Fukui Railway Fukubu Line

Tram system in Fukui prefecture, Japan
  • Takefu-shin
  • Fukui-Ekimae / Tawaramachi
Stations23ServiceTypeHeavy rail, Light rail, InterurbanHistoryOpened1924TechnicalLine length21.4 km (13.3 mi)[1]Track gauge1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in)Electrification600 V DC, overhead catenaryOperating speed
  • 65 km/h (40 mph)[1]
  • 40 km/h (25 mph) on street-running sections
Route map

Legend
Hokuriku Main Line
Takefu
0.0
 Takefu-shin
0.6
 Kitago
Nanetsu Line
1.7
 Sports Kōen
2.4
 Iehisa
4.1
 Sundome Nishi
5.3
 Nishi-Sabae
6.0
 Nishiyama-Kōen
Seiho Line
7.3
 Mizuochi
8.5
 Shinmei
9.7
 Tobanaka
10.2
 Nishi-Tobanaka
-1935
10.9
 Sanjūhassha
13.0
 Asōzu
13.8
 Harmony Hall
15.5
 Ebata
16.1
 Bell-mae
16.9
 Hanandō
17.8
 Sekijūjimae
18.1
 Street-running limit
18.4
 Kidayotsutsuji
18.6
 Fujishima Jinja-mae
-1962
18.9
 Kōenguchi
19.0
 Keya-machi
-1962
Hokuriku Main Line
 Honchō-dōri
-2002
20.1
 Fukui-Ekimae
19.6
 Shiyakushomae
Echizen Railway
20.2
 Jin'ai Joshikōkō
20.4
 Matsumoto-dōri
-1964
20.9
 Tawaramachi
Mikuni Awara Line

The Fukui Railway Fukubu Line (福井鉄道福武線, Fukui Tetsudō Fukubu-sen) is a 21.4-kilometre (13.3 mi) railway line operated by Fukui Railway in Fukui Prefecture. The line runs from Takefu-shin Station in Echizen to Tawaramachi and Fukui-Ekimae stations in Fukui. Although it has its own right-of-way for most of the route, the Fukubu Line runs with traffic as a tram line past Sekijūjimae Station.

History

Fukui Railway 200 series train original livery.
Fukui Railway F1000 low-floor vehicles at Takefu

The Fukubu Electric Railway (福武電気鉄道, Fukubu Denki Tetsudō) opened the Fukubu Line on 23 February 1924[1] for the purposes of transporting soldiers of the Imperial Japanese Army Sabae 36th Regiment between Takefu-shin and Heiei (兵営) (now Shinmei) stations.

  • 23 February 1924: Fukubu Electric Railway opens the Fukubu Line between Takefu-Shin and Heiei (now Shinmei).[1]
  • 26 July 1925: Heiei – Fukui-Shin (now Sekijūjimae) section opens.[1]
  • 5 June 1927: Sanjūhassha Station opens.[2]
  • 5 October 1927: Mizuochi Station opens;[2] former transfer station for the Seiho Electric Railway.
  • 13 August 1929: Kami-Sabae (now Sundome Nishi), Shimo-Sabae (now Nishiyama-Kōen) stations open.
  • 15 October 1933: Fukui-Shin – Fukui-Ekimae section opens.
  • 1 October 1935: Tobanaka Station opens; Nishi-Tobanaka Station (between Heiei and Tobanaka) closes.[2]
  • April 1939: Heiei Station is renamed Chūō Station.
  • 1 April 1941: Express service begins.
  • 1 August 1945: Fukubu Electric Railway merges with Seiho Electric Railway to form Fukui Railway.[1]
  • June 1946: Chūō Station renamed Shinmei Station.
  • 12 July 1950: Hanandō – Fukui-Shin section double-tracked.
  • 27 November 1950: Honmachi-dōri — Fukui-Shin section opens. Daimyōmachi Station is renamed Honmachi-dōri Station.
  • 1 April 1962: Keyamachi Station moved and renamed Kōenguchi Station. Fujishima-Jinja-mae Station (between Kidayotsutsuji and Kōenguchi) closes.[2]
  • 11 December 1964: Matsumoto-dōri Station (between Saibanshomae and Tawaramachi) closes. Saibanshomae Station moved towards Tawaramachi.
  • 1 September 1969: Service between Hanandō, Fukui-Ekimae, and Tawaramachi abolished; all trains run through to Takefu-Shin Station.
  • 2 October 1979: Freight services discontinued.[1]
  • 10 April 1980: Centralized traffic control (CTC) introduced.[1]
  • 1 August 1985: Driver-only operation introduced on morning and evening services.[1]
  • 10 April 1987: Shimo-Sabae Station renamed Nishiyama-Kōen Station.
  • 1 October 1989: Hanandō-Minami Station opens.
  • 20 January 1993: All trains equipped with ATS.[1]
  • 15 April 1993: Hanandō-Minami Station renamed Bell-mae Station.
  • 20 September 1997: Harmony Hall Station opens.
  • 30 November 1998: Daytime service interval changed to 20 minutes.[1]
  • 15 July 2002: Honmachi-dōri Station (between Kōenguchi and Shiyakushomae) closed.
  • 1 December 2003: Part of Shiyakushomae — Fukui-Ekimae section single-tracked due to construction around Fukui Station.
  • 30 September 2004: Semi-express service abolished.
  • January–March 2006: All station platforms modified to serve low-floor vehicles.
  • 1 April 2006: Low-floor trains enter service. Last departure time brought forward 30 minutes.
  • 16 December 2007: Daytime shuttle trains begin service between Fukui-Ekimae and Tawaramachi.

