Kyūdai Main Line

Kyūdai Main Line
KiHa 58 DMU between Yufuin and Minami-Yufu
Overview
Status	In operation
Owner	JR Kyushu
Locale	Kyushu
Termini	Kurume Ōita
Stations	37
Service
Type	Heavy rail
Operator(s)	JR Kyushu
Rolling stock	KiHa 71 series DMU, KiHa 72 series DMU, KiHa 185 series DMU, KiHa 40 series DMU, KiHa 200 series DMU, KiHa 125 series DMU, DF200 Diesel locomotive, DE10 Diesel locomotive, 77 series passenger cars
History
Opened	30 October 1915 (30 October 1915)
Technical
Line length	141.5 km (87.9 mi)
Number of tracks	Entire line single tracked
Character	Mostly rural with a few urban areas
Track gauge	1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in)
Electrification	None
Operating speed	95 km/h (59 mph)
Signalling	Automatic block signaling
Route map

The Kyūdai Main Line (久大本線きゅうだいほんせん, Kyūdai-honsen) is a railway line in Kyushu, Japan, operated by the Kyushu Railway Company (JR Kyushu). It connects Kurume Station, Kurume in Fukuoka Prefecture and Ōita Station, Ōita in Ōita Prefecture. It is also known as the Yufu Kōgen Line.

The line crosses the whole of Kyushu, approximately paralleling the Chikugo River and its tributary the Kusu River near Kurume, and along the Ōita River close to Ōita. It also traverses popular tourist resorts such as Hita (known as Little Kyoto) and spa resorts around Yufu.

Stations

Station		Distance (km)	Transfers	Location
Kurume	久留くる米よね	0.0	Kagoshima Main Line, Kyushu Shinkansen	Kurume	Fukuoka
Kurume-Kōkōmae	久留くる米べい高校こうこう前まえ	3.4
Minami-Kurume	南久留米みなみくるめ	4.9
Kurume-Daigakumae	久留米大学くるめだいがく前まえ	6.8
Mii	御井みい	8.0
Zendōji	善導寺ぜんどうじ	12.6
Chikugo-Kusano	筑後草野ちくごくさの	15.7
Tanushimaru	田主丸たぬしまる	20.8
Chikugo-Yoshii	筑後吉井ちくごよしい	26.4		Ukiha
Ukiha	うきは	30.0
Chikugo-Ōishi	筑後大石ちくごおおいし	33.0
Yoake	夜明よあけ	39.1	Hitahikosan Line (No service since July 2017 due to rainstorm damage, was replaced by bus rapid transit in August 2023)	Hita	Ōita
Teruoka	光岡みつおか	45.2
Hita	日田ひた	47.6
Bungo-Miyoshi	豊後ぶんご三芳みよし	49.4
Bungo-Nakagawa	豊後中川ぶんごなかがわ	55.3
Amagase	天ケ瀬あまがせ	59.5
Sugikawachi	杉河内すぎかわち	63.6		Kusu
Kita-Yamada	北山田きたやまた	67.8
Bungo-Mori	豊後ぶんご森もり	73.2
Era	恵良えら	77.3		Kokonoe
Hikiji	引治ひきじ	80.7
Bungo-Nakamura	豊後中村ぶんごなかむら	83.1
Noya	野矢のや	88.2
Yufuin	由布院ゆふいん	99.1		Yufu
Minami-Yufu	南みなみ由布ゆう	102.5
Yunohira	湯平ゆのひら	109.6
Shōnai	庄内しょうない	114.5
Tenjinyama	天神山てんじんやま	118.1
Onoya	小野屋おのや	119.6
Onigase	鬼瀬おにがせ	124.6
Mukainoharu	向之原むかいのはる	127.7
Bungo-Kokubu	豊後国分ぶんごこくぶ	131.7		Ōita
Kaku	賀来かく	133.9
Minami-Ōita	南大分みなみおおいた	136.6
Furugō	古国府ふるごう	138.9
Ōita	大分おおいた	141.5	Nippō Main Line, Hōhi Main Line

History

In 1915, the Daito Railway Co. opened the 22 km Oita - Onoya section. The company was nationalised in 1922, and westerly extensions were undertaken in stages from 1923 until Amagase was reached in 1933. The Kurume - Chikugoyoshi opened in 1928, and easterly extensions to Amagase opened between 1931 and 1934.

CTC signalling was commissioned over the entire line in 1984, and freight services ceased in 1987.

Typhoon damage

In 2012, a landslide disrupted services for 6 weeks.

On 5 July 2017, torrential rainfall washed out the bridge over the Oita River between Chikugo Oisha and Teruoka, resulting in the closure of the section. According to the Japanese language Wikipedia article, the line was fully re-opened on 14 July 2018.

Previous connecting/transfer lines

Higo-oguni station, ~1962

• Era Station: the 27 km Miyanoharu Line to Higo-oguni opened between 1937 and 1954. Freight services ceased in 1971, and the line closed on 1 December 1984.
• Kurume Station: the 46 km 3 ft (914 mm) gauge Chigoku Line to Mameda opened between 1904 and 1916, and was electrified at 600 V DC in 1919. It had three short branch lines (1 to 4 km long). The entire system closed in 1929.