The , officially nicknamed the , is a
commuter rail
Commuter rail, or suburban rail, is a passenger rail transport service that primarily operates within a metropolitan area, connecting commuters to a central city from adjacent suburbs or commuter towns. Generally commuter rail systems are con ...
line and service in the
Osaka-Kobe-Kyoto
is a metropolitan region in the Kansai region of Japan encompassing the metropolitan areas of the cities of Kyoto in Kyoto Prefecture, Osaka in Osaka Prefecture and Kobe in Hyōgo Prefecture. The entire region has a population () of 19,302,746 o ...
Metropolitan Area of Japan, owned and operated by
West Japan Railway Company
, also referred to as , is one of the Japan Railways Group (JR Group) companies and operates in western Honshu. It has its headquarters in Kita-ku, Osaka. It is listed in the Tokyo Stock Exchange, is a constituent of the TOPIX Large70 index, and ...
(JR West). The line connects
Kizu Station in
Kyoto Prefecture and
Kyōbashi Station in
Osaka
is a designated city in the Kansai region of Honshu in Japan. It is the capital of and most populous city in Osaka Prefecture, and the third most populous city in Japan, following Special wards of Tokyo and Yokohama. With a population of 2. ...
.
The common name "Gakkentoshi Line", literally "Research City Line", comes from the
Kansai Science City
is an unincorporated city located in the , a border region between Kyoto, Osaka, and Nara Prefectures in Kansai region, Japan. The name is commonly shortened to or . The name Keihanna is constructed by extracting a representative kanji from Kyo ...
, which is located along the line around the border of Osaka and Nara prefectures.
Basic data
*Operators, distances:
**
West Japan Railway Company
, also referred to as , is one of the Japan Railways Group (JR Group) companies and operates in western Honshu. It has its headquarters in Kita-ku, Osaka. It is listed in the Tokyo Stock Exchange, is a constituent of the TOPIX Large70 index, and ...
(
Category-1, Services and tracks)
**
Japan Freight Railway Company
, or , is one of the seven constituent companies of Japan Railways Group (JR Group). It provides transportation of cargo nationwide throughout Japan. Its headquarters are in Shibuya, Tokyo near Shinjuku Station.
The Japan Railways Group was foun ...
(
Category-2, Services)
*Track:
**Double-track line:
***From Matsuiyamate to Kyōbashi
**Single-track line:
***From Kizu to Matsuiyamate
*
Railway signalling
Railway signalling (), also called railroad signaling (), is a system used to control the movement of railway traffic. Trains move on fixed rails, making them uniquely susceptible to collision. This susceptibility is exacerbated by the enormou ...
:
**From JR Miyamaki to Kyōbashi: Automatic
**From Kizu to JR Miyamaki: Special Automatic (
Track Circuit Detection)
*
CTC centers:Ōsaka Operation Control Center
*CTC system:JR Takarazuka JR Tozai Gakkentoshisen traffic control system
History
The line was originally built and operated by the between Katamachi and Shijōnawate in 1895. Two years later, the
Kansai Railway
The or the , lies in the southern-central region of Japan's main island Honshū. The region includes the prefectures of Nara, Wakayama, Kyoto, Osaka, Hyōgo and Shiga, often also Mie, sometimes Fukui, Tokushima and Tottori. The metropolit ...
bought the line in order to have its own trunk line to Osaka from Nagoya, combined with constructing the section between Shijōnawate and Kizu. Katamachi Station was unable to be expanded, thus Amijima terminus was constructed. However Kansai Railway bought the line from Nara via Ōji to Minatomachi (present ) in downtown Osaka, and shifted its main line to the ex-Naniwa Railway line. Thereafter, the Katamachi Line became a branch of the railway network of Osaka.
The Shigino to Hanaten section was duplicated in 1927, with the Katamachi to Shigino section double-tracked in 1955, the Hanaten to Shijonawate section in 1969, extended to Nagao in 1979, to Matsuiyamate in 1989, and the balance of the section to Kyobashi double-tracked between 2007 and 2009.
The section between Katamachi and Shijōnawate became the first
Japan Governmental Railways
The Japanese Government Railways (JGR) was the national railway system directly operated by the Japanese Ministry of Railways ( ja, 鉄道省, Tetsudō-shō, ) until 1949. It was a predecessor of Japanese National Railways and the later Japan Ra ...
electrified line in Osaka-Kobe-Kyoto area in 1932, with electrification extended to Nagao in 1950. After privatization of the then
Japanese National Railways
The abbreviated JNR or , was the business entity that operated Japan's national railway network from 1949 to 1987.
