Nara Line (Kintetsu)

For the West Japan Railway Company (JR West) Nara Line, see Nara Line.

The Nara Line (奈良線, Nara sen) is a Japanese railway line owned by the Kintetsu Railway. The line connects Fuse Station in the eastern suburbs of Osaka to Kintetsu Nara Station in the historic city of Nara, though operationally, the line begins at Ōsaka Namba Station on the Namba Line.^[1] Additionally, some trains run through-services starting at Kobe Sannomiya Station on the Hanshin Railway Main Line in Kobe.^[1] Eastern satellite cities such as Higashiosaka and Ikoma are connected by the line.^[1] This line is more direct than the JR line between Osaka and Nara.^[2]

Nara Line
A Kintetsu 5800 series on the Nara Line
Overview
Native name	奈良線
Owner	Kintetsu Railway
Line number	A
Locale	Higashiosaka, Osaka, Japan Ikoma, Nara, Japan Nara, Nara, Japan
Termini	Ōsaka Namba Kintetsu Nara
Stations	24 (22 as the Kintetsu Osaka Line and 2 as the Kintetsu Namba Line)
Color on map	(#c22047)
Service
Type	Heavy rail Commuter rail
System	Kintetsu Railway
Operator(s)	Kintetsu Railway
Depot(s)	Higashi-Hanazono Saidaiji
History
Opened	April 30, 1914; 110 years ago (1914-04-30)
Technical
Track length	26.7 km (16.6 mi)
Number of tracks	Double-track
Character	Heavy rail Commuter rail
Track gauge	1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) standard gauge
Electrification	1,500 V DC (Overhead lines)
Operating speed	105 km/h (65 mph)
Signalling	Automatic closed block
Train protection system	Kintetsu ATS
Maximum incline	3.57%
Nara Line Route map Legend Lines of Kintetsu unless noted Hanshin: Hanshin Namba Line (left) Osaka Metro: Sennichimae Line (right) JR West: Q Yamatoji Line (V Kansai Line) JR Namba Osaka Metro: Yotsubashi Line 6.1 0.0 A01 Ōsaka Namba ( Osaka Metro: Namba) Osaka Metro: Midōsuji Line Nankai: Nankai Main, Koya lines (Namba) A Kintetsu Namba Line Osaka Metro: Sakaisuji Line Nippombashi 5.3 0.8 A02 Kintetsu Nippombashi Osaka Metro: Tanimachi Line Tanimachi Kyūchōme 4.1 2.0 A03 Osaka Uehommachi D Osaka Line : O Osaka Loop Line 3.0 3.1 A04 Tsuruhashi 1.3 4.8 A05 Imazato 0.0 6.1 A06 Fuse Nara Line D Osaka Line JR West: F Osaka Higashi Line JR Kawachi-Eiwa 0.8 6.9 A07 Kawachi-Eiwa 1.6 7.7 A08 Kawachi-Kosaka 2.4 8.5 A09 Yaenosato Yaenosato Depot abandoned in 1967 Kinki Expressway Tamagawa Workshop abandoned 1982 4.1 10.2 A10 Wakae-Iwata 5.0 11.1 A11 Kawachi-Hanazono 5.8 11.9 A12 Higashi-Hanazono Higashi-Hanazono Inspection Depot 7.0 13.1 A13 Hyōtan-yama 8.3 14.4 A14 Hiraoka 9.0 15.1 A15 Nukata Keihanna Line 10.1 16.2 A16 Ishikiri 10.6 16.7 Kusaezaka abandoned in 1964 New Ikoma Tunnel (3,494m) Ikoma Tunnel Osaka Nara Y Ikoma Cable Line (Toriimae) 14.2 20.3 A17 Ikoma G Ikoma Line 15.4 21.5 A18 Higashi-Ikoma Higashi-Ikoma Signal Box Keihanna Line to Gakken Nara-Tomigaoka Higashi-Hanazono Inspection Higashi-Ikoma Depot New Ōtani Tunnel 17.7 23.8 A19 Tomio 19.1 25.2 A20 Gakuen-mae 20.1 26.2 A21 Ayameike B Kyoto Line 22.3 28.4 A26 Yamato-Saidaiji B Kashihara Line Saidaiji Inspection Depot (Extra) Camp Car 1947-1951 25.0 31.1 A27 Shin-Ōmiya JR West: Q Yamatoji Line (V Kansai Main Line) JR West: Kansai Main Line former route 25.9 32.0 Aburasaka abandoned in 1969 26.7 32.8 A28 Kintetsu Nara This diagram: view talk edit

