Fukuoka City Subway

The Fukuoka City Subway is a subway system that serves Fukuoka, Japan.
The lines are operated by the Fukuoka City Transportation Bureau. Unlike most other public operators in Japan, the company only operates subways without any bus lines.
All stations are equipped with automatic platform gates. All lines are automatically operated by ATO system, although drivers are used as a precaution. The lines introduced Hayakaken, a smart card system from March 2009. This superseded the prepaid magnetic card systems.

WWW subway.city.fukuoka.lg.jp

History

July 26, 1981 - Kūkō Line section: Muromi - Tenjin opened.
April 20, 1982 - Kūkō Line section: Tenjin - Nakatsu-Kawabata & Hakozaki Line section: Nakatsu-Kawabata - Gofukumachi commenced operations.
March 22, 1983 - Kūkō Line section: Muromi - Meinohama & Nakatsu-Kawabata - Hakata opened.
April 27, 1984 - Hakozaki Line section: Gofukumachi - Maidashi-Kyudaibyoinmae commenced service.
March 3, 1985 - Kūkō Line Hakata station now at Hakata railway station
January 31, 1986 - Hakozaki Line section: Maidashi-Kyudaibyoinmae - Hakozaki-Kyudaimae commenced service.
November 12, 1986 - Hakozaki Line section: Hakozaki-Kyudaimae - Kaizuka commenced operations.
March 3, 1993 - Kūkō Line section: Hakata - Fukuokakūkō opened to public.
February 3, 2005 - Nanakuma Line section: Hashimoto - Tenjin-minami opened.
March 27, 2023 - Nanakuma Line section: Tenjin-minami - Hakata opened.

Lines

Fukuoka City Subway has 3 lines, Kūkō Line, Hakozaki Line, and Nanakuma Line
Hakata and Nakasu-Kawabata stations are counted twice. The total number of individual stations is therefore 36.

Airport rail link

Visitors traveling to Fukuoka by Shinkansen disembark at JR Hakata Station. They can then transfer to the Fukuoka City Subway system by changing to Hakata Subway station, located under JR Hakata station. Fukuoka Airport is also linked to the Fukuoka City Subway with the Kūkō Line, making it the only subway line in Japan that directly links to an airport. Downtown Fukuoka city can be reached in about 10 minutes by subway, making Fukuoka Airport one of the most accessible major-city airports in the world.

Station logos

Fukuoka City Subway employs unique logos for each station, much like Mexico City Metro. For example, Fukuokakūkō Station, has a logo symbolizing an airplane. The symbol marks of Kūkō and Hakozaki Line stations were designed by, with those of Nanakuma Line stations being designed by his son Masayuki Nisijima, building on his father’s posthumous works.

Rolling stock

Fares

Ticket prices for the subway lines are determined by the distance traveled. Tickets for the subway can be purchased at all subway station ticket machines.

Special tickets

Magnetic cards

One Day Pass – unlimited travel for one day
*Kūkō Line, Nanakuma Line, Hakozaki Line
**¥640
**Chikamaru Ticket, priced at ¥100, is available only to children during school vacation periods. A coupon is attached to the ticket which may be exchanged for a McDonald's hamburger.
Two Day Pass – unlimited travel for two days, limited to foreign tourists only
*Kūkō Line, Nanakuma Line, Hakozaki Line
**¥720
Commuter Pass
*Kūkō Line, Nanakuma Line, Hakozaki Line
Chika Pass – unlimited travel
*Kūkō Line, Nanakuma Line, Hakozaki Line
**1 Month: ¥12,000
**3 Months: ¥34,200
**6 Months: ¥64,800

Contactless smart card

Hayakaken
*Kūkō Line, Nanakuma Line, Hakozaki Line

Hayakaken is a rechargeable contactless smart card for the Fukuoka City Subway. It can also be used as a Commuter Pass on subway lines. Starting in 2010, it became compatible with Nishi-Nippon Railroad's nimoca, JR Kyushu's SUGOCA and JR East's Suica. As of March 2013, it also became compatible with other major IC cards as part of the Nationwide Mutual Usage Service.

Fukuoka City Transportation Bureau

Fukuoka City Transportation Bureau is a public organization of transportation in Fukuoka, Japan. The organization operates subways. It was founded in 1973.