Hankyū Kyōto Main Line

Kyoto Main Line (Kyoto Line)
Overview
Locale Kansai
Termini Jūsō
Kawaramachi
Stations 26
Operation
Operator(s) Hankyu Corp.
Depot(s) Shōjaku Depot
Rolling stock 2300 Series EMU
3300 Series EMU
5300 Series EMU
7300 Series EMU
8300 Series EMU
9300 Series EMU
Osaka Municipal Subway 66 Series EMU (Awaji - Takatsuki-shi)
Technical
Line length 45.3 km (28.1 mi)
Track gauge 1,435 mm (4 ft 8 1⁄2 in)
Electrification 1500 volts DC, overhead lines
Operating speed 115 km/h (71 mph)
Route map

The Kyōto Main Line (京都本線 Kyōto Honsen?) of Hankyu Railway is a railway line links Umeda Station, northern junction of Osaka and Kawaramachi Station in downtown Kyoto, Japan.

Contents

Definition

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

Officially, the Kyōto Main Line is from Jūsō to Kawaramachi, however, all trains run over Jūsō to Umeda terminal, using eastern dual track of the Takarazuka Line exclusively. Hankyu treats the Kyōto Main Line in the same way as the passengers do as the line between Umeda and Kawaramachi except for in special occasions like governmental procedures.

Service types

In the timetable revised on May 14, 2011[1] , regular trains are classified in nine types:

Three types of Limited Express are different in Japanese and indeed have different stops but the operator translates them into English as the same. In this article the tokkyū is translated as Regular Limited Express, tsūkin tokkyū as Commutation Limited Express, the kaisoku tokkyū as Sightseeing Limited Experss, the chokutsū tokkyū as Arashiyama Limited Experss where necessary. Note that they are not official translations.

Through services

In addition to intra-line services, the line operates through services to/from other lines as follows:

Local
Local trains operate between Umeda and Kita-Senri (on the Senri Line, connected at Awaji) and between Takatsuki-shi and Tengachaya (on the Sakaisuji Line, via the Senri Line).
Sakaisuji Semi-Express
Sakaisuji Semi-Express trains operate between Kawaramachi or Takatsuki-shi and Tengachaya.
Arashiyama Limited Express
Arashiyama Limited Express trains (only on special timetable) operate between Arashiyama (on the Arashiyama Line, connected at Katsura) and Tengachaya, Kōsoku Kōbe (via the Kōbe Main Line and the Kōbe Kōsoku Line) and Takarazuka (via the Kōbe Main Line and the Imazu Line).

Stations

In the table below, service types that stop at the station are shown by the abbreviations (see the section above). Blank means that the service type passes the station. In addition to the types shown here, local trains stop at all stations (not including Higashi-Suita Signal Stop, where only a garage of Osaka Subway cars exists).

No trains stop at Nakatsu which is served by Local trains of Kobe and Takarazuka Lines, because of the absence of platform, thus, in operation, there is no Nakatsu Station on the Kyoto Line. There are also through trains to the Senri Line from Awaji Station and the Osaka Municipal Subway Sakaisuji Line. On weekdays, Sakaisuji Semi-Express trains are routed from Kawaramachi Station to Tengachaya Station on the Subway Sakaisuji Line in the morning, from Tengachaya Station to Takatsuki-shi Station in the evening, and on Saturdays and holidays, between Tengachaya and Kawaramachi in both directions in non-rush hours.

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

Station km S SS R E L C SL A Connected Hankyu lines Location
Umeda 梅田 (2.4) S   R E L C SL     Kita-ku, Osaka Osaka
Prefecture
Jūsō 十三 0.0 S   R E L C SL A Kōbe Main Line
Takarazuka Main Line		 Yodogawa-ku, Osaka
Minamikata 南方 1.9 S   R            
Sōzenji 崇禅寺 3.2                   Higashi­yodogawa-ku, Osaka
Awaji 淡路 4.2 S SS R E L   SL A Senri Line
Kami-Shinjō 上新庄 6.3 S SS R            
Aikawa 相川 7.2                  
Higashi-Suita Signal Stop -                   Suita
Shōjaku 正雀 9.4                   Settsu
Settsu-shi 摂津市 10.9                  
Minami-Ibaraki 南茨木 12.9 S SS R             Ibaraki
Ibaraki-shi 茨木市 14.8 S SS R E L C      
Sōjiji 総持寺 16.8                  
Tonda 富田 17.3                   Takatsuki
Takatsuki-shi 高槻市 20.6 S SS R E L C      
Kammaki 上牧 24.9 S SS              
Minase 水無瀬 25.7 S SS               Shimamoto
Ōyamazaki 大山崎 27.7 S SS               Ōyamazaki Kyoto
Prefecture
New station (planned to open in 2013) -                   Nagaokakyō
Nagaoka-Tenjin 長岡天神 31.7 S SS R E L C      
Nishi-Mukō 西向日 33.6 S SS               Mukō
Higashi-Mukō 東向日 35.0 S SS              
Rakusaiguchi 洛西口 36.3 S SS               Nishikyō-ku, Kyoto
Katsura 桂 38.0 S SS R E L C SL A Arashiyama Line
Nishi-Kyōgoku 西京極 40.1 S SS               Ukyō-ku, Kyoto
Saiin 西院 41.9 S SS R E   C      
Ōmiya 大宮 43.3 S SS R E   C       Nakagyō-ku, Kyoto
Karasuma 烏丸 44.4 S SS R E L C SL     Shimogyō-ku, Kyoto
Kawaramachi 河原町 45.3 S SS R E L C SL    

History

The Kyōto Main Line was constructed in the following five phases:

In addition, the additioanl double tracks of the Takarazuka Main Line between Umeda and Jūso now used exclusibly by the Kyōto Main Line was opened on February 18, 1959.

References

  1. ^ News release on December 9, 2009 - Hankyu Corporation

See also