is a rail line of Hanshin Electric Railway

Hanshin Electric Railway

is a Japanese private railway company of Hankyu Hanshin Toho Group that links Osaka and Kobe. It also owns the Hanshin Tigers baseball team.The second character for Osaka and the first character for Kobe combine to form the company name, 阪神, which can be read Han-shin.IC cards are accepted when...

 connecting Amagasaki Station in Amagasaki, Hyogo Prefecture and Osaka Namba Station in Chuo-ku, Osaka, Osaka Prefecture.

History

, the predecessor of the Hanshin Namba Line, was planned as the bypass of the Hanshin Railway Main Line, and to connect from Amagasaki to Noda via Dempō. Then the plan was changed to connect to Nishikujō. Finally the line was extended to Namba station in 2009.

• January 20, 1924 - was opened (Daimotsu - Dempō).
• August 1, 1924 - The line was extended from Dempō to Chidoribashi.
• December 28, 1928 - The line was extended from Daimotsu to Amagasaki.
• June 1960 - The first term of the construction of the extending line to Namba was started (Chidoribashi - Nishikujō).
• May 20, 1964 - The first term of the construction of the extending line to Namba was completed, thus, the Line was extended from Chidoribashi to Nishikujō. The Dempo Line was renamed .
• September 1965 - Nishi-Osaka limited express service started.
• August 10, 1967 - The second term of the construction of the extending line to Namba was started (Nishikujō - Kujō).
• September 1967 - The second term of the construction of the extending line to Namba was cancelled.
• December 1, 1974 - Nishi-Osaka limited express service was abandoned.
• July 10, 2001 - Nishi-Osaka Railway Co., Ltd. was established to restart the extension from Nishikujō to Namba.
• October 7, 2003 - The construction of the extending line from Nishikujō to Namba was restarted.
• March 20, 2009 - The line from Nishikujō to Namba opened, and the rail line was renamed .

Extension to Namba

On August 1, 2008, Hanshin Electric Railway Co., Ltd. announced that the extending line would be opened on March 20, 2009 and the Nishi-Osaka Line would be renamed "" on the same day.

There are through rapid express operations between Sannomiya Station

Sannomiya Station

is located in the heart of Kobe, Japan. This station is the main railway terminal of Kobe.- Lines :*Hanshin Electric Railway *Hankyu Railway *Kobe Municipal Subway...

 on the Main Line in Kobe

Kobe

, pronounced , is the fifth-largest city in Japan and is the capital city of Hyōgo Prefecture on the southern side of the main island of Honshū, approximately west of Osaka...

 and Kintetsu Nara Station

Kintetsu Nara Station

is a train station on the Kintetsu Nara Line located in Nara, Japan.The station is also called "" or "" to distinguish Nara Station on the JR West Lines.-Around the station:...

 on the Kintetsu Nara Line in Nara

Nara, Nara

is the capital city of Nara Prefecture in the Kansai region of Japan. The city occupies the northern part of Nara Prefecture, directly bordering Kyoto Prefecture...

 via the Hanshin Namba Line, and through local, semi-express, and suburban semi-express operations between Amagasaki Station and Kintetsu Nara Station.

Operations

• rapid express
  • 3 to 5 trains per hour on weekdays, and 3 trains per hour on Saturdays, Sundays and holidays
  • Trains stop at Sannomiya, Uozaki, Ashiya, Nishinomiya, Koshien, Amagasaki, Nishikujo, Kujo, Dome-mae, Sakuragawa, Osaka Namba, Kintetsu Nippombashi, Osaka Uehommachi, Tsuruhashi, Ikoma, Gakuen-mae, Yamato-Saidaiji, Shin-Omiya and Kintetsu Nara. In addition to those stations, there are stops of rapid express at Mukogawa, Daimotsu, Dekijima, Fuku, Dempo and Chidoribashi in the non-rush hour on weekdays, and at Imazu and Mukogawa on Saturdays, Sundays and holidays.
  • 6, 8 or 10 cars (6 cars between Sannomiya and Amagasaki)
• local, semi-express, suburban semi-express
  • 3 to 6 trains per hour on weekdays, and 6 trains per hour on Saturdays, Sundays and holidays
  • Local trains stop at every station on the Hanshin Namba Line, the Kintetsu Namba Line, and the Kitntetsu Nara Line.
  • Semi-express trains stop at every station between Amagasaki and Tsuruhashi, Fuse, Kawachi-Kosaka, Higashi-Hanazono, and every station between Ishikiri and Kintetsu Nara. In addition to those stations, suburban semi-express trains stop at Hyotan-yama, Hiraoka and Nukata.
  • 6 cars

