Hankyu Kyoto Main Line


Definition

The Kyoto Main Line is often called the Kyoto Line for short, and in a broader sense its two branch lines, the Senri Line and the Arashiyama Line, are included to the Kyoto Line by historical, geographical and structural reasons. The other two sections of Hankyu, the Kobe Line and the Takarazuka Line are called the as a whole.
Officially, the Kyoto Main Line is from Jūsō to Kyoto-kawaramachi, however, all trains run beyond Jūsō to Osaka-umeda terminal, using the eastern tracks of the section exclusively. Hankyu treats the Kyoto Main Line in the same way as the passengers do, i.e. as the line between Osaka-umeda and Kyoto-kawaramachi.

History

The Kyoto Main Line was constructed in the following phases:
Prior to the merger of Hankyu Railway and Keihan Electric Railway in 1943, the line and its branches were owned by the latter and called the Shin-Keihan Line. In the breakup of the merger in 1949, the line was not ceded to Keihan and became a competitor of the Keihan Main Line.

Proposed connecting line

A loop line from Juso to Awaji via Shin-Osaka station, to provide a direct connection to the Shinkansen has been proposed, but is not currently scheduled for construction.

Service types

Regular operations

In the timetable revised on December 21, 2013, regular trains are classified as follows:
Local
Semi-Express
Sakaisuji Semi-Express
Rapid
Rapid Express
Limited Express
Commuter Limited Express
Rapid Limited Express & Rapid Limited Express A
Legends:
Local trains stop at all stations.
No trains stop at which is served by Local trains on the Kobe Main Line and the Takarazuka Main Line, because of the absence of any platforms on this line. Thus, in operation, Nakatsu Station is not listed on the Kyoto Line.
The starting point of the distances shown is Jūsō Station, which is officially the starting point of the Kyoto Main Line.

Rolling stock