Hankyū Kōbe Main Line

Hankyu Kobe Main Line
An 8000 series EMU on a limited express service
Overview
Native name	阪急神戸本線
Locale	Kansai
Termini	Umeda Kōbe Sannomiya
Stations	16
Operation
Operator(s)	Hankyu Railway
Depot(s)	Nishinomiya Depot
Rolling stock	1000 series EMU 3000 Series EMU 5000 Series EMU 6000 Series EMU 7000 Series EMU 8000 Series EMU 8200 Series EMU 9000 Series EMU
Technical
Line length	32.3 km (20.1 mi)
No. of tracks	Double
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 Kōbe Main Line (神戸本線, Kōbe Honsen) of Hankyu Railway is one of the three major commuter heavy rail lines in the Keihanshin conurbation of Japan. It links the urban centres of Osaka and Kobe by connecting the major stations of Umeda in Osaka and Sannomiya in Kobe.

The Hanshin Electric Railway Main Line and West Japan Railway Company (JR West) Tokaido Main Line (this section nicknamed JR Kobe Line) are the two lines parallel to the Hankyu Kobe Line within a short distance of each other.

Definition

The line is commonly called Kobe Line (神戸線, Kōbe sen) for short, but in the broader sense 'Kobe Line' refers to the entire network of the trunk Kobe Main Line and connecting branch lines of Itami, Imazu and Kōyō Lines.

Network

At the Kobe end of the line some trains continue through onto the Kobe Rapid Railway, an underground line allowing interchange between the lines of several commuter rail companies operating in Kobe.

The Kobe Main Line has interchanges at several of its stations with other lines operated by Hankyu. The Hankyu main lines to Kyoto and Takarazuka share stations at Umeda and Juso with the Kobe Line. The other lines with connections to the Kobe line are smaller lines with only local trains: the Itami Line connects at Tsukaguchi, the Imazu Line at Nishinomiya-kitaguchi and the Koyo Line at Shukugawa.

History

The Umeda - Juso section was opened in 1910 as part of the Hankyu Takarazuka Line.

The Juso - Oji-Koen section opened as a 1435mm gauge line electrified at 600 VDC in 1920. In 1926 the line was duplicated, and in 1936 it was extended to Kobe Sannomiya. In 1967 the voltage was increased to 1500 VDC.

Until 1936, the line's terminal in Kobe was in Kamitsutsui. As a branch of the main line, the 1 km line between Oji-Koen Station and Kamitsutsui Station continued to provide a connection to the Kobe tram network until 1941.

Train services

Regular train services on the lines come in two kinds: the local trains (普通) which stop at all stations, and the limited express trains (特急) which stop only at major stations along the line. Other commuter and express services operate only during limited time periods:

• Express trains (急行) are operated from Umeda to Kobe-sannomiya or Nishinomiya-Kitaguchi in the morning on weekdays and every midnight. There is also the only eastbound express train operated from Kobe-sannomiya to Umeda every early morning and the only westbound express train from Umeda to Shinkaichi in the midnight except weekdays.
• Rapid Express trains (快速急行) are operated between Umeda and Kosoku Kobe or Shinkaichi every midnight. There is also the only eastbound rapid express train operated from Shinkaichi for Umeda every early morning.
• Commutation Express trains (通勤急行, simply "Express") are operated on weekdays, from Kobe-sannomiya to Umeda in the morning, and from Umeda to Kobe-sannomiya in the evening and at night.
• Morning Commutation Limited Express trains (通勤特急, simply "Limited Express") are operated in both directions on weekday mornings.
• Semi-Express trains (準急) are operated from Takarazuka to Umeda via the Imazu Line and the Kobe Line on weekday mornings.
• Maximum speed: 115 km/h

Stations

• Stops:
  • S: Semi-Express (Junkyū: originates from Takarazuka on the Imazu Line, runs on the Kōbe Main Line from Nishinomiya-Kitaguchi to Umeda, in only one direction)
  • C: Commutation Express (Tsūkin-Kyūkō)
  • E: Express (Kyūkō)
  • R: Rapid Express (Kaisoku-Kyūkō)
  • M: Morning Commutation Limited Express (Tsūkin-Tokkyū)
  • L: Limited Express (Tokkyū)
• Pass: |

Rolling stock

• 1000 series EMU (from November 2013)
• 3000 series EMU
• 5000 series EMU
• 6000 series EMU
• 7000 series EMU
• 8000 series EMU
• 8200 series EMU (Rush hour only)
• 9000 series EMU

See also

• Hankyū Kyōto Main Line
• Hankyū Takarazuka Main Line

References