Network Railways
As of June 1, 1949, the date of establishment of JNR, it operated of narrow gauge () railways in all 46 pref ...
(JNR), the line became part of the
West Japan Railway Company
, also referred to as , is one of the Japan Railways Group (JR Group) companies and operates in western Honshu. It has its headquarters in Kita-ku, Osaka. It is listed in the Tokyo Stock Exchange, is a constituent of the TOPIX Large70 index, and ...
(JR West) system, and the Kizu to Nagao section was electrified in 1989.
In 1997, the
JR Tōzai Line
is one of several commuter rail lines and services in the Osaka-Kobe-Kyoto Metropolitan Area, operated by West Japan Railway Company (JR West). The line, whose name literally means "east-west", runs underground through central Osaka and conne ...
was opened and connected to Katamachi Line at Kyōbashi, and Katamachi Station was closed (with
Ōsakajō-kitazume Station
is a railway station on the West Japan Railway Company JR Tōzai Line in Amijimacho, Miyakojima-ku, Osaka, Osaka Prefecture, Japan.
The station took over the ridership of the former Katamachi Station, which was the original terminal for the ...
becoming the replacement station). Most trains began operating through to the
Fukuchiyama Line
The is a railway line operated by West Japan Railway Company (JR West) connecting Osaka and Fukuchiyama, Kyoto, Fukuchiyama, Japan. Within JR West's "Urban Network" covering the Osaka–Kobe–Kyoto metropolitan region, the line from Osaka to S ...
(
JR Takarazuka Line
The is a railway line operated by West Japan Railway Company (JR West) connecting Osaka and Fukuchiyama, Japan. Within JR West's "Urban Network" covering the Osaka–Kobe–Kyoto metropolitan region, the line from Osaka to Sasayamaguchi is also ...
).
Converted from a freight branch to a passenger route, the
Osaka Higashi Line
The (Literally: Osaka East Line) is a railway line in Osaka, Japan, operated by the West Japan Railway Company (JR-West). The line connects Shin-Osaka Station in northern Osaka with Kyūhōji Station in Yao, forming an arc around the norther ...
began service in 2008. Trains from Nara via
Kansai Main (
Yamatoji) Line began operation to Amagasaki Station. However, these through trains to Amagasaki have now ceased operation since March 2019, with the Osaka Higashi Line extension.
Station numbering was introduced to the line in March 2018 with stops being assigned station numbers between JR-H18 and JR-H41.
Military use
Three military/weapons-related facilities used during the early 20th century were serviced by spurs located between and
Tsuda Station
is a passenger railway station in located in the city of Hirakata, Osaka Prefecture, Japan, operated by West Japan Railway Company (JR West).
Lines
Tsuda Station is served by the Katamachi Line (Gakkentoshi Line), and is located from the st ...
s (Kin-ya Ammunition Dump, where two explosions occurred in 1909 and 1939), between and
Hoshida Station
is a passenger railway station in located in the city of Katano, Osaka Prefecture, Japan, operated by West Japan Railway Company (JR West).
Lines
Hoshida Station is served by the Katamachi Line (Gakkentoshi Line), and is located 27.1 kilom ...
s (Uji Weapon Kori Factory), and the Osaka Army Arsenal warehouse between and
Shigino Station
is a railway station on the Osaka Metro Imazatosuji Line and the West Japan Railway Company (JR West) Katamachi Line (Gakkentoshi Line) and Osaka Higashi Line in Jōtō-ku, Osaka, Japan.
Lines
*JR West
** Katamachi Line (Gakkentoshi Line)
...
s.
Route and operation
The line is connected via the
JR Tōzai Line
is one of several commuter rail lines and services in the Osaka-Kobe-Kyoto Metropolitan Area, operated by West Japan Railway Company (JR West). The line, whose name literally means "east-west", runs underground through central Osaka and conne ...
in downtown Osaka, at , to the
Tōkaidō Main Line
The is a major Japanese railway line of the Japan Railways Group (JR Group) network, connecting and stations. It is long, not counting its many freight feeder lines around the major cities. The high-speed Tōkaidō Shinkansen largely parallel ...
