, referred to as , is a Japanese passenger railway company, managing infrastructure and operating passenger train service. Its railway system is the largest in Japan, excluding

Japan Railways Group The Japan Railways Group, more commonly known as the or simply JR, consists of seven for-profit stock companies that took over most of the assets and operations of the government-owned Japanese National Railways (JNR) on April 1, 1987. Mo ...

. The railway network connects

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. ...

Nara The National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) is an " independent federal agency of the United States government within the executive branch", charged with the preservation and documentation of government and historical records. It i ...

Kyoto Kyoto (; Japanese: , ''Kyōto'' ), officially , is the capital city of Kyoto Prefecture in Japan. Located in the Kansai region on the island of Honshu, Kyoto forms a part of the Keihanshin metropolitan area along with Osaka and Kobe. , the ci ...

Nagoya is the largest city in the Chūbu region, the fourth-most populous city and third most populous urban area in Japan, with a population of 2.3million in 2020. Located on the Pacific coast in central Honshu, it is the capital and the most pop ...

, Tsu,

Ise Ise may refer to: Places * Ise, Mie, a city in Japan **Ise Grand Shrine, a Shinto shrine located in Ise, Mie * Ise Ekiti, a city in Nigeria *Ise, Norway, a village in Norway *Ise Province, an ancient province of Japan * River Ise, a tributary of th ...

, and

Yoshino Yoshino may refer to: * Yoshino cherry, another name for ''Prunus × yedoensis'', a flowering cherry tree * Japanese cruiser Yoshino, Japanese cruiser ''Yoshino'', a protected cruiser of the Imperial Japanese Navy Places * Yoshino, Nara, a town ...

. Kintetsu Railway Co., Ltd. is a wholly owned subsidiary of

Kintetsu Group Holdings , referred to as , is a Japanese railway holding company which primarily owns the Kintetsu Railway as well as Kintetsu World Express, Kintetsu Department Store, and its other 141 corporations, which are collectively known as Kintetsu Group. ...

Co., Ltd.

History

On September 16, 1910, was founded and renamed a month after. Osaka Electric Tramway completed Ikoma Tunnel and started operating a line between Osaka and Nara (present-day

Nara Line The is a commuter rail line in the Osaka–Kobe–Kyoto metropolitan area, operated by the West Japan Railway Company (JR West). Its official termini are Kizu Station in Kizugawa and Kyōto Station in Kyoto, within Kyoto Prefecture; however ...

) on April 30, 1914. The modern Kashihara, Osaka, and Shigi lines were completed in the 1920s, followed by the Kyoto Line (a cooperative venture with

Keihan Electric Railway , known colloquially as the , , or simply , is a major Japanese private railway operator in Osaka, Kyoto, and Shiga Prefectures. The transit network includes seven lines; four main lines with heavy rolling stock, two interurban lines, and a funic ...

). Daiki founded in 1927, which consolidated on September 15, 1936. In 1938, Daiki teamed up with its subsidiary to operate the first private railway service from Osaka to Nagoya. Another subsidiary Sankyū bought Kansai Express Electric Railway on January 1, 1940 and continued the service on its own. Then, Sankyū consolidated on August 1. Daiki consolidated its largest subsidiary ''Sankyū'' on March 15, 1941 and was renamed . ''Kankyū'' consolidated on February 1, 1943 and moved its headquarters from Uehommachi to Osaka Abenobashi. Kankyū was renamed after it consolidated

Nankai Railway is a private railway in Japan, founded in 1884. The name ''Nankai'' (which means "South Sea") comes from the company's routes along the Nankaidō, the old highway that ran south from the old capital, Kyoto, along the sea coast. Nankai predates a ...

in June 1944: it maintained the name when Nankai regained its independence in 1947. After

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, Kintetsu branched out and became one of the world's largest travel agencies, Kinki Nippon Tourist Co., Ltd., opening offices in the United States of America (Kintetsu International Express, Inc.) and other countries. The first charged limited express train service started between Uehommachi and Nagoya in 1947, and this is the start of the present Kintetsu limited express trains. The rail network was mostly completed by consolidating , , and other companies. Kintetsu moved its headquarters again from Osaka Abenobashi to Osaka Uehommachi on December 5, 1969. On June 28, 2003, Kinki Nippon Railway Co., Ltd. was renamed Kintetsu Corporation. The corporation was split on April 1, 2015. Its railway business division was succeeded by Kintetsu Split Preparatory Company, Ltd. (founded on April 30, 2014), while its real estate business division by Kintetsu Real Estate Co., Ltd., its hotel business division by Kintetsu Hotel Systems, Inc., and its retail business by Kintetsu Retail Service Corporation, respectively. On the same day Kintetsu Corporation was split, it was renamed as Kintetsu Group Holdings Co., Ltd. as a holding company, while Kintetsu Split Preparatory Company, Ltd. was renamed as Kintetsu Railway Co., Ltd.

