Amagi Railway Amagi Line

The Amagi Line (甘木線, Amagi-sen) is a Japanese railway line connecting Kiyama Station (on the Kagoshima Main Line), Kiyama and Amagi Station, Asakura. This is the only railway operated by the third-sector railway company Amagi Railway (甘木鉄道, Amagi Tetsudō). The company, and sometimes the line, are also called Amatetsu (甘鉄). The line functions as a commuter rail line for Fukuoka. The Kirin Brewery Co. is a shareholder of the company as a result of the former approximately 1 km siding from Tachiarai that serviced its nearby brewery.

Amagi Railway Amagi Line
AR401 DMU, nicknamed "Himiko", at Kiyama Station
Overview
Native name	甘木鉄道甘木線
Owner	Amagi Railway
Locale	Saga Prefecture and Fukuoka Prefecture
Termini	Kiyama Station Amagi Station
Stations	11
History
Opened	April 28, 1939
Technical
Line length	13.7 km (8.5 mi)
Track gauge	1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in)

0.0 Kiyama Station ←JR Kyūshū：Kagoshima Main Line ↑ Kyūshū Expressway 1.3 Tateno Station ※ below Kyūshū Expressway Saga / Fukuoka Border 2.5 Ōhara Station (signalling only) Ōita Expressway Ogōri Transfer Station until 1986 3.8 Ogōri Station Nishitetsu Ogōri Station ← Nishitetsu：Tenjin Ōmuta Line → 4.5 Ōitai Station Hōman River 6.4 Matsuzaki Station Oita Expressway 7.7 Imaguma Station 8.4 Nishi-Tachiarai Station 9.6 Yamaguma Station 10.4 Tachiarai Station ← Kirin Brewery Company Leased Line 11.8 Takata Station ← Nishitetsu：Amagi Line ↓ Koishiwara River 13.7 Amagi Station

Stations

Station name	Japanese	Distance (between station)	Total distance	Transfers	Location
Kiyama Station	基山駅	-	0.0	Kagoshima Main Line	Saga Prefecture	Kiyama
Tateno Station	立野駅	1.3	1.3
Ogōri Station	小郡駅	2.5	3.8	Nishitetsu Tenjin Ōmuta Line (Nishitetsu Ogōri Station)	Fukuoka Prefecture	Ogōri
Ōitai Station	大板井駅	0.7	4.5
Matsuzaki Station	松崎駅	1.9	6.4
Imaguma Station	今隈駅	1.3	7.7
Nishi-Tachiarai Station	西太刀洗駅	0.7	8.4			Tachiarai
Yamaguma Station	山隈駅	1.2	9.6			Chikuzen
Tachiarai Station	太刀洗駅	0.8	10.4
Takata Station	高田駅	1.4	11.8
Amagi Station	甘木駅	1.9	13.7	Nishitetsu Amagi Line		Asakura

History

The line was opened on April 28, 1939 by the Japanese National Railways (JNR) as the Amagi Line, in order to supply military equipment to Tachiarai Airfield. In 1981, the line was named a specified local line and considered for closure. Freight services ceased in 1984.

On April 5, 1985, it was agreed that the line would be transferred to a newly created third sector railway company. Amagi Railway was thus created and inherited the former JNR line on April 1, 1986.

Heavy rainfall damaged a bridge between Oitai and Matsuzaki in 2006 and buses provided the link between those two station for six months until the bridge was repaired.

See also

• List of railway companies in Japan
• List of railway lines in Japan

External links

• Media related to Amagi Railway at Wikimedia Commons
• Official website (in Japanese)