On March 25, 2010, Sports-Kōen Station was established between the Nishi-Takefu and Iehisa stations. At the same time, five stations were renamed: Takefu-Shin to Echizen-Takefu; Nishi-Takefu to Kitago; Kami-Sabae to Sundome-Nishi; Fukui-Shin to Sekijūjimae; and Saibanshomae to Jin'ai-Joshikōkō.[3][4]

Station list

  • All stations are located in Fukui Prefecture.
  • Express (急行) trains stop at stations marked "●", pass those marked "｜", and only a few stop at those marked "○". Most local trains stop at all stations but some pass those marked "○".
  • Staff:
    • ◎ - Present all day
    • ○ - Present except early mornings and late nights
    • ◇ - Present during peak hours only
    • △ - Present during holidays only
    • × - Unstaffed
    • ※ - Present during events only
Station No. Station Japanese Distance (km) Express Staff Transfers Location
Between
Stations 		Total
F0 Takefu-shin たけふ新 - 0.0 ● ◎ Hapi-Line Fukui : Hapi-Line Fukui Line (Takefu) Echizen
F1 Kitago 北府 0.6 0.6 ● ×  
F2 Sports Kōen スポーツ公園 1.1 1.7 ｜ ×  
F3 Iehisa 家久 0.7 2.4 ● ×  
F4 Sundome Nishi サンドーム西 1.7 4.1 ｜ ×   Sabae
F5 Nishi-Sabae 西鯖江 1.2 5.3 ● ○  
F6 Nishiyama-Kōen 西山公園 0.7 6.0 ｜ ※  
F7 Mizuochi 水落 1.3 7.3 ● ×  
F8 Shinmei 神明 1.2 8.5 ● ○  
F9 Tobanaka 鳥羽中 1.2 9.7 ｜ ×  
F10 Sanjūhassha 三十八社 1.2 10.9 ｜ ×   Fukui
F11 Taichō no Sato 泰澄の里 1.3 12.2 ｜ ×  
F12 Asōzu 浅水 0.8 13.0 ● ○  
F13 Harmony Hall ハーモニーホール 0.8 13.8 ｜ ×  
F14 Seimei 清明 1.1 14.9 ｜ ×  
F15 Ebata 江端 0.6 15.5 ｜ ×  
F16 Bell-mae ベル前 0.6 16.1 ● △  
F17 Hanandō 花堂 0.8 16.9 ｜ ×  
F18 Sekijūjimae 赤十字前 0.9 17.8 ● ○  
F19 Shokokaigishomae 商工会議所前 0.6 18.4 ○ ×  
F20 Asuwayamakoenguchi 足羽山公園口 0.5 18.9 ○ ×  
F21 Fukui Castle Ruins-daimyomachi 福井城址大名町 0.7 19.6 ● ◇  
F22 Fukui-eki 福井駅 0.5 20.1 ○ × JR West: Hokuriku Main Line (Fukui)
Echizen Railway: Katsuyama Eiheiji Line (Fukui)
F23 Jin'ai Joshikōkō 仁愛女子高校 0.6* 20.2 ● ×  
F24 Tawaramachi 田原町 0.7 20.9 ● × Echizen Railway: Mikuni Awara Line (Some through to Washizuka-Haribara)
  • Note that distances for Jin'ai Joshikōkō and Tawaramachi Stations are measured from Shiyakushomae Station.[1]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Terada, Hirokazu (July 2002). データブック日本の私鉄 (Databook: Japan's Private Railways). Japan: Neko Publishing. ISBN 4-87366-874-3.
  2. ^ a b c d 今井恵介監修『日本鉄道旅行地図 6号 北信越』新潮社、2008年、p.25
  3. ^ 福武線に新駅「スポーツ公園駅」　来月２５日開業－－今年３月　／福井 Archived 2010-02-21 at the Wayback Machine Fukui Shimbun, February 19, 2010. (in Japanese)
  4. ^ 平成22年3月25日 ダイヤ改正！[permanent dead link] Fukui Railway. (in Japanese)

External links

  • Fukui Railway (in Japanese)