Ita Line
The Ita Line (伊田線, Ita-sen) is a 16.1 km railway line owned by the Heisei Chikuhō Railway. The line runs north from Tagawa to Nōgata, all within Fukuoka Prefecture.
| Ita Line | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 A Heisei Chikuhō train at Akaike Station | |||
| Overview | |||
| Native name | 伊田線 | ||
| Owner |  Heisei Chikuhō Railway | ||
| Locale | Fukuoka Prefecture | ||
| Termini | Nōgata Tagawa-Ita | ||
| Stations | 15 | ||
| Website | www.heichiku.net | ||
| Service | |||
| Type | Heavy rail | ||
| History | |||
| Commenced | 11 February 1893 | ||
| Completed | 25 March 1899 | ||
| Privatized | 1 October 1989 | ||
| Technical | |||
| Line length | 16.1 km (10.0 mi) | ||
| Track gauge | 1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in) | ||
| Electrification | None | ||
| |||
History
The line was first built by the Chikuhō Kōgyō Railway, later renamed Chikuhō Railway (筑豊鉄道), as a branch line of the Chikuhō Main Line. Used to transport coal from the Chikuhō coal mine, the line had two stations: Nōgata Station and Kanada Station. The entire Chikuhō Railway system was merged in 1897 with Kyushu Railway, where the line was extended to Ita Station (now Tagawa-Ita Station) in 1899. Kyushu Railway was nationalized in 1907 and was merged into Japanese Government Railway.
Even though the Ita Line was widened to a double-track railway in 1911, ridership suffered with the decline of the Chikuhō coal mine. Therefore, JR Kyushu, the successor of Japanese Government Railway, privatized and transferred the Ita Line, Itoda Line, and Tagawa Line to the newly founded Heisei Chikuhō Railway.
Even after privatization, the Japan Freight Railway Company still ran trains from Kanada north to Mojiko Station in Kitakyushu, transporting cement from a Mitsui Tankō plant near Kanada Station. This service ceased with the plant's closure in March 2004.
Operations
The line is not electrified and is single-tracked for the entire line. Some services continue past Kanada Station on the Itoda Line to Tagawa-Gotōji Station.[1]
Stations
All stations are within Fukuoka Prefecture.
| Name | Distance (km) | Connections | Location | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nōgata | 直方 | 0.0 | .svg.png.webp){kind=logo} JR Kyushu: Chikuhō Main Line (Fukuhoku Yutaka Line) |
Nōgata |
| Minami-Nōgata-Gotenguchi | 南直方御殿口 | 1.1 | ||
| Akaji | あかぢ | 2.4 | Kotake | |
| Fujitana | 藤棚 | 3.6 | Nōgata | |
| Nakaizumi | 中泉 | 4.3 | ||
| Ichiba | 市場 | 6.5 | Fukuchi | |
| Fureai-Shōriki | ふれあい生力 | 7.6 | ||
| Akaike | 赤池 | 8.5 | ||
| Hitomi | 人見 | 9.1 | ||
| Kanada | 金田 | 9.8 | ■ Itoda Line | |
| Kami-Kanada | 上金田 | 11.6 | ||
| Hoshii | 糒 | 12.8 | Tagawa | |
| Tagawa Municipal Hospital | 田川市立病院 | 13.4 | ||
| Shimoita | 下伊田 | 14.5 | ||
| Tagawa-Ita | 田川伊田 | 16.1 | ■ Tagawa Line JR Kyushu: Hitahikosan Line | |
References
- "平成筑豊鉄道全駅時刻表 直方 → 金田 → 田川伊田 → 行橋・金田 → 田川後藤寺" (PDF). 平成筑豊鉄道 (in Japanese). 平成筑豊鉄道. 16 March 2019. Retrieved 3 May 2019.