Hanshin Main Line Explained

Main Line
Native Name:阪神本線
Native Name Lang:ja
Color:ff4500
Locale:Osaka and Hyogo Prefectures
Start:Osaka-Umeda
End:Nishidai
Stations:39
Open:April 12, 1905
Depot:Amagasaki
Linelength Km:32.1
Tracks:2
Electrification:1,500 V DC, overhead lines
Speed Km/H:106

The is a railway line operated by the private railway company Hanshin Electric Railway in Japan. It connects the two cities of Osaka and Kobe, between and stations respectively.

Outline

The Main Line of Hanshin is the southernmost railway to connect Osaka and Kobe. The other two lines, from south to north, are the West Japan Railway Company‘s Tōkaidō Main Line (known as the JR Kobe Line), and the Hankyu Railway's Kobe Main Line.

For nearly a century, the line served as a primary competitor to the Hankyū Kobe Line. However, in 2006, Hanshin and Hankyū were subsidiarized under a single share holding company, Hankyu Hanshin Holdings.

History

The Main Line started operation on April 12, 1905, by the company. The company found a solution to construct a competing line to the then JNR owned Kobe Line using a loophole in the Tram Act, allowing large portions of the line to be built using street running. It became the first interurban in Japan. This inspired other railways such as Keihan Electric Railway, Minoo Arima Electric Tramway (present Hankyu Hanshin Holdings, Inc.), Osaka Electric Tramway (present Kintetsu), Keihin Electric Railway (present Keihin Electric Express Railway) to build their first lines in a similar fashion.

Then another competing railway company, Hankyū (then Hanshin Kyuko Railway), opened the Kobe Main Line in 1920. The Kobe Main Line was designed as a faster electric mainline railway, and in response Hanshin began upgrading its interurban mainline to become more railway like. Operations included realigning and grade separating street running portions, using high platforms, and introducing express trains.

In 1968 Kobe Rapid Railway opened its Tōzai Line, and Hanshin began through operations to of Sanyo Electric Railway via Kobe Rapid (and Sanyo trains to of Hanshin and Rokkō of Hankyū).

Through limited express trains to were introduced in 2001. Then, the Hanshin Namba Line was extended to, a major junction in southern Osaka. The company announced through trains from Kobe-Sannomiya to in Nara on Kintetsu Nara Line would be operated.

Former connecting lines

Operation

Some trains run through the Sanyō Railway Main Line to Sanyō Himeji Station in Himeji, Hyōgo beyond Motomachi terminal via Kobe Rapid Railway.

The Main Line operates eight types of trains, one of the most types among Japanese railways. This is in some part to equalize the load of each train especially in the morning for Osaka (Umeda station) with short length of EMU length and with few (only double) tracks. For the extension of the Hanshin Namba Line, from Nishikujo to Osaka Namba, on March 20, 2009, the diagrams of the Hanshin Railway were revised.[1]

Abbreviations are tentative for this article.

Trains stop all stations, farthest down to Shinkaichi in the rush hour, and Kosoku Kobe in the off-peak hour.
  • Trains are operated between Osaka-Umeda and Nishinomiya or between Osaka Umeda and Amagasaki. In addition, 1 midnight train is operated to Mikage with limited express stops.
  • Trains are operated between Kōshien and Osaka-Umeda in weekday morning rush hours. In addition, 2 trains are operated from Ogi to Osaka-Umeda. In official route maps Hanshin shortens the name to "Express".
  • Trains are through trains to and from the Hanshin Namba Line and the Kintetsu Nara Line. They also stop at Mukogawa and Imazu Stations in the off-peak hour on weekdays, all day on weekends and holidays, but pass Ashiya Station on weekends and holidays. In addition to trains returning at Kobe-Sannomiya every day, there are also 3 trains from Shinkaichi on the Kobe Kosoku Line to Kintetsu Nara on weekends and Holidays.
  • Trains are operated down to Sumaura-kōen in the day and late night on weekdays and after day hours on holidays. In official route maps Hanshin shortens the name to "Limited Express".
  • Trains are operated between Osaka-Umeda and Sanyō Himeji. Trains marking in yellow in the destination sign stop at Nishi-Motomachi, Daikai and Nishidai Stations on the Kobe Kosoku Line. 7 eastbound trains pass Koshien in the morning on weekdays. In official route maps Hanshin shortens the name to "Limited Express".
  • Trains are operated only from Mikage to Osaka-Umeda in weekday morning rush hours with connections from Osaka-Umeda-bound local trains at Mikage. In official route maps Hanshin shortens the name to "Limited Express".