History

The line was opened by Osaka Electric Railway Company (大阪電気軌道, Osaka Denki Kidō) in 1914, dual track and electrified at 600 VDC.^[2]

Whereas the JR West Yamatoji Line routes south of the Ikoma mountain range to connect Osaka and Nara, the Kintetsu Nara Line uses a 3.4 km (2.1 mi) tunnel through the Ikoma mountain range.^[2] As a result, the Kintetsu route is more direct and has allowed municipalities along the line such as Ikoma to flourish as major commuter hubs. To respond to high demand, the railway operates services with up to ten cars long during the peak hours operating as rapid and limited express services.^[2] Because of the direct routing, the Nara Line is highly regarded for being the most important commuter rail route in the Kinki region.^[2] Higher demand over the years has gradually lead to a reduction of faster midday services as Kintetsu moved to a higher frequency of limited express trains during peak hours.^[2]

In 1969 the voltage was increased to 1500 VDC, and in 1970 the Namba Line was opened, and the operational starting station of the Line moved to Kintetsu Namba Station, from Uehonmachi Station of Osaka Line.

Operation

Trains run to and from the Kintetsu Namba Line and the Hanshin Namba Line, and lead to Osaka Namba Station and Amagasaki Station, and Rapid Express trains also to Kobe Sannomiya Station on the Hanshin Main Line. Between Yamato-Saidaiji and Kintetsu Nara, through trains of the Kyoto Line also run.^[3]

Local trains

Amagasaki (Hanshin) or Ōsaka Namba - Higashi-Hanazono or Yamato-Saidaiji (partly Kintetsu Nara)

in the morning and the evening:Amagasaki (Hanshin) or Ōsaka Namba - Hyotan-yama or Higashi-Ikoma

partly: Amagasaki (Hanshin) or Ōsaka Namba - Ishikiri

partly: Yamato-Saidaiji - Kintetsu Nara

only one train: Ikoma → Yamato-Saidaiji (as the last connection from the last limited express train from Osaka for Nara)

Suburban Semi-Express trains

Amagasaki (Hanshin) or Ōsaka Namba - Yamato-Saidaiji or Kintetsu Nara

Semi-Express trains

Amagasaki (Hanshin) or Ōsaka Namba - Yamato-Saidaiji or Kintetsu Nara

Express trains, Limited Express trains

Ōsaka Namba - Kintetsu Nara

Rapid Express trains

Kobe Sannomiya (Hanshin) or Amagasaki (Hanshin) or Ōsaka Namba - Kintetsu Nara

Stations

• ●: Trains stop.
• |: Trains pass.
• ▲: Trains stop when the large events are held at Kintetsu Hanazono Rugby Stadium.
• ※: One rapid express train for Nara stops at Ayameike on school days for Kinki University Elementary School and Kinki University Kindergarten.
• Local trains (普通, Futsū or 各駅停車, Kakueki-teisha) stop at every station.

