The is a railway line in Hokkaido operated by Hokkaido Railway Company (JR Hokkaido), connecting Numanohata, Tomakomai and Shiroishi Station in Shiroishi-ku, Sapporo, linking the Muroran Main Line and Hakodate Main Line. There also is a branch line to New Chitose Airport.
Service outline The line forms part of the trunk route between Sapporo and Southern Hokkaido. As such, Hokuto limited express trains run between Sapporo and Hakodate once every 1 to 2 hours, as well as the Suzuran limited express between Sapporo and Muroran.
The section between Sapporo and Minami-Chitose is also a part of the trunk route between Sapporo and eastern Hokkaido. The Ōzora and Tokachi limited express services to Obihiro and Kushiro run through.
The rapid trains Special Rapid Airport and Rapid Airport previously ran approximately once every 12 minutes, functioning as the airport rail link between New Chitose Airport Station and Sapporo or Otaru. Since the Chitose Line goes through the most urbanized area in Hokkaido, there are roughly 3 to 4 local train services per hour.
On March 16, 2024, a new rapid service named "Semi-Rapid Airport" plying between Sapporo and New Chitose Airport Station was introduced, operating only during the daytime at two trains per hour. This train stops at Sapporo, Shin-Sapporo and all stations between Kita-Hiroshima and New Chitose Airport. Since then, no local services operate between Kita-Hiroshima and Chitose during the daytime, and the daytime service frequency of other rapid trains was adjusted to one per hour for Special Rapid Airport trains and three per hour for Rapid Airport trains. Local services are operated at two trains per hour between Sapporo and Kita-Hiroshima and one train per hour between Chitose and Tomakomai during the daytime.
Former services There were sleeper trains between Honshu and Hokkaido, such as the Hokutosei, Cassiopeia, Twilight Express, and Hamanasu.
Station list
Source:
SRA: Special Rapid Airport RA: Rapid Airport SmRA: Semi-Rapid Airport L: Local All rapid trains stop at stations signed "+", some at "◌", and all skip stations marked "-". Local trains stop at most stations but some skip stations signed "◌".
No. Station name Japanese Distance (km) SRA RA SmRA L Transfers Location (all in Hokkaido) Tomakomai to Numanohata: officially Muroran Main Line Tomakomai 苫小牧 -8.8 + Tomakomai Chitose Line (Main Line) Numanohata 沼ノ端 0.0 + Muroran Main Line (for ) Tomakomai Uenae 植苗 6.4 ◌ Minami-Chitose 南千歳 18.4 + + + + Chitose Chitose 千歳 21.4 - + + + Osatsu 長都 24.9 - - + + Sapporo Beer Teien サッポロビール庭園 27.1 - - + ◌ Eniwa Eniwa 恵庭 29.4 - + + + Megumino 恵み野 31.9 - - + + Shimamatsu 島松 34.1 - - + + Kitahiroshima 北広島 40.6 - + + + Kitahiroshima Kami-Nopporo 上野幌 48.6 - - - + Atsubetsu-ku, Sapporo Shin-Sapporo 新札幌 51.5 + + + + () Heiwa 平和 54.4 - - - + Shiroishi-ku, Sapporo Shiroishi to Sapporo: officially Hakodate Main Line Shiroishi 白石 56.6 - ◌ - + Hakodate Main Line (for ) Shiroishi-ku, Sapporo Naebo 苗穂 60.2 - - - + Chūō-ku, Sapporo Sapporo 札幌 62.4 + + + + Kita-ku, Sapporo
Airport Branch Line
No. Station name Japanese Distance (km) SRA RA SmRA L Transfers Location (all in Hokkaido) Minami-Chitose 南千歳 0.0 + + + + Chitose New Chitose Airport 新千歳空港 2.6 + + + +
Closed station
H15 : Closed since March 4, 2017, now a signal base.
Rolling stock 721 series EMUs 731 series EMUs 733 series EMUs 735 series EMUs
History
The entire line opened on August 21, 1926.
Duplication The Chitose-Eniwa section was double-tracked in September 1965, and extended to Kitahiroshima in September 1966.
The Chitose-Uenae section was double-tracked in 1968, and extended to Numanohata in 1969.
The Shiraishi-Kitahiroshima section was double-tracked in 1973, completing the work to double-track the line.
Electrification Chitose Station and its approaches were elevated in 1980, and the line was electrified in association with the opening of the nearby Chitose airport.
The Minami-chitose—Chitose Airport branch opened as an electrified line in 1992.
See also Hakodate Main Line Muroran Main Line Airport rail link List of railway lines in Japan
References
External links