Midōsuji Line


The Osaka Metro Midōsuji Line is a rapid transit line in Osaka, Japan, operated by Osaka Metro. Constructed under Midōsuji, a major north-south street, it is the oldest line in the Osaka subway system and the second oldest in Japan, following the Tokyo Metro Ginza Line. Its official name is Rapid Electric Tramway Line No. 1, while the Osaka Municipal Transportation Bureau refers to it as Osaka City Rapid Railway Line No. 1, and in MLIT publications it is referred to as Line No. 1 . On line maps, stations on the Midōsuji Line are indicated with the letter "M".
North of Nakatsu it runs above ground in the median of Shin-midōsuji, an elevated freeway.
The section between and is owned and operated by Kita-Osaka Kyuko Railway, but is seamless to the passengers except with respect to fare calculations.

Line data

Rolling stock

The Midōsuji Line was the first subway line in Osaka and the first government-operated subway line in Japan. Its construction was partly an effort to give work to the many unemployed people in Osaka during the early 1930s. The initial tunnel from Umeda to Shinsaibashi, dug entirely by hand, opened in 1933 after being initially plagued by cave-ins and water leakage caused by the poor composition of the earth below northern Osaka and the equally poor engineering skills of the work crew. The first cars were hauled onto the line by manpower and pack animals from the National Railway tracks near Umeda.
Although the line only operated with single cars at first, its stations were designed from the outset to handle trains of up to eight cars. The line was gradually extended over the next few decades, completing its current length in 1987, making it the second-longest subway line in Osaka after the Tanimachi Line.
were introduced on the line from November 11, 2002. There is one such designated car in each train, the use of which is restricted all day on weekdays.