line name	No.	Station name	Japanese	Suburban Semi-Express	Semi-Express	Express	Rapid Express	Limited Express	Transfers	Location
Through service to Hanshin Namba Line:				from Ōsaka Namba Local, Suburban Semi-Express, Semi-Express: to Amagasaki on the Hanshin Namba Line Rapid Express: to Kobe Sannomiya via Amagasaki on the Hanshin Main Line (3 trains start from Shinkaichi on the Kobe Kosoku Line on Saturdays, Sundays, and holidays.)
Namba Line	A01	Ōsaka Namba	大阪難波	●	●	●	●	●	Hanshin Namba Line (through service) Osaka Metro (Namba) Sennichimae Line (S16) Midosuji Line Yotsubashi Line (Y15) Nankai (NK01: Namba) Nankai Main Line Nankai Koya Line  Q  Kansai Main Line (Yamatoji Line) (JR-Q17:JR Namba)	Chūō-ku, Osaka	Osaka Prefecture
	A02	Kintetsu Nippombashi	近鉄日本橋	●	●	●	●	●	Osaka Metro (Nippombashi) Sennichimae Line (S17) Sakaisuji Line (K17)
	A03	Ōsaka Uehommachi (Kintetsu Department Store Uehommachi)	大阪上本町	●	●	●	●	●	Osaka Metro (Tanimachi Kyūchōme) Sennichimae Line (S18) Tanimachi Line (T25) Tracks of the Namba Line are also connected to Osaka Line tracks.	Tennoji-ku, Osaka
Osaka Line
	A04	Tsuruhashi	鶴橋	●	●	●	●	|	Sennichimae Line (S19) O Osaka Loop Line (JR-O04)	Ikuno-ku, Osaka
	A05	Imazato	今里	|	|	|	|	|
	A06	Fuse	布施	●	●	●	|	|	D Osaka Line (D06)	Higashi-Osaka
Nara Line
	A07	Kawachi-Eiwa	河内永和	|	|	|	|	|	F Osaka Higashi Line (JR-F10: JR Kawachi-Eiwa)
	A08	Kawachi-Kosaka (Osaka University of Commerce, Osaka Shoin Women's University)	河内小坂	●	●	|	|	|
	A09	Yaenosato	八戸ノ里	|	|	|	|	|
	A10-1  Provisional	Uryūdō (Tentative, Planned)	瓜生堂（仮称）						Osaka Monorail Main Line (proposed extension)
	A10-2	Wakae-Iwata	若江岩田	|	|	|	|	|
	A11	Kawachi-Hanazono	河内花園	|	|	|	|	|
	A12	Higashi-Hanazono (Hanazono Rugby Stadium)	東花園	●	●	▲	▲	|
	A13	Hyōtan-yama	瓢箪山	●	|	|	|	|
	A14	Hiraoka	枚岡	●	|	|	|	|
	A15	Nukata	額田	●	|	|	|	|
	A16	Ishikiri	石切	●	●	●	|	|
	A17	Ikoma	生駒	●	●	●	●	●	C Keihanna Line (C27) G Ikoma Line (G17) Y Ikoma Cable Line (Y17: Toriimae)	Ikoma	Nara Prefecture
	A18	Higashi-Ikoma (Tezukayama University Higashi-Ikoma Campus)	東生駒	●	●	|	|	|
	A19	Tomio	富雄	●	●	|	|	|		Nara
	A20	Gakuen-mae (Tezukayama Gakuen)	学園前	●	●	●	●	|
	A21	Ayameike	菖蒲池	●	●	|	※	|
Through service to:			From Yamato-Saidaiji: Local trains to B Kyoto Line for Kyōto (only some to Kintetsu Nara) Express trains to B Kyoto Line for Kyōto or Kyoto Municipal Subway Karasuma Line for Kokusaikaikan (all through to Kintetsu Nara)
Nara Line	A26	Yamato-Saidaiji	大和西大寺	●	●	●	●	●	B Kyoto Line B Kashihara Line	Nara	Nara Prefecture
	A27	Shin-Ōmiya	新大宮	●	●	●	●	|
	A28	Kintetsu Nara	近鉄奈良	●	●	●	●	●

Kintetsu Namba Line

Namba Line
Overview
Native name	難波線
Line number	A
Locale	Osaka
Termini	Osaka Uehommachi Ōsaka Namba
Stations	3
Service
Type	Heavy rail
Operator(s)	Kintetsu Railway
History
Opened	March 15, 1970 (1970-03-15)
Technical
Line length	2.0 km (1.2 mi)
Track gauge	1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in)
Electrification	1,500 V DC, overhead lines
Operating speed	80 km/h (50 mph)

The Namba Line (難波線, Nanba Sen) is an underground railway line owned by the Kintetsu Railway in Osaka, Japan, and opened in 1970. It is an extension of the Osaka Line and the Nara Line. The line is parallel to the Osaka Municipal Subway Sennichimae Line (Namba - Tanimachi Kyuchome). Along with the commuter trains of the Nara Line and the Hanshin Namba Line, some intercity trains including the "Urban Liner" connecting Osaka and Nagoya, also run on the line.

References

1. "The Kintetsu Nara Line for Ikoma, Yamato-Saidaiji, and Nara – Osaka Station". www.osakastation.com. Retrieved 2020-03-17.
2. Miki, Masafuni (March 2004). "Railway Operators in Japan 12: Southern and Eastern Kinki Region" (PDF). Japan Railway & Transport Review. 38: 63 – via East Japan Railway Culture Foundation.
3. "Guide on Stops（Osaka-Namba Sta.－Kintetsu-Nara Sta.、Ikoma Sta.－Oji Sta.、Shin-Oji Sta.－Nishi-Tawaramoto Sta.、Nagata Sta.－Gakken-Nara-Tomigaoka Sta.） | Railway Network Map | Travel by Train | Kintetsu Railway Co., Ltd". www.kintetsu.co.jp. Retrieved 2020-03-17.