Kūkō Line (Fukuoka City Subway)

Kūkō Line
Kūkō Line
	A 2000 series train
Overview
Other name(s)	Airport Line
Native name	空港線
Owner	Fukuoka City Subway
Locale	Fukuoka, Fukuoka
Termini	Meinohama; Fukuokakūkō;
Stations	13
Color on map	Orange
Service
Type	Rapid transit
System	Fukuoka City Subway
Depot(s)	Meinohama
Rolling stock	1000 series, 2000 series, etc.
History
Opened	26 July 1981; 43 years ago
Technical
Line length	13.1 km (8.1 mi)
Track gauge	1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in)
Electrification	1,500 V DC overhead catenary
Operating speed	75 km/h (45 mph)
Route map
Route map
	Legend

The Kūkō Line (空港線, Kūkō-sen, "Airport Line") is a subway line, part of the Fukuoka City Subway system in Fukuoka, Japan. It connects Meinohama, Nishi Ward to Fukuokakūkō (Fukuoka Airport), Hakata Ward, all within Fukuoka. The line's color on maps is orange. Officially, the line is called Line 1 (Kūkō Line) (1号線(空港線), Ichi-gō-sen (Kūkō-sen)). The line has a through service with JR Chikuhi Line. Like other Fukuoka City Subway lines, stations are equipped with automatic platform gates, and trains are automatically operated by ATO system. However, JR train cars (from Chikuhi Line) are operated manually.

This is the only subway line in Japan that directly links to an airport. Although Toei Asakusa Line trains in Tokyo also serve airports (Narita and Haneda), those are not the stations of the Asakusa Line itself. Rather, they are the stations of suburban lines that the Asakusa Line has through services with.

The Kūkō Line goes through many important areas of the city, namely Nishijin, Tenjin, Hakata, and the airport.

Station list

All stations aer in Fukuoka, Fukuoka Prefecture.

No.	Station name	Japanese	Distance (km)	Transfers	Location
↑ Some through services to/from Nishi-Karatsu via the Chikuhi Line and the Karatsu Line ↑
K01	Meinohama	姪浜	0	Chikuhi Line (JK01) (through service)	Nishi
K02	Muromi	室見	1.5		Sawara
K03	Fujisaki	藤崎	2.3
K04	Nishijin	西新	3.4
K05	Tōjinmachi	唐人町	4.6		Chūō
K06	Ōhorikōen	大濠公園	5.4
K07	Akasaka	赤坂	6.5
K08	Tenjin	天神	7.3	Nanakuma Line (Tenjin-minami (N16)) Tenjin-Ōmuta Line (Nishitetsu Fukuoka (Tenjin) )
K09	Nakasu-Kawabata	中洲川端	8.1	Hakozaki Line (H01) (through service)	Hakata
↓ Some through services to/from Kaizuka via the Hakozaki Line ↓
K10	Gion	祇園	9.1		Hakata
K11	Hakata	博多	9.8	Kyushu Shinkansen, Kagoshima Main Line, Sasaguri Line (Fukuhoku Yutaka Line) Hakata Minami Line, Sanyō Shinkansen Nanakuma Line (N18)
K12	Higashi-Hie	東比恵	11.0
K13	Fukuokakūkō (Fukuoka Airport)	福岡空港	13.1

Through services to/from the Hakozaki Line do not continue onto the Chikuhi Line (and vice versa); they terminate at Meinohama Station instead.

Rolling stock

Fukuoka Subway

1000 series (since 1981)
2000 series (since 1992)
4000 series (from Autumn 2024, planned)^[1]

A 1000 series set in December 2021
A 2000 series set in December 2021

JR Kyushu

103-1500 series (since 1982)
303 series (since 2000)
305 series (since 2015)

A fleet of six new 305 series 6-car electric multiple unit (EMU) commuter trains was introduced on through services to and from the Chikuhi Line from February 2015.^[2]

A 103-1500 series set in January 2019
A 303 series set in August 2017
A 305 series set in January 2019

References

^ 福岡市地下鉄空港線・箱崎線へ新型車両「4000系」導入 24年秋ごろ運用開始 [New 4000 series trains to be introduced on the Fukuoka City Subway Kuko Line and Hakozaki Line. Operation will begin around fall 2024.]. Tetsudo Channel (in Japanese). 2023-11-30. Retrieved 2023-11-30.
^ "JR九州筑肥線に305系通勤型直流電車投入" [JR Kyushu to introduce 305 series DC commuter trains on Chikuhi Line]. Tetsudo Hobidas (in Japanese). Japan: Neko Publishing. 1 August 2014. Archived from the original on 23 January 2015. Retrieved 1 August 2014.

External links

Fukuoka City Subway official website (in Japanese)
Fukuoka City Subway official website (in English)

[1] 福岡市地下鉄空港線・箱崎線へ新型車両「4000系」導入 24年秋ごろ運用開始 [New 4000 series trains to be introduced on the Fukuoka City Subway Kuko Line and Hakozaki Line. Operation will begin around fall 2024.]. Tetsudo Channel (in Japanese). 2023-11-30. Retrieved 2023-11-30.

[hobidas20140801-2] "JR九州筑肥線に305系通勤型直流電車投入" [JR Kyushu to introduce 305 series DC commuter trains on Chikuhi Line]. Tetsudo Hobidas (in Japanese). Japan: Neko Publishing. 1 August 2014. Archived from the original on 23 January 2015. Retrieved 1 August 2014.

[1]

[2]