Ibusuki Makurazaki Line

Ibusuki Makurazaki Line
KiHa 47 train with Mount Kaimon in the background, May 2023
Overview
Native name	指宿枕崎線
Status	In operation
Owner	JR Kyushu
Locale	Kagoshima Prefecture
Termini	Kagoshima-Chūō Makurazaki
Stations	36
Service
Operator(s)	JR Kyushu
Rolling stock	KiHa 40 series DMU, KiHa 200 series DMU
History
Opened	December 7, 1930
Technical
Line length	87.8 km (54.6 mi)
Number of tracks	Entire line single tracked
Character	Rural and quiet
Track gauge	1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in)
Electrification	None
Operating speed	85 km/h (53 mph) (Kagoshima-Chūō–Yamakawa) 65 km/h (40 mph) (Yamakawa–Makurazaki)
Route map km Kagoshima Main Line 0.0 Kagoshima-Chūō Kagoshima Main Line 2.2 Kōrimoto 3.5 Minami-Kagoshima 4.9 Usuki 7.4 Taniyama 9.2 Jigenji 11.3 Sakanoue 14.1 Goino 17.2 Hirakawa 20.6 Sesekushi 24.0 Nakamyō 26.6 Kiire 30.4 Maenohama 35.0 Nukumi 37.9 Satsuma-Imaizumi 40.7 Miyagahama 43.4 Nigatsuden 45.7 Ibusuki 50.0 Yamakawa 54.2 Ōyama 56.7 Nishi-Ōyama 57.8 Satsuma-Kawashiri 59.6 Higashi-Kaimon 61.0 Kaimon 62.8 Irino 66.1 Ei 67.7 Nishi-Ei 70.4 Goryō 72.8 Ishikaki 74.2 Mizunarikawa 76.0 Ei-Ōkawa 78.1 Matsugaura 79.9 Satsuma-Shioya 81.9 Shirasawa 84.4 Satsuma-Itashiki 87.8 Makurazaki Nansatsu Railway to Kaseda km

A Nanohana rapid service

A Ibusuki no Tamatebako limited express

The Ibusuki Makurazaki Line (指宿枕崎線, Ibusuki Makurazaki-sen) is a railway line in Kagoshima Prefecture, Japan, operated by the Kyushu Railway Company (JR Kyushu). It connects Kagoshima-Chūō Station in Kagoshima, to Makurazaki Station in Makurazaki, paralleling the eastern and southern coasts of Satsuma Peninsula. Excluding the Okinawa Urban Monorail in Okinawa, this is the southernmost JR railway line in Japan, with Nishi-Ōyama Station being the southernmost station overall.

Services

Most local and rapid services are driver-only operated; only some trains in the morning are staffed by a conductor. There are also trains that continue onwards to Kagoshima Station on the Kagoshima Main Line; once in the morning and twice in the evening.

The line is operationally divided into two sections. The section between Kagoshima-Chūō and Yamakawa functions as one of Kagoshima's commuter rail lines. As such, there are relatively many local trains. From Kagoshima-Chūō, there is roughly one train per 20 minutes to Goino, one every 20 to 40 minutes to Kiire, and one per one hour to Ibusuki or Yamakawa. After the timetable change in March 2017, the shortest interval between trains on the line is 6 minutes, at Kiire Station.

The Ibusuki no Tamatebako limited express and Nanohana (なのはな) rapid services operate on this section. The limited express train runs three times a day, and the rapid train runs three times a day southbound, four times a day northbound.

The section between Yamakawa and Makurazaki is an extremely quiet local line. During the daytime, there is no train service for six hours. In this section, all but Nishi-Ei are unmanned stations, including Makurazaki, the terminus.

The Nanohana DX (なのはなDX) rapid service was discontinued from the start of the revised timetable on March 12, 2011.

Stations

The Ibusuki Makurazaki Line is entirely in Kagoshima Prefecture.

Note': All trains stop at stations marked "+". Some trains stop at "*". No trains stop at "-".

Station		Nanohana:1	Transfers	Location
Kagoshima-Chūō	鹿児島中央	+	Kyushu Shinkansen ■ Kagoshima Main Line ■ Nippō Main Line ■ Kagoshima City Tram Route 2	Kagoshima
Kōrimoto	郡元	+
Minami-Kagoshima	南鹿児島	+	■ Kagoshima City Tram Route 1
Usuki	宇宿	+	■ Kagoshima City Tram Route 1
Taniyama	谷山	+
Jigenji	慈眼寺	+
Sakanoue	坂之上	+
Goino	五位野	*
Hirakawa	平川	*
Sesekushi	瀬々串	*
Nakamyō	中名	-
Kiire	喜入	+
Maenohama	前之浜	-
Nukumi	生見	-
Satsuma-Imaizumi	薩摩今和泉	*		Ibusuki
Miyagahama	宮ヶ浜	*
Nigatsuden	二月田	*
Ibusuki	指宿	+
Yamakawa	山川	+
Ōyama	大山
Nishi-Ōyama	西大山
Satsuma-Kawashiri	薩摩川尻
Higashi-Kaimon	東開聞
Kaimon	開聞
Irino	入野
Ei	頴娃			Minamikyūshū
Nishi-Ei	西頴娃
Goryō	御領
Ishikaki	石垣
Mizunarikawa	水成川
Ei-Ōkawa	頴娃大川
Matsugaura	松ヶ浦
Satsuma-Shioya	薩摩塩屋
Shirasawa	白沢			Makurazaki
Satsuma-Itashiki	薩摩板敷
Makurazaki	枕崎

History

The 14 km (8.7 mi) Nishi-Kagoshima (now Kagoshima-Chūō) to Goino section opened in 1930, and was extended 32 km (20 mi) to Ibusuki in 1934, and a further 4 km (2.5 mi) to Yamakawa in 1936. The next 18 km (11 mi) extension to Nishi-Ei opened in 1960 as a passenger only line, and Makurazaki (a further 20 km or 12 mi) was reached in 1963.

Steam locomotives were withdrawn in 1973, and freight services in 1980. CTC signalling was commissioned between Nishi-Kagoshima and Yamakawa in 1983. Token signalling between Yamakawa and Makurazaki was abolished in 1994.

On June 21, 2014, a ten-metre cliff between Satsuma-Imaizumi and Nukumi collapsed. A Kagoshima-bound limited express train rode onto the debris caused by the collapse, resulting in the derailment of the first car. Out of 47 people on board, 13 passengers and two staff were injured; three were hospitalised. The section between Kiire and Ibusuki was then temporarily closed until June 28.

In July 2014, JR Kyushu raised the possibility of partially closing the Ibusuki Makurazaki Line due to consistent financial loss.

See also

• List of railway lines in Japan