Nankai Main Line

Nankai Main Line
Nankai 1000 series EMU on local service
Operation
Operator(s)	Nankai Electric Railway Co., Ltd.
Technical
Line length	64.2 km (39.9 mi)
Track gauge	1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in)
Old gauge	Namba—Sakai (Azumabashi): 838 mm (2 ft 9 in) (1885—1897)
Electrification	1,500 V DC, overhead lines
Operating speed	110 km/h (68 mph)

Route diagram

Legend 0.2 Namba-1980 0.0 Namba1980- 0.9 Imamiyaebisu 1.4 Shin-Imamiya 2.0 Haginochaya Tennōji Branch Line 3.0 Tengachaya "Shiomibashi Line" (part of Kōya Line) 3.9 Kishinosato-Tamade Tamadeabandoned in 1993 consolidation to Kishinosato-Tamade Station Kōya Line 5.1 Kohama Hankai Tramway: Hankai Line Hankai Uemachi Line Sumiyoshi Sumiyoshikōen 5.7 Sumiyoshitaisha Sumiyoshi-Toriimae 6.5 Suminoe-1916 Suminoe Depot 6.7 Suminoe1928- Yamatogawa (first)-1888 Yamato River Yamatogawa (second)1889-1917 8.2 Shichidō Hankai Railway (later Osaka Municipal Tram Hankai Line) Sakai (first)-1955 9.8 Sakai (third)1985- Tate River Sakai (second)1955-1985 Ōhama-kitamachi Ohama Branch Line Ryujinabandoned in 1955 consolidation to Sakai Station Ōhama 11.2 Minato Dejima (Hankai Railway) 12.7 Ishizugawa Shimo-Ishizu (Hankai Railway) Ishizu River 13.8 Suwanomori Suwanohama Hankai Tramway: Hankai Line Left: Hamadera (Hankai Railway) Right: Kaidōbata Hamadera-ekimae 14.8 Hamaderakōen Hamaderakōen (Hankai) JR West: Hanwa Line ("Hagoromo Branch Line") 15.5 Hagoromo Higashi-Hagoromo Nankai Takashinohama Line 16.6 Takashinohama-1918 17.4 Takaishi 18.5 Kita-Sukematsu 19.4 Matsunohama 20.4 Izumiōtsu Otsu River 22.3 Tadaoka 23.7 Haruki Haruki River 26.1 Izumi-ōmiya 25.0 Kishiwada 26.9 Takojizō Tsuda River 28.6 Kaizuka Mizuma Line 30.4 Nishikinohama 31.3 Tsuruhara 32.4 Iharanosato Sano River 34.0 Izumisano Airport Line JR West: Kansai Airport Line 35.9 Rinkū Town Kansai Airport Bridge 42.8 Kansai AirportKansai Airport 36.1 Hagurazaki Hagurazaki Depot 37.4 Yoshiminosato 38.8 Okadaura 40.6 Tarui 43.1 Ozaki 44.6 Tottorinoshō 46.6 Hakotsukuri 50.2 Tannowa 51.9 Misaki-kōen Tanagawa Line Fukeabandoned in 1958 56.3 Kyōshi ↑Osaka Prefecture Kyoshi Tunnel ↓Wakayama Prefecture 58.0 Wakayamadaigakumae Kada Kada Line 61.6 Kinokawa 62.5 Wakayama-kitaguchi-1903 Kinokawa River JR West: Kisei Main Line Wakayama Depot 64.2 Wakayamashi Wakayama Tram Line (Kainan Line) Kitajima Branch Line Wakayamakō Line 67.0 Wakayamakō Details of Namba area Subway: Yotsubashi Line (Y15) Subway: Midōsuji Line (M20) Subway: Sennichimae Line (S16) Kintetsu Namba Line (Osaka Namba) Hanshin Namba Line (Osaka Namba) Namba Subway: Sakaisuji Line Subway: Daikokuchō Imamiyaenisu Hankai Tramway: Ebisuchō Hankai Line Osaka Loop Line, Kansai Main Line (Yamatoji Line) Shin-Imamiya /Hankai: Minami-Kasumichō Subway: Midōsuji Line (M22) Subway: Dōbutsuen-mae Subway: Sakaisuji Line (K19) HaginochayaHankai: Imaike Tengachaya Nankai Line (left)/Koya Line (right)

The Nankai Main Line (南海本線, Nankai Honsen) is one of the two main railway lines of Japanese private railway company Nankai Electric Railway, together with Kōya Line. The route is from Namba Station in south downtown of Osaka to Wakayamashi Station in Wakayama via Sakai, Izumiōtsu, Kishiwada, Kaizuka, Izumisano, Sennan, Hannan and Misaki municipalities. The proper name is with the company's name, "the Nankai Main Line", not simply "the Main Line" often seen in other Japanese private railways. Lines of the Nankai Main Lane and the connecting lines excluded the Kōya Line and the Airport Line are named generically "the Nankai Line (南海線, Nankai Sen)". The line is shown with a pictogram of waves, or distinguished with blue from conifer or green Kōya Line.

