Kyushu Railway Company

The Kyushu Railway Company, also referred to as JR Kyushu (JR九州, Jeiāru Kyūshū), is one of the seven constituent companies of Japan Railways Group (JR Group). It operates intercity rail services within Kyushu, Japan and the JR Kyushu Jet Ferry Beetle hydrofoil service across the Tsushima Strait between Fukuoka and Busan, South Korea. It also operates hotels, restaurants, and drugstores across its service region. JR Kyushu's headquarters are in Hakata-ku, Fukuoka.

History

When Japanese National Railways was divided in 1987, Kyushu Railway Company inherited its assets and operations on the island of Kyushu along with losses of around 28.8 billion yen, exacerbated by a growing highway network in Kyushu and many lightly used rural lines. After privatization, JR Kyushu diversified its business into new ventures such as fish and mushroom farming and car sales. Two of its more successful side ventures were the Beetle ferry, started in 1991, and the Train d'or bakery chain, started in 1992. JR Kyushu also built up its premium rail services through the development of the Kyushu Shinkansen high-speed rail line and the Seven Stars in Kyushu luxury excursion train.

The company introduced SUGOCA, a smart card ticketing system, from 1 March 2009.

JR Kyushu executed its initial public offering in October 2016. Non-railway operations account for roughly 60% of the company's sales and most of its profits.

Lines

Shinkansen line

• Kyushu Shinkansen (Kagoshima Route)
• Nishi Kyushu Shinkansen

Main lines

• Kagoshima Main Line
• Nagasaki Main Line
• Nippō Main Line
• Chikuhō Main Line: Divided to three segments with different nicknames, namely Haruda Line, Hukuhoku Yutaka Line, and Wakamatsu Line.
• Kyūdai Main Line: Nicknamed Yufu Kōgen Line
• Hōhi Main Line: Nicknamed Aso Kōgen Line

Other lines

• Chikuhi Line
• Fukuhoku Yutaka Line: A nickname for the route formed by portions of Kagoshima Main Line, Chikuhō Main Line, and the whole part of Sasaguri Line.
• Gotōji Line
• Hitahikosan Line
• Kashii Line
• Hisatsu Line
• Karatsu Line
• Kitto Line
• Misumi Line
• Miyazaki Kūkō Line
• Nichinan Line
• Ōmura Line
• Sasaguri Line
• Sasebo Line
• Ibusuki Makurazaki Line

Limited express and tourist train services

• Ariake (Hakata - Kumamoto)
• Aru Ressha (Ōita - Hita April to June)(Sasebo - Nagasaki July to September)
• Aso Boy (Kumamoto - Miyaji)
• A-Train (Kumamoto - Misumi)
• Hayato no Kaze (Kagoshima-Chūō - Yoshimatsu)
• Huis Ten Bosch (Hakata - Huis Ten Bosch)
• Ibusuki no Tamatebako (Kagoshima-Chūō - Ibusuki)
• Isaburo & Shinpei (Hitoyoshi - Yoshimatsu)
• Kaiō (Hakata - Nōgata)
• Kasasagi (Hakata - Hizen-Kashima)
• Kawasemi Yamasemi (Kumamoto - Hitoyoshi)
• Kirameki (Mojikō - Hakata)
• Kirishima (Miyazaki - Kagoshima-Chūō)
• Kumagawa (Kumamoto - Hitoyoshi)
• Midori (Hakata - Sasebo)
• Nichirin/Nichirin Seagaia (Kokura - Miyazaki Kūkō)
• Relay Kamome (Hakata - Takeo-Onsen)
• Seven Stars in Kyushu (Circular tours of Kyushu)
• SL Hitoyoshi (Kumamoto - Hitoyoshi/Kumamoto - Tosu)
• Sonic (Hakata - Ōita)
• Trans-Kyushu Limited Express (Hitoyoshi - Ōita)
• Umisachi-Yamasachi (Miyazaki - Nangō)
• Yufu / Yufu DX/Yufuin-no-mori (Hakata - Ōita)

See also

• Kyūshū Railway - a predecessor of JR Kyushu

Notes

References

External links

• Homepage

1. Kyushu
2. Kyushu Railway
3. Nishi Kyushu Shinkansen
4. Kyushu Shinkansen
5. Seven Stars in Kyushu
6. Japan Railways Group
7. List of railway companies in Japan
8. 415 series
9. List of railway lines in Japan (A to I)
10. List of railway lines in Japan (J to P)
11. Hayabusa (train)
12. N700S Series Shinkansen
13. Kagoshima Main Line
14. Hitachi A-train
15. Eiji Mitooka
16. A-Train (JR Kyushu)
17. Tsubame (train)
18. Kyushu Railway History Museum
19. 103 series
20. KiHa 40 series