Before the extension, there were 3 returning tracks in the west of Kintetsu Namba Station (present: Osaka Namba Station). The track on each side became the track of the Hanshin Namba Line and the new returning track were located in the west of Sakuragawa Station, thus the portion between Sakuragawa and Osaka Namba is owned by Kintetsu and operated by Hanshin.

Stations

• S: trains stop
• s: trains stop in the non-rush hour on weekdays

  Station Name	Distance (km)		Train type		Connecting lines	Location
  	between stations	from start	local suburban semi-express semi-express	rapid express
  Rapid express trains are operated to Sannomiya Station Sannomiya Station is located in the heart of Kobe, Japan. This station is the main railway terminal of Kobe.- Lines :*Hanshin Electric Railway *Hankyu Railway *Kobe Municipal Subway...  on the Main Line.
  尼崎	-	0.0	S	S	Main Line	Amagasaki Amagasaki, Hyogo is an industrial city located in Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan. The city was founded on April 1, 1916. Its population is around 460,000, below its peak of over 554,000 in 1971.-History:... , Hyōgo Prefecture Hyogo Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan located in the Kansai region on Honshū island. The capital is Kobe.The prefecture's name was previously alternately spelled as Hiogo.- History :...
  大物	0.9	0.9	S	s	Main Line
  出来島	1.4	2.3	S	s		Nishiyodogawa-ku Nishiyodogawa-ku, Osaka is one of 24 wards of Osaka, Japan.Nishoyodogawa has the headquarters of Ezaki Glico.-External links:*... , Osaka Osaka is a city in the Kansai region of Japan's main island of Honshu, a designated city under the Local Autonomy Law, the capital city of Osaka Prefecture and also the biggest part of Keihanshin area, which is represented by three major cities of Japan, Kyoto, Osaka and Kobe...	Osaka Prefecture Osaka Prefecture is a prefecture located in the Kansai region on Honshū, the main island of Japan. The capital is the city of Osaka. It is the center of Osaka-Kobe-Kyoto area.- History :...
  福	1.0	3.3	S	s
  伝法	1.5	4.8	S	s		Konohana-ku Konohana-ku, Osaka is one of 24 wards of Osaka city, Japan.-External links:*... , Osaka
  千鳥橋	0.7	5.5	S	s
  西九条	0.8	6.3	S	S	JR West: Osaka Loop Line Osaka Loop Line The is a railway line in Japan operated by West Japan Railway Company . It encircles central Osaka.The second loop line, the Osaka Higashi Line, from Hanaten to Kyuhoji was opened on March 15, 2008, and the line from Shigino to Shin-Ōsaka is planned to open in 2020.-Outline:This loop line consists... , Sakurajima Line (JR Yumesaki Line) Sakurajima Line The is a railway line in Osaka, Japan, operated by West Japan Railway Company running from Nishikujō Station to Sakurajima Station. It is also referred to as the...
  九条	1.3	7.6	S	S	Osaka Municipal Subway Osaka Municipal Subway is the metro network in the city of Osaka, Japan, forming an integral part of the extensive mass transit system of Greater Osaka , having 125 out of the 1,108 rail stations in the Osaka-Kobe-Kyoto region. In 2010 the greater Osaka region had 13 million rail passengers daily of which the Osaka... : Chuo Line	Nishi-ku Nishi-ku, Osaka is one of 24 wards of Osaka, Japan. It is in the west of central Osaka , and is generally flat. 80% of the area was destroyed by bombing in World War II, and was not regenerated until the mid 1960s.... , Osaka
  ドーム前	0.6	8.2	S	S	Osaka Municipal Subway Osaka Municipal Subway is the metro network in the city of Osaka, Japan, forming an integral part of the extensive mass transit system of Greater Osaka , having 125 out of the 1,108 rail stations in the Osaka-Kobe-Kyoto region. In 2010 the greater Osaka region had 13 million rail passengers daily of which the Osaka... : Nagahori Tsurumi-ryokuchi Line (Dome-mae Chiyozaki Station)
