The 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. Additionally, some trains run through-services starting at Kobe Sannomiya Station on the Hanshin Railway Main Line in Kobe. Eastern satellite cities such as Higashiosaka and Ikoma are connected by the line. This line is more direct than the JR line between Osaka and Nara.
History The line was opened by in 1914, dual track and electrified at 600 VDC.
Whereas the JR West Yamatoji Line routes south of the Ikoma mountain range to connect Osaka and Nara, the Kintetsu Nara Line uses a tunnel through the Ikoma mountain range. 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. Because of the direct routing, the Nara Line is highly regarded for being the most important commuter rail route in the Kinki region. 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.
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.
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 nameNo.Station nameJapaneseSuburban Semi-ExpressSemi-ExpressExpressRapid ExpressLimited ExpressTransfersLocationThrough 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 Kansai Main Line (Yamatoji Line) (JR-Q17:)Chūō-ku,OsakaOsakaPrefecture近鉄日本橋●●●●●Osaka Metro (Nippombashi)
Sennichimae Line (S17) Sakaisuji Line (K17) (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,OsakaOsaka Line鶴橋●●●●|Ikuno-ku,Osaka今里|||||布施●●●|| (D06)Higashi-OsakaNara Line河内永和||||| (JR-F10: )(Osaka University of Commerce, Osaka Shoin Women's University)河内小坂●●|||八戸ノ里|||||Provisional (Tentative, Planned)瓜生堂(仮称)Osaka Monorail Main Line (proposed extension)若江岩田|||||河内花園|||||(Hanazono Rugby Stadium)東花園●●▲▲|瓢箪山●||||枚岡●||||額田●||||石切●●●||生駒●●●●●IkomaNaraPrefecture(Tezukayama University Higashi-Ikoma Campus)東生駒●●|||富雄●●|||Nara(Tezukayama Gakuen)学園前●●●●|菖蒲池●●|※|Through service to:From Yamato-Saidaiji: Local trains to for (only some to Kintetsu Nara) Express trains to Kyoto Line for Kyōto or Kyoto Municipal Subway for (all through to Kintetsu Nara)Nara Line大和西大寺●●●●●NaraNaraPrefecture新大宮●●●●|近鉄奈良●●●●●
Kintetsu Namba Line
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 ( - ). 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.
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