Hakata Minami Line

Hakata Minami Line
Shinkansen Series 700-7000 train on the Hakata-Minami Line
Gauge :	1435 mm ( standard gauge )
Power system :	25 kV 50 Hz  ~
Top speed:	120 km / h
Legend ↑ JR West : San'yō Shinkansen ↑ JR Kyūshū : Kagoshima main line 0.0 Hakata ( 博 多 駅 ) ← Fukuoka Subway : Kūkō Line → Takeshita ( 竹 下 駅 ) Kagoshima Main Line → ← Nishinippon Tetsudō : Tenjin Ōmuta line → 8.5 Hakata Minami ( 博多南 駅 ) 9.2 Hakata Shinkansen depot ↓ JR Kyūshū: Kyūshū Shinkansen

The Hakata Minami Line ( Japanese 博多南 線 Hakataminami-sen ) is a Japanese railway line operated by JR Nishinihon ( English JR West ) , which is used by Shinkansen high-speed trains, but is assigned to the conventional railway network in terms of traffic law. The route is used by trains of the San'yō-Shinkansen and since 2011 also by trains of the Kyūshū-Shinkansen .

history

The 8.5 km short Hakata Minami Line was built in 1975 as a feeder for the trains of the San'yō Shinkansen from Hakata station to the Hakata Shinkansen depot. At that time the surrounding city of Kasuga was still predominantly rural, so that initially there was no demand for a Shinkansen stop. Due to the strong suburbanization from Fukuoka , the area was increasingly built on in the 1980s, so that JR West decided to set up the Hakata-Minami station on the site of the depot . The station consists of a single side platform on the westernmost track of the installation area of ​​the depot. Individual trains to or from the depot can stop at the station without any additional operational effort.

The station and thus the actual, passenger-relevant route was opened on April 1, 1990. Structurally, the entire route has the full Shinkansen standard. However, the speed is limited to 120 km / h.

Offer and vehicle use

Hakata Shinkansen Depot

A large number of Kodama connections of the San'yō Shinkansen are extended from Hakata to Hakata-Minami Station via the Hakata-Minami Line. However, since the route is not categorized as a Shinkansen route under railway law, journeys on this section of the route are formally operated as Limited Express connections. A trip between Hakata and Hakata-Minami costs ¥ 300 and takes 10 minutes.

At the opening, vehicles from the 0 series were initially used, and later the 100 , 500 and 700 series . The last 100 series vehicles were taken out of service in March 2012.

The trains of the Kyūshū Shinkansen, which opened on March 12, 2011, also use the Hakata-Minami line, but do not stop at Hakata-Minami station, as the actual new line begins in front of the site of the depot, which runs past the site.

Route

Train stations	Japanese	Distance from Hakata (km)	Transfer options	place
Hakata	博 多	0	San'yō Shinkansen , Kyūshū Shinkansen , Kagoshima Main Line , Fukuoka Subway Kūkō Line	Fukuoka	Fukuoka Prefecture
Hakata minami	博多南	8.5		Kasuga

See also

Commons : Hakata Minami Line  - collection of images, videos and audio files

• Gala Yuzawa Line

Individual evidence

1. ↑ " 新 幹線 な の に 在 来 線 (Shinkansen routes which are conventional routes)". Japan Railfan Magazine (467): p. 67 March 2000.