Hankyu Kyoto Main Line

Hankyu Kyoto Main Line
A pair of 9300 series EMUs near Nishi-Muko Station
Overview
Native name阪急京都本線
LocaleKansai
Termini
  • Jūsō
  • Kyoto-kawaramachi
Stations26
Service
OperatorHankyu Railway
Depot(s)Shōjaku
Katsura
Rolling stockHankyu Kyoto Main Line#Rolling stock
History
Opened1 April 1921; 105 years ago (1921-04-01)
Technical
Line length45.3 km (28.1 mi)
Number of tracksDouble
Track gauge1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in)
Electrification1,500 V DC, overhead line
Operating speed115 km/h (70 mph)
Route map

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 Umeda Station in Osaka and Kyoto-kawaramachi Station in Kyoto.

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

An underground station in 1931

The Kyoto Main Line was constructed in the following phases:

During the wartime consolidation policies of World War II, Hankyu Railway and Keihan Railway were temporarily forced to merge. After the war, the merger was dissolved in 1949. Keihan demanded the return of this line, while Hankyu maintained that it was part of its own network. In the end, it was not returned to Keihan, and Hankyu effectively wrested the line from Keihan against its wishes.

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. Originally projected for a 2020 completion, various delays have pushed back the start of operations on the new tracks to 2031.

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

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.

Service types

Regular operations

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

Local (普通, futsū)

Semi-Express (準急, junkyū)

Express (急行, kyūkou)

Semi-Limited Express (準特急, juntokkyū)

Commuter Limited Express (通勤特急, tsūkin tokkyū)

Limited Express (特急, tokkyū)

Rapid Limited Express (快速特急, kaisoku tokkyū)

Extra services

Stations

Legends:

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.

Line name No. Station Distance (km) Semi-Express Express Semi Ltd. Exp. Commuter Ltd. Exp. Ltd. Exp. Rapid Ltd. Exp. Transfers Location
Through services: From Awaji:

Local / Semi-Express ー From Kyoto-Kawaramachi to Tengachaya via the Senri Line and Osaka Metro Sakaisuji Line

Local — From Osaka-Umeda to Kita-Senri via the Senri Line

Takarazuka Main Line HK-01 Osaka-umeda大阪梅田 (2.4) ● ● ● ● ● ● Hanshin Electric Railway Main Line (HS 01)

Osaka Metro

JR West (Ōsaka Station)

 Kita-ku, Osaka Osaka Prefecture
HK-03 Jūsō十三 0.0 ● ● ● ● ● ● Hankyu Kobe Main Line

Hankyu Takarazuka Main Line

 Yodogawa-ku, Osaka
Kyoto Main Line
HK-61 Minamikata南方 1.9 ● ● | | | | Osaka Metro Midosuji Line (M14: Nishinakajima-Minamigata Station)
HK-62 Sōzenji崇禅寺 3.2 | | | | | | Higashiyodogawa-ku, Osaka
HK-63 Awaji淡路 4.2 ● ● ● | ● ● Hankyū Senri Line (through service, see above)

JR West Osaka Higashi Line (JR-F04:JR-Awaji Station)

HK-64 Kami-Shinjō上新庄 6.3 ● ● | | | |
HK-65 Aikawa相川 7.2 | | | | | |
HK-66 Shōjaku正雀 9.4 | | | | | | Settsu
HK-67 Settsu-shi摂津市 10.9 | | | | | |
HK-68 Minami-Ibaraki南茨木 12.9 ● ● | | | | ■ Osaka Monorail Main Line (19) Ibaraki
HK-69 Ibaraki-shi茨木市 14.8 ● ● ● ● ● |
HK-70 Sōjiji総持寺 16.8 | | | | | |
HK-71 Tonda富田 17.3 | | | | | | Takatsuki
HK-72 Takatsuki-shi高槻市 20.6 ● ● ● ● ● |
HK-73 Kammaki上牧 24.9 ● | | | | |
HK-74 Minase水無瀬 25.7 ● | | | | | Shimamoto
HK-75 Ōyamazaki大山崎 27.7 ● | | | | | Ōyamazaki Kyoto Prefecture
HK-76 Nishiyama Tennozan西山天王山 30.2 ● | | | | | Nagaokakyō
HK-77 Nagaoka-Tenjin長岡天神 31.7 ● ● ● ● ● |
HK-78 Nishi-Mukō西向日 33.6 ● | | | | | Mukō
HK-79 Higashi-Mukō東向日 35.0 ● | | | | |
HK-80 Rakusaiguchi洛西口 36.3 ● | | | | | Nishikyō-ku, Kyoto
HK-81 Katsura桂 38.0 ● ● ● ● ● ● Hankyu Arashiyama Line
HK-82 Nishi-Kyōgoku西京極
(西京極総合運動公園前)		 40.1 ● ● | | | | Ukyō-ku, Kyoto
HK-83 Saiin西院 41.9 ● ● ● ● | | A Keifuku Electric Railroad Arashiyama Main Line (A02)
HK-84 Ōmiya大宮 43.3 ● ● ● ● | | A Keifuku Electric Railroad Arashiyama Main Line (A01: Shijō-Ōmiya Station) Nakagyō-ku, Kyoto
HK-85 Karasuma烏丸 44.4 ● ● ● ● ● ● K Kyoto Municipal Subway Karasuma Line (K09: Shijō Station) Shimogyō-ku, Kyoto
HK-86 Kyoto-kawaramachi京都河原町 45.3 ● ● ● ● ● ● KH Keihan Main Line (KH39: Gion-Shijō Station)

Rolling stock

Hankyu 6300 series EMU on a rapid limited express service

Former

References

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

  1. 1 2 Hankyu Corporation & Morokawa, Hisashi (1990). 日本の私鉄7 阪急 (in Japanese). Hoikusha. p. 147. ISBN 4-586-50796-9.
  2. ↑ 鉄道図書刊行会(1970) "鉄道ピクトリアル 1970年3月号（No.235）"
  3. ↑ "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.
  4. ↑ "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.
  5. ↑ "「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.
  6. ↑ "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.
  7. ↑ 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.
  8. ↑ 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).
  9. ↑ 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).
  10. ↑ 阪急2300系が営業運転を開始 〜有料座席指定サービス「PRiVACE」も開始〜 [Hankyu 2300 series enters revenue service ~ Reserved-seating service "PRiVACE" also begins ~]. Japan Railfan Magazine Online (in Japanese). Japan: Koyusha. 2024-07-21. Retrieved 2024-07-21.