  桜川	0.8	9.0	S	S	Osaka Municipal Subway Osaka Municipal Subway is the metro network in the city of Osaka, Japan, forming an integral part of the extensive mass transit system of Greater Osaka , having 125 out of the 1,108 rail stations in the Osaka-Kobe-Kyoto region. In 2010 the greater Osaka region had 13 million rail passengers daily of which the Osaka... : Sennichimae Line Nankai Electric Railway: Nankai Kōya Line (Shiomibashi Line) (Shiomibashi Station Shiomibashi Station is a train station on the Nankai Electric Railway Kōya Line in Naniwa-ku, Osaka City, Osaka Prefecture, Japan.-Layout:*There is an island platform with 2 tracks.-Surroundings:... )	Naniwa-ku Naniwa-ku, Osaka is one of 24 wards of Osaka City, Japan. It has an area of 4.37 km², and a population of 51,567.- General information :Largely a residential area itself, Naniwa-ku is adjacent to and has in recent years blurred into the Namba district, which is south Osaka City's transport hub and centre of... , Osaka
  大阪難波	1.1	10.1	S	S	Kintetsu Namba Line Kintetsu Namba Line is an underground railway line of Kintetsu Corporation in Osaka, Japan 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...  (with through trains) Nankai Electric Railway: Nankai Main Line, Kōya Line (Namba Station Namba Station -Layout:Midōsuji Line*an island platform and a side platform with 2 tracksSennichimae Line*an island platform with 2 tracksYotsubashi Line*an island platform with 2 tracks-Adjacent stations:-Surroundings:*Takashimaya*Namba City... ) Osaka Municipal Subway: Midōsuji Line, Yotsubashi Line, Sennichimae Line (Namba Station) JR West: Kansai Main Line Kansai Main Line The is a Japanese railway line which connects Nagoya Station with JR Namba Station in Osaka. It is jointly run by the Central Japan Railway Company and the West Japan Railway Company with the boundary between both companies being located at Kameyama Station in Kameyama, Mie Prefecture.The section...  (Yamatoji Line Yamatoji Line The is the common name of the western portion of the Kansai Main Line, and the name has been used since March 13, 1988. The electrified portion is one of commuter rail lines and services in Osaka-Kobe-Kyoto Metropolitan Area, owned and operated by West Japan Railway Company... ) (JR Namba Station JR Namba Station is a train station in Namba, Naniwa Ward, Osaka, Japan, adjacent to Namba Station and Osaka Namba Station operated by the West Japan Railway Company.... )	Chūō-ku Chuo-ku, Osaka , Osaka is one of 24 wards of Osaka, Japan. It has an area of 8.88 km2, and a population of 60,085. It houses Osaka's financial district, as well as the Osaka Prefecture offices and principal shopping and tourist areas.-Diplomatic missions:... , Osaka
  Trains are operated to Kintetsu Nara Station Kintetsu Nara Station is a train station on the Kintetsu Nara Line located in Nara, Japan.The station is also called "" or "" to distinguish Nara Station on the JR West Lines.-Around the station:...  via the Kintetsu Kintetsu , named Kinki Nippon Railway Co., Ltd. in English until June 27, 2003, is a Japanese rail transit corporation commonly known as . It is the largest non-JR railway in Japan. Its complex network of lines connects Osaka, Kyoto, Nara, Nagoya, Tsu and Ise...  Namba Line Kintetsu Namba Line is an underground railway line of Kintetsu Corporation in Osaka, Japan 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... , the Osaka Line, and the Nara Line.