Hankyu_Kyoto_Line

Hankyu Kyoto Main Line

Hankyu Kyoto Main Line

Japanese railway line

The Hankyu Kyoto Main Line (阪急京都本線, Hankyū Kyōto Honsen) is a railway line in Japan operated by the private railway operator Hankyu Railway. It connects Osaka-umeda Station in Osaka and Kyoto-kawaramachi Station in Kyoto.

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Definition

The Kyoto Main Line is often called the Kyoto Line (京都線, Kyōto-sen) for short, and in a broader sense its two branch lines, the Senri Line and the Arashiyama Line, are included to the Kyoto Line by historical, geographical and structural reasons. The other two sections of Hankyu, the Kobe Line and the Takarazuka Line are called the Shinpōsen (神宝線) as a whole.

Officially, the Kyoto Main Line is from Jūsō to Kyoto-kawaramachi, however, all trains run beyond Jūsō to Osaka-umeda terminal, using the eastern tracks of the section exclusively. Hankyu treats the Kyoto Main Line in the same way as the passengers do, i.e. as the line between Osaka-umeda and Kyoto-kawaramachi (except for special circumstances such as governmental procedures).

History

The Kyoto Main Line was constructed in the following phases:[1]

  • 1 April 1, 1921: Jūsō – Awaji (by Kita-Osaka Electric Railway)
  • 16 January 1928: Awaji – Takatsuki-machi (present-day Takatsuki-shi) (by Shin-Keihan Railway)
  • 1 November 1928: Takatsuki-machi – Kyoto-Saiin (present-day Saiin) (by Shin-Keihan Railway)
  • 31 March 1931: Saiin – Keihan-Kyoto (present-day Ōmiya) (by Keihan Electric Railway)
  • 18 February 1959: The additional double tracks of the Takarazuka Main Line between Umeda (present-day Osaka-umeda) and Jūso now used exclusively by the Kyoto Main Line
  • 17 June 1963: Ōmiya – Kawaramachi (now Kyoto-kawaramachi)

Prior to the merger of Hankyu Railway (then Hanshin Kyūkō Railway) and Keihan Electric Railway in 1943, the line and its branches were owned by the latter and called the Shin-Keihan (New Keihan) Line. In the breakup of the merger in 1949, the line was not ceded to Keihan and became a competitor of the Keihan Main Line.[1]

Construction has been in progress since 2012 to elevate a 3.3 km (2.1 mi) section of track from Sōzenji Station to Kami-Shinjō Station including the junction with the Senri Line at Awaji Station.[2] Originally projected for a 2020 completion, various delays have pushed back the start of operations on the new tracks to 2031.[3]

Station numbering was introduced to all Hankyu stations on 21 December 2013.[4]

Proposed connecting line

A loop line from Juso to Awaji via Shin-Osaka Station, to provide a direct connection to the Shinkansen has been proposed, but is not currently scheduled for construction.[5]

Service types

Regular operations

As of the December 2022 timetable,[6] trains are classified as follows:

Local (普通, futsū)

  • Local trains stop at all stations on the Kyoto and Senri lines. During the day they operate between Osaka Umeda or Tengachaya and Takatsuki-shi or Kita Senri. During early mornings, rush hours, and late nights, some services are extended to Kyoto-Kawaramachi and other short turn services are operated as well.

Semi-Express (準急, junkyū)

  • All day except early morning and late nights between Osaka-Umeda and Kyoto-Kawaramachi. Additional services operate through to Tengachaya during weekday rush hours and weekends. Limited stops between Osaka-Umeda and Takatsuki-shi, then all stops to Kyoto-Kawaramachi.

Express (急行, kyūkou)

  • Late nights from Osaka-Umeda to Kyoto-Kawaramachi and weekday early mornings towards Osaka-Umeda.

Semi-Limited Express (準特急, juntokkyū)

  • Early mornings and evenings and weekday rush hours, both directions.

Commuter Limited Express (通勤特急, tsūkin tokkyū)

  • Weekday morning rush hours only, both directions. Car number 5 is for women only.

Limited Express (特急, tokkyū)

  • Operates during the daytime when other express and limited express services are not running.

Rapid Limited Express (快速特急, kaisoku tokkyū)

  • Weekends only, using special 6 car trains.

