Kyūdai Main Line

The is a railway line in Kyushu, Japan, operated by the Kyushu Railway Company (JR Kyushu). It connects Kurume Station, Kurume in Fukuoka Prefecture and Ōita Station, Ōita in Ōita Prefecture. It is also known as the Yufu Kōgen Line.

The line crosses the whole of Kyushu, approximately paralleling the Chikugo River and its tributary the Kusu River near Kurume, and along the Ōita River close to Ōita. It also traverses popular tourist resorts such as Hita (known as Little Kyoto) and spa resorts around Yufu.

Stations

Station		Distance (km)	Transfers	Location
Kurume	久留米	0.0	Kagoshima Main Line, Kyushu Shinkansen	Kurume	Fukuoka
Template:STN	久留米高校前	3.4
Template:STN	南久留米	4.9
Template:STN	久留米大学前	6.8
Template:STN	御井	8.0
Template:STN	善導寺	12.6
Template:STN	筑後草野	15.7
Template:STN	田主丸	20.8
Template:STN	筑後吉井	26.4		Ukiha
Template:STN	うきは	30.0
Template:STN	筑後大石	33.0
Template:STN	夜明	39.1	Hitahikosan Line (No service since July 2017 due to rainstorm damage, was replaced by bus rapid transit in August 2023)	Hita	Ōita
Template:STN	光岡	45.2
Template:STN	日田	47.6
Template:STN	豊後三芳	49.4
Template:STN	豊後中川	55.3
Template:STN	天ケ瀬	59.5
Template:STN	杉河内	63.6		Kusu
Template:STN	北山田	67.8
Template:STN	豊後森	73.2
Template:STN	恵良	77.3		Kokonoe
Template:STN	引治	80.7
Template:STN	豊後中村	83.1
Template:STN	野矢	88.2
Template:STN	由布院	99.1		Yufu
Template:STN	南由布	102.5
Template:STN	湯平	109.6
Template:STN	庄内	114.5
Template:STN	天神山	118.1
Template:STN	小野屋	119.6
Template:STN	鬼瀬	124.6
Template:STN	向之原	127.7
Template:STN	豊後国分	131.7		Ōita
Template:STN	賀来	133.9
Template:STN	南大分	136.6
Template:STN	古国府	138.9
Template:STN	大分	141.5	Nippō Main Line, Hōhi Main Line

History

In 1915, the Daito Railway Co. opened the 22 km Oita - Onoya section. The company was nationalised in 1922, and westerly extensions were undertaken in stages from 1923 until Amagase was reached in 1933. The Kurume - Chikugoyoshi opened in 1928, and easterly extensions to Amagase opened between 1931 and 1934.

CTC signalling was commissioned over the entire line in 1984, and freight services ceased in 1987.

Typhoon damage

In 2012, a landslide disrupted services for 6 weeks.

On 5 July 2017, torrential rainfall washed out the bridge over the Oita River between Chikugo Oisha and Teruoka, resulting in the closure of the section. According to the Japanese language Wikipedia article, the line was fully re-opened on 14 July 2018.

Previous connecting/transfer lines

File:HigoOguni station.jpg

Higo-oguni station, ~1962

• Era Station: the 27 km Miyanoharu Line to Higo-oguni opened between 1937 and 1954. Freight services ceased in 1971, and the line closed on 1 December 1984.
• Kurume Station: the 46 km Template:RailGauge gauge Chigoku Line to Mameda opened between 1904 and 1916, and was electrified at 600 V DC in 1919. It had three short branch lines (1 to 4 km long). The entire system closed in 1929.