Kyushu Railway Company

Kyushu Railway Company
Native name
 九州旅客鉄道株式会社
Public KK
Traded as TYO: 9142
Industry Private railway
Predecessor Japanese National Railways (JNR)
Founded April 1, 1987 (privatization of JNR)
Headquarters 3-25-21 Hakata Ekimae
Hakata-ku, Fukuoka, Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan
Products SUGOCA (a rechargeable contactless smart card)
Services passenger railways
freight services
bus transportation
Real estate development
other related services
Owner Japan Railway Construction, Transport and Technology Agency (100%)
Number of employees
 7,970 (as of April 1, 2008)
Website jrkyushu.co.jp/english/index.html

The Kyushu Railway Company (九州旅客鉄道株式会社 Kyūshū Ryokaku Tetsudō Kabushiki-gaisha), also referred to as JR Kyushu (JR九州 Jeiāru Kyūshū), is one of the constituent companies of Japan Railways Group (JR Group). It operates intercity rail services in Kyushu, Japan and the JR Kyushu Jet Ferry Beetle hydrofoil service across the Tsushima Strait between Fukuoka and Busan, South Korea. JR Kyushu's headquarters are in Hakata-ku, Fukuoka.[1]

History

When Japanese National Railways was divided in 1987, Kyushu Railway Company inherited its assets and operations on the island of Kyushu along with losses of around 28.8 billion yen, exacerbated by a growing highway network in Kyushu and a large number of lightly-used rural lines. After privatization, JR Kyushu diversified its business into new ventures such as fish and mushroom farming and car sales. Two of its more successful side ventures were the Beetle ferry, started in 1991, and the Trandor bakery chain, started in 1992. JR Kyushu also built up its premium rail services through the development of the Kyushu Shinkansen high-speed rail line and the Seven Stars in Kyushu luxury excursion train.[2]

The company introduced SUGOCA, a smart card ticketing system, from March 1, 2009.

Although JR Kyushu intends to execute an initial public offering in 2016, its train segment remains loss-making as of 2015. Non-railway operations account for roughly 60% of the company's sales and all of its profits.[2]

Lines

Shinkansen line

Main lines

Kyushu Shinkansen Tsubame
885 series White Sonic limited express EMU

Other lines

Limited express and tourist train services

The Seven Stars in Kyushu Class DF200 locomotive DF200-7000, September 2013

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Corporate Summary." Kyushu Railway Company. Retrieved on March 27, 2010.
  2. 1 2 Kurimoto, Suguru (26 March 2015). "Japan rail company diversifies its way around disadvantages". Nikkei Asian Review. Retrieved 27 March 2015.
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