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Nagasaki Main Line

長崎本線

The Nagasaki Main Line is a heavy-rail line of the Kyushu Railway Company (JR Kyushu), running through Saga and Nagasaki prefectures on the island of Kyushu.

It begins at Tosu Station, where it branches from the Kagoshima Main Line, and runs by way of Saga Station in the city of Saga to Nagasaki Station in the city of Nagasaki. The line opened in 1891 and has a total length of 148.8 km, a track gauge of 1,067 mm and 42 stations, counting both termini and a seasonal station; excluding the Tosu terminus, which formally belongs to the Kagoshima Main Line, the count is 41.

Route of the Nagasaki Main Line · Saga · Nagasaki · Borders: MLIT
A Kiha 47 type 3510 local train between Higashi-Isahaya and Isahaya on the JR Nagasaki Main Line.
A Kiha 47 type 3510 local train between Higashi-Isahaya and Isahaya on the JR Nagasaki Main Line. · MaedaAkihiko · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

History

The line's origins lie with the private Kyushu Railway Company, which built it along what are today the Sasebo Line and Ōmura Line routes. The company opened the Tosu–Saga section in 1891, and by 1897 the Tosu–Haiki and Nagayo–Nagasaki sections were open. For about a year a ferry across Ōmura Bay bridged the gap between them, until the line was completed through to Nagasaki via Haiki in 1898. In 1907 the Railway Nationalization Act nationalised all of Japan's major railways, and the Kyushu Railway passed into state hands.

The line took its present alignment in 1934. Because the original route via Sasebo and Ōmura was circuitous, a shorter cut-off line — the "Ariake Line" — was built between Hizen-Yamaguchi (today Kōhoku), Hizen-Kashima and Isahaya and incorporated into the Nagasaki Main Line; the older route was split off as the Sasebo Line (Hizen-Yamaguchi–Haiki) and the Ōmura Line (Haiki–Isahaya). A further short-cut followed in 1972, when the 6,173-metre Shin-Nagasaki Tunnel and the associated Kikitsu–Urakami deviation (the "new line," via Ichinuno) opened; this new line is about 6.7 km shorter than the original "old line" via Nagayo and greatly cut the Isahaya–Nagasaki journey time. Both the old and new lines remain part of the Nagasaki Main Line, and the old route via Nagayo is the only section never to have been electrified.

Double-tracking and electrification came in stages. The Saga–Nabeshima section was the first to be doubled, in the mid-1960s; by 1969 the Tosu–Hizen-Yamaguchi and Isahaya–Kikitsu sections had been doubled, and the Urakami–Nagasaki section was doubled in 1990. Electrification was pursued, together with the Sasebo Line, to build up a high-speed limited-express network in the wake of the San'yō Shinkansen's extension; the project cost ¥12.5 billion in total, of which Nagasaki and Saga prefectures underwrote ¥8.9 billion in utility bonds. Construction began in October 1973, and although completion had been planned for 1975, the whole Tosu–Nagasaki line was electrified in 1976 at 20 kV AC, 60 Hz. The coastal terrain around the Ariake Sea between Kōhoku and Isahaya made double-tracking prohibitively expensive, so that section remains single-track and curving — to raise express speeds there, JR Kyushu deployed tilting 885 series trains. Freight services beyond Nabeshima ceased in 1999.

A JR Kyushu Kiha 47 in West-Kyushu-area renewal livery, photographed at Kōhoku Station on the Nagasaki Main Line. View full size (opens in a new tab)
A JR Kyushu Kiha 47 in West-Kyushu-area renewal livery, photographed at Kōhoku Station on the Nagasaki Main Line.Rsa · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons

On 1 April 1987 the line passed, on the privatisation of Japanese National Railways, to JR Kyushu (as the Type-1 railway operator) and to JR Freight (as a Type-2 operator running freight). The Urakami–Nagasaki section was elevated, with the work completed on 28 March 2020. The opening of the Nishi Kyushu Shinkansen (Takeo-Onsen–Nagasaki) on 23 September 2022 brought major changes to the line. From that date the Kōhoku–Isahaya section moved to vertical separation: JR Kyushu continues to run trains there as a Type-2 operator while the infrastructure of the 60.8 km section is maintained by the Saga-Nagasaki Railway Management Centre as a Type-3 operator; JR Freight's Type-2 operation between Nabeshima and Nagasaki was abolished; Hizen-Yamaguchi Station was renamed Kōhoku; and the Hizen-Hama–Nagasaki section was de-electrified, with diesel trains replacing the electric services there.

