The Chitose Line (千歳線) 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 16 March 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:

Airport Branch Line

Closed station

Rolling stock

History

The entire line opened on 21 August 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.