Keifuku Electric Railroad Co., Ltd. (京福電気鉄道株式会社) is a railroad company based in Kyoto Prefecture, Japan (but with offices in Fukui Prefecture) in operation since March 2, 1942. It is a parent company of Keifuku Bus and Kyoto Bus, and an affiliated company of Keihan Electric Railway, which owns 42.89% of the company stock. The company's stock is traded on the second section of the Tokyo Stock Exchange.

Lines

This railway started service in 1910, operated at that time by Arashiyama Electric Tram Railway (嵐山電車軌道). It was transferred to the Kyoto-based electric power generation company Kyoto Dento (京都電燈). Later it built the Kitano Line. Formerly the company operated several railway lines in Fukui Prefecture. Some of them are now operated by Echizen Railway. The Eizan Electric Railway also belonged to Keifuku until 1985.

Randen

The Randen (嵐電) is a small network of interurban lines classified legally as tramways in Kyoto.

Arashiyama Line

The Arashiyama Line (嵐山本線) connects Kyoto's city center (Shijo-Omiya terminal) and scenic Arashiyama area in the western suburb.

Kitano Line

The Kitano Line (北野線) is from Kitano Hakubaicho Station near Kitano Tenmangū to Katabiranotsuji Station in the midst of Arashiyama (Main) Line.

Eizan Cable

The Eizan Cable (叡山ケーブル), officially the Cable Line (鋼索線), is a funicular line in Sakyo-ku, Kyoto.

Eizan Ropeway

The Eizan Ropeway (叡山ロープウェイ) (Ja) is an aerial tramway in Sakyo-ku, Kyoto. The line length is 0.5 km. The cable and ropeway lines are for visitors to Mount Hiei on the northeastern edge of the city, together with Eizan Electric Railway's Eizan Main Line.

History

Arashiyama Line

The Arashiyama Tram opened the line in 1910, with gauge and electrified at 600 V DC. The Kyoto Electric Light Company acquired the line in 1918, and double-tracked the track between 1925 and 1928. Keifuku acquired the line in 1942.

Kitano Line

The Kyoto Electric Light Company opened the line between 1925 and 1926, and double-tracked the Tokiwa to Narutaki section in 1930. Plans to double-track the rest of the line were abandoned as a result of the economic depression. Keifuku acquired the line in 1942.

Former connecting lines

Etymology

"Keifuku" is composed of two characters "京" and "福", the former denoting Kyoto and the latter Fukui. As the Kyoto Dento lines used to be in Fukui, the hydraulic source, and in Kyoto, the company took the name "Keifuku".