The Hanshin Namba Line (阪神なんば線, Hanshin Nanba sen) is a railway line operated by the private railway operator Hanshin Electric Railway connecting Amagasaki Station in Amagasaki, Hyogo Prefecture, and Ōsaka Namba Station in Chuo-ku, Osaka, Osaka Prefecture, Japan.

Hanshin Namba Line
Hanshin 9000 series EMU
Overview
Native name阪神なんば線
OwnerHanshin Electric Railway Co., Ltd.
Nishi-Osaka Railway Co., Ltd.
LocaleOsaka and Hyogo prefectures, Japan
Termini
Stations11
Service
TypeCommuter rail
Operator(s)Hanshin Electric Railway Co., Ltd.
Depot(s)Amagasaki
Rolling stockvarious EMUs (see below)
History
OpenedJanuary 20, 1924
Technical
Line length10.1 km (6.3 mi)
Number of tracks2
Track gauge1,435 mm (4 ft 8+12 in)
Electrification1,500 V DC, overhead line

History

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Ajigawa Bridge under construction (August 2007)

The Dempō Line (伝法線), the predecessor of the Hanshin Namba Line, was planned as a bypass for the Hanshin Railway Main Line, and to connect from Amagasaki to Noda via Dempō. Then the plan was changed to connect to Nishikujō. The line was finally extended to Namba station in 2009.

  • January 20, 1924 - The Dempō Line was opened (Daimotsu - Dempō).
  • August 1, 1924 - The line was extended from Dempō to Chidoribashi.
  • December 28, 1928 - The line was extended from Daimotsu to Amagasaki.
  • June 1960 - The first stage of construction to extend line to Namba was started (Chidoribashi - Nishikujō).
  • May 20, 1964 - The first stage of construction to extend the line to Namba was completed, thus, the line was extended from Chidoribashi to Nishikujō. The Dempo Line was renamed the Nishi-Osaka Line (西大阪線).
  • September 1965 - Nishi-Osaka limited express service started.
  • December 1, 1974 - Nishi-Osaka limited express service was abandoned.
  • July 10, 2001 - Nishi-Osaka Railway Co., Ltd. was established to restart the extension from Nishikujō to Namba.
  • October 7, 2003 - The construction of the extending line from Nishikujō to Namba was restarted.
  • March 20, 2009 - The line from Nishikujō to Namba opened, and the line was renamed the Hanshin Namba Line.

Operations

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There are through rapid express operations between Kobe Sannomiya on the Main Line in Kobe and Kintetsu Nara Station on the Kintetsu Nara Line in Nara via the Hanshin Namba Line, and through local, semi-express, and suburban semi-express operations between Amagasaki Station and Kintetsu Nara Station.[1][2]

  • Rapid Express
    • Three to five trains per hour on weekdays, and three trains per hour at weekends and holidays
    • Trains stop at Kobe Sannomiya, Uozaki, Ashiya, Nishinomiya, Koshien, Amagasaki, Nishikujo, Kujo, Dome-mae, Sakuragawa, Ōsaka Namba, Kintetsu Nippombashi, Osaka Uehommachi, Tsuruhashi, Ikoma, Gakuen-mae, Yamato-Saidaiji, Shin-Omiya and Kintetsu Nara. Rapid express services also stop at Imazu and Mukogawa during the weekday offpeak, and on weekends and holidays, but pass Ashiya on weekends and holidays.
    • The first 3 trains are operated from Shinkaichi Station on the Kobe Kosoku Line for Nara at weekends and holidays.[3]
    • 6, 8 or 10 cars (Weekdays: 6 cars between Kobe Sannomiya and Amagasaki / weekends and holidays: many trains have 8 cars between Kobe Sannomiya and Kintetsu Nara)
  • Local, semi-express, suburban semi-express
    • 6 trains per hour every day[4]
    • Local trains stop at every station on the Hanshin Namba Line, the Kintetsu Namba Line, and the Kitntetsu Nara Line.
    • Semi-express trains stop at every station between Amagasaki and Tsuruhashi, Fuse, Kawachi-Kosaka, Higashi-Hanazono, and every station between Ishikiri and Kintetsu Nara. Suburban semi-express trains also stop at Hyotan-yama, Hiraoka and Nukata.
    • 6 cars

Stations

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  • ● : trains stop
  • | : trains pass
  • Local / Suburban semi-express / Semi-express trains stop at every station on this line
No. Station Japanese Distance (km) Train type Connecting lines Location
between
stations
from
Amagasaki
Rapid express
Rapid express trains operate to Kobe Sannomiya Station on the Main Line.
HS 09 Amagasaki 尼崎 - 0.0   Hanshin Main Line Amagasaki, Hyōgo
HS 08 Daimotsu 大物 0.9 0.9 |   Hanshin Main Line
HS 49 Dekijima 出来島 1.4 2.3 | Nishiyodogawa-ku, Osaka Osaka Prefecture
HS 48 Fuku 1.0 3.3 |
HS 47 Dempō 伝法 1.5 4.8 | Konohana-ku, Osaka
HS 46 Chidoribashi 千鳥橋 0.7 5.5 |
HS 45 Nishikujō 西九条 0.8 6.3   Osaka Loop Line (JR-O14),   Sakurajima Line (JR Yumesaki Line) (JR-P14)
HS 44 Kujō 九条 1.3 7.6     Chūō Line (C14) Nishi-ku, Osaka
HS 43 Dome-mae ドーム前 0.6 8.2     Nagahori Tsurumi-ryokuchi Line (N12:Dome-mae Chiyozaki Station)
HS 42 Sakuragawa 桜川 0.8 9.0     Sennichimae Line (S15)
  Nankai Kōya Line (Shiomibashi Line) (NK06-5: Shiomibashi Station)
Naniwa-ku, Osaka
HS 41 Ōsaka Namba 大阪難波 1.1 10.1   Namba Line (A01, with through trains)
  Nankai Main Line,   Kōya Line (NK01: Namba Station)
  Osaka Metro (Namba Station):
  Midōsuji Line (M20),   Yotsubashi Line (Y15),   Sennichimae Line (S16)
  Kansai Main Line (Yamatoji Line) (JR-Q17: JR Namba Station)
Chūō-ku, Osaka
Trains operate to Kintetsu Nara Station on the Nara Line.

Rolling stock

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References

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  1. ^ 3月20日(金・祝)、阪神なんば線の開通に伴うダイヤ改正の実施! (PDF) (Press release) (in Japanese). Hanshin Electric Railway Co., Ltd. January 16, 2009. Archived from the original (PDF) on January 26, 2012. Retrieved January 18, 2009.
  2. ^ 3月20日(金・祝)、阪神なんば線の開通に伴い、阪神線と近鉄線の間で、相互直通運転を開始します (PDF) (Press release) (in Japanese). Kintetsu Corporation. January 16, 2009.
  3. ^ 3月20日(火・祝)、全線のダイヤ改正を実施! [Diagram Revision on Tuesday (Holiday), March 20, 2012] (PDF) (Press release) (in Japanese). Hanshin Electric Railway Co., Ltd. January 20, 2012. Retrieved January 31, 2012.
  4. ^ 平成24年のダイヤ変更について [Diagram Revision in 2012] (PDF) (Press release) (in Japanese). Kintetsu Corporation. January 20, 2012. Retrieved January 31, 2012.