Keihan Keishin Line

The Keishin Line (京津線 Keishin-sen?) is an interurban railway line of Keihan Electric Railway. The 7.5 km line starts from Misasagi Station in Kyoto and ends at Hamaōtsu Station in neighbouring city of Ōtsu.

Contents

[hide]

History

The line was built in 1912 to connect directly between the city centers of Kyoto and Ōtsu by electric streetcars because the steam-powered Tōkaidō Main Line made a great detour between the two cities before its reroute in 1921.

The busiest section of the line, between Keishin-Sanjō Station and Misasagi Station, was replaced in 1997 by the Kyoto Subway Tōzai Line. One of the aims of the substitution was to move the tracks underground, in order to give more lanes to road vehicles. Consequently trains go direct to the Tōzai Line. The line still operates on street tracks in Ōtsu.

Technical data

Train service

Except trains between Shinomiya Station and Hamaōtsu Station in early morning and late night, all trains go directly from Hamaōtsu Station to Kyoto Shiyakusho Mae Station or Uzumasa Tenjingawa Station on the Kyoto Subway Tōzai Line. During off peak hours, the line operates four services an hour.

Stations and connecting lines

Active section

Station Connection Location
Misasagi Kyoto Subway Tozai Line Yamashina-ku,
Kyoto
Keihan Yamashina JR West Tōkaidō Line (Biwako Line) and Kosei Line
Kyoto Subway Tozai Line
Shinomiya
Oiwake Ōtsu, Shiga
Ōtani
Kamisakaemachi
Hamaōtsu Ishiyama Sakamoto Line
Abandoned stations on the active section
Past connections

Abandoned section

The station list is as of 1997 when the section was abandoned due to replacement by the Tōzai Line subway. It also lists the corresponding subway stations that replaced the Keishin Line stations.

Station Connection / note Replaced by Location
Keishin-Sanjō Keihan Main Line, Ōtō Line Sanjō-Keihan Higashiyama-ku,
Kyoto
Higashiyama-Sanjō Higashiyama
Heianjingū-mae Abandoned in 1944
Okazakimichi Abandoned in 1931
Keage Keage
Kujōyama Yamashina-ku,
Kyoto
Hinooka Misasagi
Misasagi

Rolling stock

Series 800, four-car EMU serves exclusively this line.