Descriptions

• Line length: 64.2 km (39.9 mi)
• Track: quadruple from Namba to Suminoe (to Kishinosato-Tamade, eastern two tracks are for Kōya Line exclusively), double from Suminoe to Wakayamashi

Express and rapid service

Nankai and Kintetsu are the only two operators that offers charged Limited Express trains in private railways in Kansai.

Limited Express Southern (特急サザン, Tokkyū "Sazan") (So)

Partly charged for seat reservation, between Namba and Wakayamashi or Wakayamakō. Trains to and from Wakayamakō connects to Nankai Ferry services to and from the Shikoku region.

Airport Limited Express Rapi:t (空港特急ラピート, Kūkō Tokkyū "Rapīto") (R)

All cars are charged for seat reservation. Operated between Namba and Kansai Airport, rapi:t α trains stop at only stations marked with S, and rapi:t β trains at stations marked with S and S*. Since Kansai International Airport opened in 1994. Exclusively with 50000 series 6 car formation.

Express (急行Kyūkō) (Ex)

Longest operation between Namba and Wakayamakō, passes Haruki Station. Before 10 a.m., after 4 p.m. on weekdays, early in morning on Saturdays, Sundays, Holidays, and up Express trains in the early morning and midnight. Half through to the Wakayamakō Line. Six or eight cars. The fourth car of eight-car trains for Namba is only for women in the morning until arriving at Tengachaya.

Before November 26, 2005, operated all day, two per hour from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Airport Express (空港急行, Kūkō Kyūkō) (AE)

All day, between Namba and Kansai Airport, stops at Haruki. Two trains per hour per direction from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. Six or eight cars. The fourth car of eight-car trains for Namba is only for women in the morning until arriving at Tengachaya.

Sub Express (区間急行, Kukan Kyūkō) (SbE)

All day, between Namba and Hagurazaki, Misakikoen or Wakayamashi. From 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. between Namba and Misakikoen. In the rush hours, between Namba and Hagurazaki or Wakayamashi

Semi-Express (準急, Junkū) (SE)

In the morning, from Hagurazaki or Haruki to Namba.

Local (普通, Futsū) (L)

All day, between Namba and Wakayamashi or Kansai Airport. In the rush hours and at night, some return to Namba at Hagurazaki, Tarui or Misakikōen. One train is operated from Izumisano to Wakayamashi and from Takaishi to Namba in each direction as the first train in the early morning. Trains are operated from Wakayamashi to Hagurazaki in the midnight. Passes Imamiyaebisu and Haginochaya stations due to absence of platforms on the tracks of Nankai Main line. Those stations are served by Locals of Kōya Line.

In Japanese railway operation, "Futsū" (literally "ordinary, normal") and "Kakueki Teisha" (literally "train that stops at every station", "Kakutei" for short) are used interchangeably for trains that stop at every station. On the Nankai Railway alone, however, the two words are used for different classes of train. The former is for Locals of Nankai Main Line that do not stop at the above two stations, while the latter is for Kōya Line trains that do stop there, true to the meaning of the Japanese name of the service class.

Stations

• S: Trains stop.
• S*: rapi:t α trains pass, β trains stop.
• s: Trains stop in the off-peak hours from January 1 until 3 every year.
• ^: one direction

Rolling stock

50000 series EMU on a rapi:t limited express service

12000 series EMU on a Southern limited express service bound for Wakayamakō

• 9000 series
• 8000 series exclusively for Southern (non-reserved car)
• 7100 series exclusively for Southern (non-reserved car)
• 7000 series exclusively for Southern (non-reserved car)
• 2000 series
• 1000 series
• 10000 series exclusively for Southern (reserved car)
• 12000 series exclusively for Southern (reserved car)
• 50000 series exclusively for rapi:t

History

One of the oldest private railway lines still existing, the Nankai Main Line was opened in 1885 by Hankai Railway (阪堺鉄道, Hankai Tetsudō) (separate from the present-day Hankai Tramway) between Namba and later abandoned Yamatogawa stations with 838 mm (2 ft 9 in) gauge and steam motive power. Extension was made in 1888 to Sakai. In 1897 the then separate Nankai Railway opened between Sakai and Sano (present-day Izumisano). In 1897 Hankai regauged, in 1898 they merged with Nankai Railway. The present stretch was completed in 1903 to Wakayamashi Station. Electrification was begun in 1907 on the section from Namba to Hamaderakōen, and was completed in 1911.