Hanshin Main Line

The Hanshin Main Line (阪神電気鉄道本線, Hanshin Denki Tetsudō Honsen) 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 Umeda and Kobe-Sannomiya stations respectively.

Main Line
Hanshin 5700 series EMU
Overview
Native name阪神本線
LocaleOsaka and Hyogo Prefectures
TerminiOsaka-Umeda
Nishidai
Stations39
Service
TypeCommuter rail
Operator(s)Hanshin Electric Railway Co., Ltd.
Depot(s)Amagasaki
History
OpenedApril 12, 1905
Technical
Line length32.1 km (19.9 mi)
Number of tracks2
Track gauge1,435 mm (4 ft 8 1⁄2 in) standard gauge
Electrification1,500 V DC, overhead lines
Operating speed106 km/h (66 mph)

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
Mikage Station in 1910 (above) and today (below). Note the longer platforms and grade separation. These improvements were typical evolutions of early interurbans in Japan.

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 built 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 Sumaura-Kōen of Sanyo Electric Railway via Kobe Rapid (and Sanyo trains to Ōishi of Hanshin and Rokkō of Hankyū).

Through limited express trains to Sanyo Himeji were introduced in 2001. Then, the Hanshin Namba Line was extended to Namba, a major junction in southern Osaka. The company announced through trains from Kobe-Sannomiya to Kintetsu Nara 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.
Local (普通, Futsū)
Trains stop all stations, farthest down to Shinkaichi in the rush hour, and Kosoku Kobe in the off-peak hour.
Express (急行, Kyūkō)
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.
Regional Express (区間急行, Kukan Kyūkō)
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".
Rapid Express (快速急行, Kaisoku Kyūkō)
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.
Hanshin Limited Express (阪神特急, Hanshin Tokkyū)
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".
Direct Limited Express (直通特急, Chokutsū Tokkyū)
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".
Regional Limited Express (区間特急, Kukan Tokkyū)
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.

  • ● : All trains stop
  • ▲ : Some trains stop, depending on time of day and the particular service
  • ◆ : Served by weekend eastbound rapid express services only
  • △ : Extra services stop
  • ｜ ↓ ↑: All trains pass (Arrows indicate directions)
No. Station Japanese Local Regional Express Express Rapid Express Regional Ltd. Exp. Hanshin Ltd. Exp. Direct Ltd. Exp. Transfers Location
Hanshin Main Line
HS 01 Osaka-Umeda 大阪梅田 ● ● ● ● ● ● Kita-ku, Osaka Osaka Prefecture
HS 02 Fukushima 福島 ● ● ｜ ↑ ｜ ｜  O  Osaka Loop Line (JR-O12)

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

 Fukushima-ku, Osaka
HS 03 Noda 野田 ● ● ● ● ｜ ｜  H  JR Tōzai Line (JR-H46: Ebie Station)

Osaka Metro Sennichimae Line (S11: Noda-Hanshin Station)

HS 04 Yodogawa 淀川 ● ｜ ｜ ↑ ｜ ｜
HS 05 Himejima 姫島 ● ｜ △ ↑ ｜ ｜ Nishiyodogawa-ku, Osaka
HS 06 Chibune 千船 ● ● ｜ ↑ ｜ ｜
HS 07 Kuise 杭瀬 ● ｜ ｜ ↑ ｜ ｜ Amagasaki Hyōgo Prefecture
Through service to Namba Line and  A  Kintetsu Nara Line: From Amagasaki: Rapid Express to  A  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 Daimotsu 大物 ● ｜ ｜ ｜ ↑ ｜ ｜ Hanshin Namba Line Amagasaki Hyōgo Prefecture
HS 09 Amagasaki 尼崎 ● ● ● ● ● ● ● Hanshin Namba Line
HS 10 Deyashiki 出屋敷 ● ｜ ｜ ｜ ↑ ｜ ｜
HS 11 Amagasaki Center Pool-mae 尼崎センタープール前 ● ｜ △ △ ↑ ｜ ｜
HS 12 Mukogawa 武庫川 ● ● ● ▲ ↑ ｜ ｜ Hanshin Mukogawa Line
HS 13 Naruo - Mukogawajoshidai-Mae 鳴尾・武庫川女子大前 ● ● ｜ ｜ ↑ ｜ ｜ Nishinomiya
HS 14 Kōshien 甲子園 ● ● ● ● ● ● ▲
HS 15 Kusugawa 久寿川 ● ↑ ｜ ｜ ↑ ｜ ｜
HS 16 Imazu 今津 ● ● ● ▲ ● ｜ ｜ Hankyu Imazu Line
HS 17 Nishinomiya 西宮 ● ● ● ● ↑ ● ●
HS 18 Kōroen 香櫨園 ● ↑ ↓ ｜ ● ｜ ｜
HS 19 Uchide 打出 ● ↑ ↓ ｜ ● ｜ ｜ Ashiya
HS 20 Ashiya 芦屋 ● ● ● ▲ ● ● ●
HS 21 Fukae 深江 ● ↑ ↓ ｜ ● ｜ ｜ Higashinada-ku, Kobe
HS 22 Ōgi 青木 ● ● ↓ ｜ ● ｜ ｜
HS 23 Uozaki 魚崎 ● ● ● ● ● ● Kobe New Transit Rokko Island Line (R02)
HS 24 Sumiyoshi 住吉 ● ↓ ｜ ↑ ｜ ｜
HS 25 Mikage 御影 ● ● ｜ ● ● ●
HS 26 Ishiyagawa 石屋川 ● ｜ ｜ ｜
HS 27 Shinzaike 新在家 ● ｜ ｜ ｜ Nada-ku, Kobe
HS 28 Ōishi 大石 ● ｜ ｜ ｜
HS 29 Nishi-Nada 西灘 ● ｜ ｜ ｜
HS 30 Iwaya
(Hyogo Prefectural Museum of Art)		 岩屋 ● ｜ ｜ ｜
HS 31 Kasuganomichi 春日野道 ● ｜ ｜ ｜ Chūō-ku, Kobe
HS 32 Kobe-Sannomiya 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 Motomachi 元町 ● ◆ ● ● Kobe Kosoku Line

JR Kobe Line (JR-A62)

Kobe Kosoku Line
HS 34 Nishi-Motomachi 西元町 ● ◆ ● ▲ Chūō-ku, Kobe Hyōgo Prefecture
HS 35 Kōsoku Kobe 高速神戸 ● ◆ ● ● JR Kobe Line (JR-A63: Kobe Station)

Kobe Municipal Subway Kaigan Line (K04: Harborland Station)

HS 36 Shinkaichi 新開地 ● ◆ ● ● Kobe Electric Railway Kobe Kosoku Line Hyōgo-ku, Kobe
HS 37 Daikai 大開 ● ▲
HS 38 Kōsoku Nagata 高速長田 ● ● Kobe Municipal Subway Seishin-Yamate Line (S08: Nagata Station) Nagata-ku, Kobe
HS 39
SY 01		 Nishidai 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

References
  1. Hanshin Electric Railway Co., Ltd. (January 16, 2009). "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)]!] (PDF) (Press release). Archived (PDF) from the original on January 26, 2012.
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