The Mojikō Retro Scenic Line ( 門司港レトロ観光線 , Mojikō-Retoro-Kankō-sen ) is a 2.1 km heritage railway line owned by Kitakyushu City and operated by Heisei Chikuhō Railway . The line runs on a former freight route in Moji-ku, Kitakyushu , Fukuoka Prefecture , Japan . One passenger train named the Shiokaze ( 潮風号 ) runs on the track.
7-521: Various railroads have operated in the Moji area in the past, including a line by JR Freight to Sotohama Station (near present day Idemitsu Art Museum Station ) and a private passenger line known as the "Tanoura Public Rinkai Line" ( 田野浦公共臨港鉄道 ) . After the closure of these lines, multiple proposals were made to preserve these lines as a heritage railway. One such proposal by the Heisei Chikuhō Railway
14-536: A single freight railway company, Japan Freight Railway Company. The company has only about 50 kilometers (31 mi) of track of its own, and therefore operates on track owned by the six JR passenger railways as well as other companies which provide rail transport in Japan . In 2017, only about 5% of all freight in Japan is carried by rail but nearly all of that, 99%, is carried by JR Freight. Trucks carry about 50% and ships about 44%. JR Freight has seen its share of
21-462: Is one of the seven constituent companies of Japan Railways Group (JR Group). It provides transportation of cargo nationwide throughout Japan . Its headquarters are in Shibuya, Tokyo near Shinjuku Station . The Japan Railways Group was founded on 1 April 1987, when Japanese National Railways (JNR) was privatized. Japanese National Railways was divided into six regional passenger rail companies and
28-518: The Heisei Chikuhō Railway , this line does not connect to the rest of Heichiku's network. The line is not electrified and is single-tracked for the entire line. All stations are within Moji-ku, Kitakyushu , Fukuoka Prefecture . JR Freight Japan Freight Railway Company ( 日本貨物鉄道株式会社 , Nippon Kamotsu Tetsudō Kabushiki-gaisha ) , or JR Freight ( JR貨物 , Jeiāru Kamotsu ) ,
35-412: The freight market gradually decrease since 1993. In the 2010s JR Freight has been carrying more freight because of the decrease in the number of available truck drivers due to age as well as government policy to reduce carbon dioxide. JR Freight has run a deficit for many years. While major part of the operation of JR Freight is on the tracks owned and maintained by other JR companies, JR Freight owns
42-605: Was awarded a "Railroad Cultural and Tourism Award" by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism . The 2018 Japan floods heavily damaged the tracks, forcing the line to be closed for a month. One four-car passenger train named the Shiokaze ( 潮風号 ) runs on the track. The line operates between March and November. Except for certain weeks, trains only operate on the weekends and holidays. Eleven round-trip services are run per day at 40-minute intervals. Though operated by
49-406: Was finally approved on March 13, 2008 between Mojikō Station and Mekari Park (now Kanmon Straits Mekari Station ). In preparation for its reopening, promotional events were held on the tracks throughout 2008. Plans for the railroad was formally announced January 2009, and naming rights to the station were sold before its formal opening on April 26. For their preservation efforts, Kitakyushu City
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