(
JR Kobe Line
The is the nickname of portions of the Tokaido Main Line and the Sanyo Main Line, between Osaka Station in Osaka, Osaka Prefecture and Himeji Station in Himeji, Hyōgo Prefecture. The line, along with the JR Kyoto Line and the Biwako Line, form ...
) and
Fukuchiyama Line
The is a railway line operated by West Japan Railway Company (JR West) connecting Osaka and Fukuchiyama, Kyoto, Fukuchiyama, Japan. Within JR West's "Urban Network" covering the Osaka–Kobe–Kyoto metropolitan region, the line from Osaka to S ...
(JR Takarazuka Line). This link enables trains operated from Nara to the west, as
Kobe
Kobe ( , ; officially , ) is the capital city of Hyōgo Prefecture Japan. With a population around 1.5 million, Kobe is Japan's seventh-largest city and the third-largest port city after Tokyo and Yokohama. It is located in Kansai region, whic ...
,
Himeji
260px, Himeji City Hall
is a city located in Hyōgo Prefecture in the Kansai region of Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 525,682 in 227,099 households and a population density of 980 persons per km². The total area of the city is ...
, and
Sanda.
Rapid services of several types of stops, with no surcharge, are also provided. Abbreviations are tentative for this article.
Some trains terminate at Matsuiyamate due to the single track to Kizu.
;
:Operated all day, most trains between Matsuiyamate and Nishi-Akashi on
Sanyō Main (
JR Kobe) Line. Some in busy hours to Fukuchiyama Line (JR Takarazuka Line), some terminate at Kyōbashi.
;
:Operated in early morning, late night, and busy hours only. Some from/to Nara, most from/to Dōshishamae or Kyōtanabe. Through to Nishiakashi or Shin-Sanda.
;
:Mostly through to Shin-Sanda or Sasayamaguchi on Fukuchiyama (JR Takarazuka) Line. One per 15 minutes per direction.
Past services
;
:Through trains from
Osaka Higashi Line
The (Literally: Osaka East Line) is a railway line in Osaka, Japan, operated by the West Japan Railway Company (JR-West). The line connects Shin-Osaka Station in northern Osaka with Kyūhōji Station in Yao, forming an arc around the norther ...
, operated only between Hanaten and Kyōbashi in this line. Four trains to Amagasaki from Nara in the morning, 4 vice versa in the evening. This service has ceased operation on the Katamachi Line starting from 16 March 2019, with the opening of the Shin-Osaka Extension of the
Osaka Higashi Line
The (Literally: Osaka East Line) is a railway line in Osaka, Japan, operated by the West Japan Railway Company (JR-West). The line connects Shin-Osaka Station in northern Osaka with Kyūhōji Station in Yao, forming an arc around the norther ...
.
Stations
Rolling stock
*
207 series (from 1991)
*
321 series (from 2005)
All trains are based at Aboshi Depot.
Former
* 40 series
*
51 series
*
72 series
The trains were DC electric commuter trains operated by Japanese National Railways (JNR), and served as the basis for the 101 series. The 72 series included the main production batch of 490 vehicles as well as 667 former 63 series cars convert ...
*
101 series
1 (one, unit, unity) is a number representing a single or the only entity. 1 is also a numerical digit and represents a single unit of counting or measurement. For example, a line segment of ''unit length'' is a line segment of length 1. I ...
*
103 series
1 (one, unit, unity) is a number representing a single or the only entity. 1 is also a numerical digit and represents a single unit of counting or measurement. For example, a line segment of ''unit length'' is a line segment of length 1. I ...
*
223-6000 series (until March 2011)
*
KiHa 10 series
*
KiHa 20 series
*
KiHa 35 series
The , along with the similar KiHa 30 and KiHa 36 series, are Japanese diesel multiple unit (DMU) train types formerly operated by the Japanese National Railways (JNR) and JR Group of companies, and later operated by the private railway operator ...
*
KiHa 40 series
The is a diesel multiple unit (DMU) train type introduced by Japanese National Railways (JNR) in 1977 and operated by all Japan Railways Group companies on suburban and rural services in Japan. Since 2017, the train type has seen use by other ...
*
KiHa 45 series
*
KiHa 58 series
*
KiHa 41000
References
{{West Japan Railway Company Lines
Lines of West Japan Railway Company
*
Railway lines opened in 1895
1067 mm gauge railways in Japan