Extra services

  • Rapid Limited Express (快速特急, kaisoku tokkyū)
    • Osaka-umeda - Arashiyama: "Sagano (さがの, named after the district in Ukyo-ku, Kyoto)"
    • Kyoto-kawaramachi - Arashiyama: "Ogura (おぐら, named after Mount Ogura)"
  • Direct Limited Express (直通特急, chokutsū tokkyū) - Through services to Arashiyama Line, Osaka Metro Sakaisuji Line, Takarazuka Main Line and the Kobe Main Line.
    • Kosoku Kobe - Arashiyama: "Atago (あたご, named after Mount Atago)"
    • Takarazuka - Arashiyama (via the Imazu Line): "Togetsu (とげつ, named after Togetsukyo Bridge)"
    • Tengachaya - Arashiyama: "Hozu (ほづ, named after the Hozu River)" (seasonal service)
  • On the Kyoto Main Line, these extra limited express stop at the same stations as the regular Rapid Limited Express.

Stations

Legends:

  • ● : Trains stop.
  • | : Trains pass.

Local trains stop at all stations.

No trains stop at Nakatsu which is served by Local trains on the Kobe Main Line and the Takarazuka Main Line, because of the absence of any platforms on this line. Thus, in operation, Nakatsu Station is not listed on the Kyoto Line.

The starting point of the distances (km) shown is Jūsō Station, which is officially the starting point of the Kyoto Main Line.

More information Line name, No. ...

Rolling stock

Hankyu 6300 series EMU on a limited express service

Former

References

This article incorporates material from the corresponding article in the Japanese Wikipedia

  1. [1]
    Hankyu Corporation & Morokawa, Hisashi (1990). 日本の私鉄7 阪急 (in Japanese). Hoikusha. p. 147. ISBN 4-586-50796-9.
  2. [2]
    "阪急電鉄京都線・千里線（淡路駅付近）連続立体交差事業" [Hankyu Railway Kyoto Line / Senri Line (near Awaji Station) continuous grade crossing project]. Osaka City Online (in Japanese). 28 June 2019. Archived from the original on 30 March 2022. Retrieved 29 May 2022.
  3. [3]
    "阪急立体交差事業で690億円増 大阪市試算" [69 billion yen increase in Hankyu grade crossing project]. Sankei Shimbun (in Japanese). 10 March 2022. Archived from the original on 8 April 2022. Retrieved 15 September 2022.
  4. [4]
    "「西山天王山」駅開業にあわせて、「三宮」「服部」「中山」「松尾」４駅の駅名を変更し、全駅で駅ナンバリングを導入します" ["Sannomiya" "Hattori" "Nakayama" "Matsuo" along with the opening of "Nishiyama Tennozan" station. We will change the station names of 4 stations and introduce station numbering at all stations.] (PDF). Hankyu Corporation Online (in Japanese). 30 April 2013. Archived (PDF) from the original on 27 April 2016. Retrieved 1 June 2022.
  5. [5]
    "なにわ筋・新大阪連絡線、実現へ一歩 阪急などが協議へ" [Naniwasuji / Shin-Osaka connecting line, one step toward realization Hankyu and others to talk]. Asahi Shimbun Online (in Japanese). 23 October 2019. Archived from the original on 2 November 2019. Retrieved 1 June 2022.
  6. [6]
    Hankyu Corporation (2022-10-12). "２０２２年１２月１７日（土）初発より阪急全線（神戸線・宝塚線・京都線）でダイヤ改正を実施" (PDF). Hankyu Railway. Retrieved 2023-08-31.
  7. [7]
    Hankyu Corporation (September 20, 2013). "西山天王山駅の開業にあわせて 京都線のダイヤ改正を実施します" [We will revise the schedule of the Kyoto Line in line with the opening of Nishiyama Tennoyama Station] (PDF) (Press release) (in Japanese).
  8. [8]
    City of Nagaokakyō; Hankyu Corporation (March 30, 2012). "阪急京都本線大山崎駅～長岡天神駅間で建設中の新駅の名称を『西山天王山』駅に決定しました" [The name of the new station under construction between Oyamazaki Station and Nagaoka Tenjin Station on the Hankyu Kyoto Main Line has been decided as "Nishiyama Tennoyama" Station.] (PDF) (Press release) (in Japanese).
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