時刻表｜熊本電気鉄道菊池線【駅探】". ekitan.com (in Japanese). 3 February 2025. Retrieved 4 August 2025.
7. ^ "御代志駅 上熊本(ＪＲ・熊本電鉄)方面 時刻表｜熊本電気鉄道菊池線【駅探】". ekitan.com (in Japanese). 3 February 2025. Retrieved 4 August 2025.
8. ^ Department, Editorial (13 January 2025). "Kumamoto Electric Railway to Implement Major Service Reductions from February 3 Due to a Shortage of Train Drivers". TRAICY Global. Retrieved 4 August 2025.
9. ^ 熊本電鉄で「1000形撮影会」開催 [Kumamoto Electric Railway holds "1000 Series Photo Session"]. Japan Railfan Magazine Onlinee (in Japanese). Japan: Koyusha Co., Ltd. 11 April 2022. Retrieved 28 January 2025.
10. ^ 中古車両、熊本電鉄で「第二の人生」５車種すべて移籍組 東京メトロの３編成導入へ [Old rolling stock to spend new life, 5 different types already transferred, 3 Tokyo Metro trains to be introduced] (in Japanese). Japan: Nishinippon Shimbun. 15 January 2018. Archived from the original on 16 January 2018. Retrieved 16 January 2018.
11. ^ Kekke, Manabu (June 2015). 熊本電気鉄道01形 [Kumamoto Electric Railway 01 series]. Tetsudō Daiya Jōhō Magazine (in Japanese). Vol. 44, no. 374\. Japan: Kotsu Shimbun. pp. 44–47.

## External links

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* Official website (in Japanese)
* Official website (in English)