Hankyu Takarazuka Main Line Explained

Hankyu Takarazuka Main Line
Native Name:阪急宝塚本線
Native Name Lang:ja
Color:f39800
Stations:19
Locale:Kansai
Operator:Hankyu Railway
Start:Osaka-umeda
End:Takarazuka
Depot:Hirai Depot
Linelength Km:24.5
Tracks:Quad (Osaka-umeda - Jūsō)
Double (Jūsō - Takarazuka)
Electrification:1,500 V DC, overhead lines
Speed Km/H:100

The is a Japanese railway line operated by the private railway operator Hankyu Railway. It connects Umeda Station in downtown Osaka with Takarazuka Station in Takarazuka, Hyogo.

It has a branch line, the Minoo Line, and the Nose Electric Railway is another longer branch line. The Imazu Line connects at Takarazuka, but it is treated as a branch of the Kobe Line.

The Takarazuka Main Line is commonly called the for short, but the name Takarazuka Line is sometimes used as the name for the network composed of the main line and the branches.

The line has numerous sharp curves from the line's origins as a tramway, built and opened by its predecessor . The sharp curves have long hindered high speed operation, contrasting to the Hankyu's other main lines, Kobe and Kyoto.

History

The Minoo Arima Electric Tramway opened the entire line on 10 March 1910 as 1435mm gauge dual track, electrified at 600 VDC. Although the line was not a prospect interurban as Takarazuka was not a big city, it saw initial success thanks to the company's aggressive measures. It strategically developed housing areas along the line for the increasing white-collar population who would commute to central Osaka by train. It also opened a zoo in Minoo (on the Minoo Line) in November 1910, a hot spring in Takarazuka in May 1911, and a ballpark in Toyonaka in 1913.[1]

The track between Umeda and Jūsō was shared with the Kobe Line from 1920 to 1926 when the original double track was replaced by an elevated four-track line.[1]

In comparison with the Kobe Line, cars used on the Takarazuka Line were small and old. Larger (Kobe Line standard) cars could not operate on the line until 1952 due to its small structure gauge.[1] Small cars were eliminated in December 1963.[2] On 24 August 1969 the voltage was raised to 1500 VDC.As the commuters increased, Hankyu's first 10-car operation began on the Takarazuka Line in March 1982, but 10 car trains were discontinued again in December 2022.[2] [3]

Following the elevation work of Kawanishi-Noseguchi Station, through services to Nose Electric Railway began on 17 November 1997.[4]

Since the 1970s there have been plans to build a spur line to Itami Airport from Sone Station. Although Hankyu shelved the plans in the 1980s due to capacity constraints, the plans were reportedly revived in 2017 and remain under consideration as of 2018.[5] [6]

Service patterns

As of 17 December 2022

All-stations service
  • Operated on weekday mornings from Takarazuka to Osaka-Umeda
    Operated on weekday mornings from Kawanishi-Noseguchi to Osaka-Umeda. The last car (Kawanishi side) is only for women.
  • From Nissei-Chūō on Nose Electric Railway to Umeda in the morning and vice versa on weekday evenings.
  • Stations

    No.StationJapaneseSemi-ExpressExpressCommuter Limited ExpressLimited Express(Nissei Express)ConnectionsLocation
    HK-01大阪梅田 Kita-ku, OsakaOsaka Prefecture
    HK-02中津||style="text-align:center; background:#fb7;"|↑|style="text-align:center; background:#fcc;"||
    HK-03十三 Yodogawa-ku, Osaka
    HK-41三国||style="text-align:center; background:#fb7;"|↑|style="text-align:center; background:#fcc;"||
    HK-42庄内||style="text-align:center; background:#fb7;"|↑|style="text-align:center; background:#fcc;"||Toyonaka
    HK-43服部天神||style="text-align:center; background:#fb7;"|↑|style="text-align:center; background:#fcc;"||
    HK-44曽根||style="text-align:center; background:#fb7;"|↑|style="text-align:center; background:#fcc;"||
    HK-45岡町||style="text-align:center; background:#fb7;"|↑|style="text-align:center; background:#fcc;"||
    HK-46豊中||-|HK-47||蛍池|style="text-align:center; background:#cf9;"|●|style="text-align:center; background:#fc9;"|●|style="text-align:center; background:#fb7;"|↑|style="text-align:center; background:#fcc;"|||style="text-align: left; "|

    |-|HK-48||石橋阪大前|style="text-align:center; background:#cf9;"|●|style="text-align:center; background:#fc9;"|●|style="text-align:center; background:#fb7;"|●|style="text-align:center; background:#fcc;"|●|style="text-align: left; "|

    |rowspan="2"|Ikeda|-|HK-49||池田|style="text-align:center; background:#cf9;"|●|style="text-align:center; background:#fc9;"|●|style="text-align:center; background:#fb7;"|●|style="text-align:center; background:#fcc;"||

    HK-50川西能勢口 KawanishiHyōgo Prefecture
    HK-51雲雀丘花屋敷Takarazuka
    HK-52山本
    (平井)
    HK-53中山観音
    HK-54売布神社
    HK-55清荒神
    HK-56宝塚
    (宝塚大劇場前)
    Through service:From Kawanishi-Noseguchi: Limited Express trains to/from 20px Nose Railway Myoken & Nissei Lines for Nissei-Chuo

    Rolling stock

    Former

    References

    This article incorporates material from the corresponding article in the Japanese Wikipedia

    Notes and References

    1. 阪急宝塚線の歴史過程. Miki, Masafumi. The Railway Pictorial. March 2015. 901. ja. Denkisha Kenkyūkai Tetsudōtosho Kankōkai. 10.
    2. 宝塚線 車両・運転のエピソード. Shinohara, Susumu. The Railway Pictorial. March 2015. 901. ja. Denkisha Kenkyūkai Tetsudōtosho Kankōkai. 56.
    3. Web site: Hankyu Corporation . 2022-10-12 . 2022年12月17日(土)初発より 阪急全線(神戸線・宝塚線・京都線)でダイヤ改正を実施 . 2023-08-31 . Hankyu Railway.
    4. Web site: 沿革・年譜. Nose Electric Railway Co., Ltd.. 1 March 2015.
    5. News: 阪急電鉄、伊丹空港への乗り入れを検討か 大阪・梅田と直通 - ライブドアニュース. ライブドアニュース. 2018-09-28. ja-JP.
    6. News: 「40年で黒字」が難しい、阪急・大阪空港線 どうすれば実現できるか (1/4). ITmedia ビジネスオンライン. 2018-09-27. ja.
    7. Web site: http://umeda.keizai.biz/headline/1724/. ja:阪急電鉄、新型車両1000系営業運転開始-ファンに見守られ梅田駅出発. New Hankyu 1000 series trains enter service - Departure from Umeda Station seen off by railfans. 28 November 2013. Umeda Keizai Shimbun. Riccrea, Inc.. Japan. ja. 5 December 2013.