The Hokushin Line (北神線, Hokushin-sen) is a line of Kobe Municipal Subway connecting Tanigami in Kita-ku, Kobe and Shin-Kobe in Chūō-ku, Kobe. The 7.5-kilometer (4.7 mi) line has only these two stations.

Hokushin Line
A 7000 series train in 2008
Overview
Native name北神線
StatusOperational
Owner
LocaleKobe
Termini
Stations2
Service
TypeRapid transit
SystemThe logo of the Kobe Municipal Subway. Kobe Municipal Subway
Operator(s)Kobe Municipal Transportation Bureau
Depot(s)Tanigami
Rolling stock7000 series
History
Opened2 April 1988; 35 years ago (1988-04-02)
Technical
Line length7.5 km (4.7 mi)
Number of tracks2
Track gauge1,435 mm (4 ft 8+12 in) standard gauge
Electrification1,500 V DC overhead catenary
Operating speed75 km/h (47 mph)
Route map
Kobe subway lines

Formerly operated by the third-sector Hokushin Kyuko Electric Railway (ja:北神急行電鉄; a subsidiary of Hankyu Hanshin Toho Group), in 2020 the company was absorbed into the Kobe Municipal Transportation Bureau, and the Hokushin Line became part of the subway network.

Operations edit

All trains of the line operate through services to the Seishin-Yamate Line beyond Shin-Kobe Station.

Stations edit

History edit

The Hokushin Line opened on 2 April 1988, including the 7,179 m (23,553 ft) Hokushin Tunnel.[1]

The line was built by Hokushin Kyuko Railway Co., Ltd. (北神急行電鉄株式会社, Hokushin Kyūkō Dentetsu Kabushiki-gaisha), a private railway company in Kobe, Japan. It was headquartered in Kita-ku, Kobe. Investors in the company included Hankyu Railway and Kobe Electric Railway, and it was a subsidiary of Hankyu Hanshin Holdings. On 4 March 2020, the Kobe Municipal Transportation Bureau announced that it would acquire Hokushin Kyuko Railway Co., Ltd. due to the heavy debt burden that had been incurred by Hokushin Kyuko;[2] the transaction was completed on 31 May, after which operation of the Hokushin Line was transferred to the transportation bureau.[2]

References edit

  1. ^ Terada, Hirokazu (19 January 2013). データブック日本の私鉄 [Databook: Japan's Private Railways]. Japan: Neko Publishing. p. 154. ISBN 978-4-7770-1336-4.
  2. ^ a b "北神急行線の市営化が6月1日より始まります" (Press release) (in Japanese). Kobe-shi. 27 May 2020. Retrieved 4 June 2020.

External links edit