Hanshin Electric Railway Explained

Railroad Name:	Hanshin Electric Railway
Parent Company:	Hankyu Hanshin Holdings
Locale:	Kansai region, Japan
Start Year:	1905 (established in 1899)
Length:	48.9 km
Hq City:	Osaka, Japan

is a Japanese private railway company owned by Hankyu Hanshin Toho Group that links Osaka and Kobe. It also owns the Hanshin Tigers baseball team.

The first character for Kobe (神戸) and the second character for Osaka (大阪) combine to form the company name, 阪神, which can be read Han-shin.

IC cards (PiTaPa and ICOCA) are accepted when taking trains.

Rail lines

Operating lines

• Main Line (本線) (–, 32.1 km)
• Hanshin Namba Line (阪神なんば線) (–, 10.1 km)

The section between Nishikujō and Ōsaka-Namba is the newest line of Hanshin that opened on March 20, 2009. Prior to this extension the line was called the Nishi-Ōsaka Line.

• Mukogawa Line (武庫川線) (–, 1.7 km)
• Kobe Kosoku Line (神戸高速線) (Category-2, –, 5.0 km)

The tracks of the line are owned by Kobe Rapid Transit Railway Co., Ltd. as the Tozai Line.

Abandoned lines

• Kita-Osaka Line (北大阪線) (–)
• Kokudo Line (国道線) (Noda – Higashi-Kobe)
• Koshien Line (甲子園線) (Kamikoshien - - Hamakoshien - Nakatsuhama)
• Amagasaki Kaigan Line (尼崎海岸線) (- Higashihama)
• Mukogawa Line (武庫川線) (Mukogawa - Muko-ohashi -): the line between Muko-ohashi and Nishinomiya (JNR) was used only for freight trains operated by JNR.

Incomplete lines

• Imazu Deyashiki Line (今津出屋敷線): Takasu - Suzaki - Hamakoshien - Imazu
• Amagasaki Takarazuka Line (尼崎宝塚線): Amagasaki - : planned by Takarazuka Amagasaki Railway Company
• Daini Hanshin Line

Umeda - - Amagasaki - -

History

• June 12, 1899: was established.
• July 7, 1899: The company was renamed "Hanshin Electric Railway Co., Ltd."
• April 7, 1968: Kobe Rapid Railway was opened and joint operation with Sanyo Electric Railway was started.
• February 15, 1998: Joint operation with Sanyo Electric Railway for limited express service between Umeda and Himeji was started.
• June 20, 2006: Hankyu Holdings, Inc. completed its purchase of a controlling interest in Hanshin in a transaction valued at about $2.2 billion.^[1]
• March 20, 2009: Joint operation with Kintetsu Railway for Rapid Express service between Sannomiya and Kintetsu Nara was started.

Rolling stock

Limited Express/Express

• 1000 series - through services onto the Kintetsu Nara Line
• 8000 series
• 9000 series - through services onto the Kintetsu Nara Line
• 9300 series

Local

• 5001
• 5131/5331
• 5500 series
• 5550 series (since January 2010)^[2]
• 5700 series (since August 2015)^[3] (2016 Blue Ribbon Award winner)

Mukogawa Line

• 7861
• 7890/7990

Subsidiaries

Hanshin Electric Railway owns the Hanshin Tigers baseball team, whose home ground is Hanshin Koshien Stadium in front of Kōshien Station of the railway's Main Line.

One of the company's subsidiaries is the Osaka-based company Hanshin Contents Link, that operates the Billboard Japan brand under licence from Billboards publisher.^{[4] [5]}

External links

• Hankyu Hanshin Holdings Group Website in English
• Hanshin Electric Railway Website in English

Notes and References

1. Web site: UPDATE 2-Hankyu takes over fellow railway operator Hanshin. Reuters. 2006-06-20. 2006-06-20.
2. Web site: http://railf.jp/news/2010/12/31/150300.html. ja:阪神5550系が営業運転を開始. Hanshin 5550 series enters service. 30 December 2010. Japan Railfan Magazine Online . Koyusha Co., Ltd. . ja. 10 July 2013.
3. Web site: http://railf.jp/news/2015/08/25/180000.html. ja: 阪神5700系が営業運転を開始. Hanshin 5700 series enters revenue service. 25 August 2015. Japan Railfan Magazine Online. Koyusha Co., Ltd.. Japan. ja. 25 August 2015.
4. Web site: 'Billboard Live' Venues To Roll Out In Japan. Billboard. 2006-09-14. 2016-04-11.
5. Nielsen Business Media, Inc.. Billboard 18 August 2007. Billboard. 18 August 2007. Nielsen Business Media, Inc.. 34–. 0006-2510.