    • Stations

    The Main Line, having 39 stations (including the Kobe Kosoku Line), is noted for its "high density" of stations. In comparison, Kobe-Sannomiya Station is the 16th station on the Hankyū Kobe Main Line from Umeda Station and Motomachi Station is the 15th station on the JR Kobe Line from Osaka Station.

    For connections and distances, see the route diagram.

    No.StationJapaneseLocalRegional ExpressExpressRapid ExpressRegional Ltd. Exp.Hanshin Ltd. Exp.Direct Ltd. Exp.TransfersLocation
    Hanshin Main Line
    HS 01大阪梅田●●●●●● Kita-ku, OsakaOsaka Prefecture
    HS 02福島●●｜↑｜｜ Osaka Loop Line (JR-O12)

    JR Tōzai Line (JR-H45: Shin-Fukushima Station)

    		Fukushima-ku, Osaka
    HS 03野田●●●●｜｜ JR Tōzai Line (JR-H46: Ebie Station) Osaka Metro Sennichimae Line (S11: Noda-Hanshin Station)
    HS 04淀川●｜｜↑｜｜
    HS 05姫島●｜△↑｜｜Nishiyodogawa-ku, Osaka
    HS 06千船●●｜↑｜｜
    HS 07杭瀬●｜｜↑｜｜AmagasakiHyōgo Prefecture
    Through service to Namba Line and Kintetsu Nara Line:From Amagasaki: Rapid Express to Kintetsu Nara Line for Kintetsu Nara※Note: Except the Rapid Express, all other through trains on the Namba Line terminate at Amagasaki, but not further west on the Hanshin Main Line
    HS 08大物●｜｜｜↑｜｜ Hanshin Namba LineAmagasakiHyōgo Prefecture
    HS 09尼崎●●●●●●● Hanshin Namba Line
    HS 10出屋敷●｜｜｜↑｜｜
    HS 11尼崎センタープール前●｜△△↑｜｜
    HS 12武庫川●●●▲↑｜｜ Hanshin Mukogawa Line
    HS 13鳴尾・武庫川女子大前●●｜｜↑｜｜Nishinomiya
    HS 14甲子園●●●●●●
    HS 15久寿川●↑｜｜↑｜｜
    HS 16今津●●●●●●● Hankyu Imazu Line
    HS 17西宮●●●●↑●
    HS 18香櫨園●↑↓｜●｜｜
    HS 19打出●↑↓｜●｜｜Ashiya
    HS 20芦屋●●●▲●●
    HS 21深江●↑↓｜●｜｜Higashinada-ku, Kobe
    HS 22青木●●↓｜●｜｜
    HS 23魚崎●●●●●●Kobe New Transit Rokko Island Line (R02)
    HS 24住吉●↓｜↑｜｜
    HS 25御影●●｜●●
    HS 26石屋川●｜｜｜
    HS 27新在家●｜｜｜Nada-ku, Kobe
    HS 28大石●｜｜｜
    HS 29西灘●｜｜｜
    HS 30
    (Hyogo Prefectural Museum of Art)    		岩屋●｜｜｜
    HS 31春日野道●｜｜｜Chūō-ku, Kobe
    HS 32神戸三宮●●●● Hankyu Kobe Line Kobe Kosoku Line Kobe New Transit Port Island Line (P01)

    Kobe Municipal Subway Seishin-Yamate Line (S03)

    Kobe Municipal Subway Kaigan Line (K01: Sannomiya-Hanadokeimae Station)

    JR Kobe Line (JR-A61: Sannomiya Station)

    HS 33元町●◆● JR Kobe Line (JR-A62)
    Kobe Kosoku Line
    HS 34西元町●◆●Chūō-ku, KobeHyōgo Prefecture
    HS 35高速神戸●◆●● JR Kobe Line (JR-A63: Kobe Station) Kobe Municipal Subway Kaigan Line (K04: Harborland Station)
    HS 36新開地●◆●●Kobe Electric Railway Kobe Kosoku LineHyōgo-ku, Kobe
    HS 37大開●
    HS 38高速長田●● Kobe Municipal Subway Seishin-Yamate Line (S08: Nagata Station)Nagata-ku, Kobe
    HS 39
    SY 01    		西代● Sanyo Railway Main Line (through service)
    Through services to Sanyo Electric Railway Main Line:From Nishidai:Hanshin Limited Express for Sumaura-koen

    Direct Limited Express for Sanyo-Himeji

    Notes and References

    1. 阪神なんば線【３月２０日（金・祝）】の開通に伴うダイヤ改正の実施！. Implementation of timetable revision due to the opening of the Hanshin Namba Line [March 20 (Friday / holiday)]!. live. January 16, 2009. https://web.archive.org/web/20120126221206/http://www.hanshin.co.jp/company/press/pdf/20090116-2.pdf. January 26, 2012. Hanshin Electric Railway Co., Ltd..

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