Fukui Railway Fukubu Line
Fukutetsu Series 200 (left) and Series 770 trains near Daimyōmachi intersection
Overview
OwnerFukui Railway
LocaleFukui Prefecture
Termini
Stations23
Service
TypeHeavy rail, Light rail, Interurban
History
Opened1924
Technical
Line length21.4 km (13.3 mi)[1]
Track gauge1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in)
Electrification600 V DC, overhead catenary
Operating speed
  • 65 km/h (40 mph)[1]
  • 40 km/h (25 mph) on street-running sections
Route map
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 ● ◎ West Japan Railway Company (JR West): Hokuriku Main 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. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 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. 1 2 3 4 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！ Fukui Railway. (in Japanese)
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