Today JR Kyushu runs a mix of limited-express, rapid and local services. Since the Shinkansen opening, the Relay Kamome limited express has run on the Nagasaki Main Line as far as Kōhoku before diverting to Takeo-Onsen for the connection to the Nishi Kyushu Shinkansen; the Midori and Huis Ten Bosch limited expresses run east of Kōhoku; and a new Kasasagi limited express was introduced to replace lost express services. The Seaside Liner rapid service and Wanman driver-only local trains also operate on the line. The overnight sleeper trains Sakura (Tokyo–Nagasaki) and Akatsuki (Kyoto–Nagasaki) had both been withdrawn by 2008, the Akatsuki in the 15 March 2008 timetable revision. The line is a busy limited-express corridor: before the 2022 Shinkansen opening, it ranked among the top four nationally in ridership of JR conventional-line limited expresses. In fiscal year 2016 the average traffic density over the whole line was 14,861 passengers per day, and passenger revenue was ¥12,330 million.

Stations on this line

41 stations tracked on the map, listed alphabetically. Select any to read its page.

Timeline
  • 1891The Kyushu Railway Co. opens the Tosu–Saga section (the line's first segment).
  • 1897The line reaches Haiki, and the Nagayo–Nagasaki (present-day Urakami) section opens; an Ōmura Bay ferry temporarily bridges the gap.
  • 1898The line is extended to Nagasaki via Haiki, completing the Tosu–Haiki–Nagasaki route.
  • 1907The Railway Nationalization Act nationalises Japan's major railways; the Kyushu Railway is taken over by the state.
  • 1930The 1.1 km Nagasaki–Nagasaki-kō extension opens (later a freight line; services ended on 14 November 1982).
  • 1934The Hizen-Yamaguchi–Isahaya cut-off (Ariake Line) opens and is incorporated; the old route is split into the Sasebo Line (Hizen-Yamaguchi–Haiki) and the Ōmura Line (Haiki–Isahaya).
  • 1965/1966The Saga–Nabeshima section is the first to be double-tracked. The year is given as 1965 or 1966.
  • 1969By this year the Tosu–Hizen-Yamaguchi and Isahaya–Kikitsu sections have been double-tracked.
  • 1972The 6,173 m Shin-Nagasaki Tunnel and the Kikitsu–Urakami deviation (the 'new line' via Ichinuno) open; express services move to the new line.
  • 1973October: electrification construction begins (aimed at 1975 completion).
  • 1976The entire Tosu–Nagasaki line is electrified at 20 kV AC 60 Hz (one year later than planned).
  • 19871 April: on JNR privatisation, the line transfers to JR Kyushu (Type-1) and JR Freight (Type-2).
  • 199010 March: the Urakami–Nagasaki section is double-tracked.
  • 19991 July: freight services beyond Nabeshima (Nabeshima–Nagasaki) cease.
  • 2005/2008The overnight sleeper train Sakura (Tokyo–Nagasaki) is discontinued in a timetable revision. The year is given as 2005 or 2008.
  • 200815 March: the overnight sleeper train Akatsuki (Kyoto–Nagasaki) is discontinued, ending through limited-express service to Honshu.
  • 202028 March: the Urakami–Nagasaki section is elevated (grade separation completed).
  • 20211 April: the Saga-Nagasaki Railway Management Centre is established to manage the Hizen-Yamaguchi (Kōhoku)–Isahaya infrastructure.
  • 202223 September: with the Nishi Kyushu Shinkansen opening, the Kōhoku–Isahaya (60.8 km) section moves to vertical separation (JR Kyushu Type-2; Centre Type-3); JR Freight's Type-2 business between Nabeshima and Nagasaki is abolished; Hizen-Yamaguchi is renamed Kōhoku; Hizen-Hama–Nagasaki is de-electrified.

Sources

Last updated 16 October 2026.

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