JR Tōzai Line
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| JR Tōzai Line | |
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| Locale | Osaka Prefecture and Hyōgo Prefecture |
| Dates of operation | 1997–present |
| Track gauge | 1,067 mm / 3 ft 6 in (narrow gauge) |
| Headquarters | N/A |
The JR Tōzai Line (JR東西線 Jei-āru Tōzai-sen?) is one of several Metro / commuter rail lines and services in Osaka-Kobe-Kyoto Metropolitan Area, operated by West Japan Railway Company. The line, whose name literally means "east-west", runs underground through central Osaka and connects the Gakkentoshi Line at Kyobashi Station in Osaka and the JR Takarazuka Line and the JR Kobe Line at Amagasaki. All stations on this line are in the city of Osaka, except for the western terminus in Amagasaki, Hyōgo Prefecture.
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[edit] Operation
All trains make local stop at every station on the line. Some trains terminate at Amagasaki, but most westbound trains continue on the Kobe Line to Nishi-Akashi and on the Takarazuka Line to Takarazuka. All eastbound trains continue past Kyobashi on the Gakkentoshi Line.
[edit] History
The line was initially proposed in 1971 by Japanese National Railways (JNR) as a connector between the Katamachi Line, which connected Osaka to its eastern suburbs, and Fukuchiyama Line, which connected the city to its northwestern suburbs [1]. Osaka's municipal government had maintained tight controls over transportation within the city, and most intercity lines terminated outside the city center. The line, provisionally known as Katafuku Line (片福線? Kata- from Katamachi, -fuku from Fukuchiyama), and would give commuters a single-seat ride from the suburbs and an east-west connection through central Osaka.
A permit to lay the track was given 10 years later, but the project stopped because of JNR's financial problems.
In 1988, after JNR privatized and split into Japan Railway companies, West Japan Railway Company formed a private-public entity called Kansai Rapid Railway Co., Ltd. (関西高速鉄道株式会社 Kansai kōsoku tesudō kabushiki gaisha?) with the prefectural governments of Osaka and Hyōgo, and the cities of Osaka and Amagasaki.
The line was completed and opened as JR Tozai Line in 1997.
[edit] Stations
[edit] External links
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