Hanshin Electric Railway

The second character for Osaka (大阪) and the first character for Kobe (神戸) combine to form the company name, 阪神, which can be read Han-shin.

IC cards (PiTaPa and ICOCA) are accepted when taking trains.

Rail lines

Current lines

• Main Line (本線) (– , 32.1 km)
• Nishi-Osaka Line (西大阪線) (– , 6.3 km)

The Nishi-Osaka Line will be renamed when the line is extended from Nishikujō Station to Kintetsu Namba Station on March 20, 2009.

• Mukogawa Line (武庫川線) (– , 1.7 km)

Line sceduled to open

• Hanshin Namba Line (阪神なんば線) (Nishikujo - Kintetsu Namba); opening on March 20, 2009

Kintetsu Namba Station will be renamed "Osaka Namba Station" on the day of the opening of the Hanshin Namba Line.

Abandoned lines

• Kita-Osaka Line (北大阪線) (– )
• Kokudo Line(国道線) (Noda – Higashi-Kobe)
• Koshien Line (甲子園線) (Kamikoshien - - Hamakoshien - Nakatsuhama)
• Amagasaki Kaigan Line (尼崎海岸線) (- Higashihama)
• Mukogawa Line (武庫川線) (Mukogawa - Muko-ohashi - ): the line between Muko-ohashi and Nishinomiya (JNR) was used only for freight trains operated by JNR.

Incompleted lines

• Imazu Deyashiki Line (今津出屋敷線): Takasu - Suzaki - Hamakoshien - Imazu
• Amagasaki Takarazuka Line (尼崎宝塚線): Amagasaki - : planned by Takarazuka Amagasaki Railway Company
• Daini Hanshin Line: Umeda - - Amagasaki - -

History

• June 12, 1899: was established.
• July 7, 1899: The company was renamed "Hanshin Electric Railway Co., Ltd."
• April 7, 1968: Kobe Rapid Railway was opened and joint operation with Sanyo Electric Railway was started.
• February 15, 1998: Joint operation with Sanyo Electric Railway of limited expresses service between Umeda and Himeji was started.
• June 20, 2006: Hankyu Holdings, Inc. completed its purchase of a controlling interest in Hanshin in a transaction valued at about $2.2 billion.

References