Abbreviations

;From its founding to present :*September 16, 1910—April 14, 1941: :*April 15, 1941—May 31, 1944: :*June 1, 1944—1948: or :*Present: — used for the official corporate name in English since 2003. ;Acquired or merged companies :*Sangu Express Electric Railway Co., Ltd.: :*Ise Electric Railway Co., Ltd.: :*Osaka Railway Co., Ltd.: :*Nara Electric Railway Co., Ltd.: :*Mie Electric Railway Co., Ltd.:

Lines

Owned and operated lines (Type I Railway Business), funiculars, and aerial tramway

Following lines belong to Kintetsu's and Business under the Railway Business Act. This means that Kintetsu is the owner and operator of the lines.

lines

All lines operate with 1,500 V DC overhead catenary except for the Keihanna Line, which operates on 750 V DC third rail. *Osaka Line and its branch **

Osaka Line 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 2.7 ...

(Osaka Uehommachi - Ise-Nakagawa) ***

Shigi Line The is a railway line in Japan operated by the private railway operator Kintetsu Railway. The line connects Kawachi-Yamamoto Station and Shigisanguchi Station. The entire line is located in the city of Yao, and is 2.8 km long. At Kawachi-Y ...

(Kawachi-Yamamoto - ShigiSangūchi) *Nagoya Line and its branches ** Nagoya Line (Kintetsu Nagoya - Ise-Nakagawa) *** Yunoyama Line (Kintetsu Yokkaichi - Yunoyama-Onsen) *** Suzuka Line (Ise-Wakamatsu - Hiratacho) *Yamada/Toba/Shima Line ** Yamada Line (Ise-Nakagawa - Ujiyamada) **

Toba Line The is a railway line operated by the Japanese private railway company Kintetsu Railway, connecting Ujiyamada Station in Ise, Mie with Toba Station in Toba, Mie. The line runs parallel to JR Central's Sangū Line. The line connects with the ...

(Ujiyamada - Toba) **

Shima Line The is a railway line in Mie Prefecture, Japan, operated by private railway operator Kintetsu Railway, connecting Toba Station in Toba with Kashikojima Station in Shima. The line connects with the Toba Line at Toba Station. The Yamada Line, T ...

(Toba - Kashikojima) *Namba/Nara Line and its branch ** Namba Line (Ōsaka Namba - Ōsaka Uehommachi) **

(Fuse - Kintetsu-Nara) ***

Ikoma Line The is a railway line of Kintetsu Railway in Nara Prefecture, Japan connecting Ikoma Station in the city of Ikoma and Ōji Station in the town of Ōji. Having a total length of , the entirely electrified standard gauge line is partially doub ...

(Ikoma - Oji) *

Keihanna Line The is a railway line operated by Kintetsu Railway. There are through trains to the Chūō Line of Osaka Municipal Subway. The line name derives from a kanji acronym formed from , , and , but the name is written in hiragana. The line is the ...

(Nagata - Gakken Nara-Tomigaoka)** *Kyoto/Kashihara Line and its branches ** Kyoto Line (Kyoto - Yamato-Saidaiji) **

Kashihara Line The is a north-south bound railway line in Nara Prefecture, Japan, owned and operated by the Kintetsu Railway, a private railway operator. It connects Yamato-Saidaiji Station and Kashiharajingu-mae Station. Service outline Most Express and Li ...

(Yamato-Saidaiji - Kashiharajingu-mae) ***

Tenri Line The is a railway line of Kintetsu Railway in Nara Prefecture, Japan connecting Hirahata Station in Yamato-Kōriyama and Tenri Station in Tenri. The line has four stations including the terminal Tenri and the transfer station Hirahata. It is mai ...

(Hirahata - Tenri) ***

Tawaramoto Line The is a railway line owned and operated by the Kintetsu Railway, a Japanese private railway company, connecting Ōji Station (Nara) ( Ōji, Nara Prefecture) and Nishi-Tawaramoto Station ( Tawaramoto, Nara Prefecture) in Japan. The line does ...

(Shin-Oji - Nishi-Tawaramoto)

narrow gauge lines

*Minami Osaka/Yoshino Line and its branches **

Minami Osaka Line is a railway line operated by Kintetsu Railway connecting in Osaka and in Kashihara, Nara Prefecture via Osaka's southern suburb cities of Matsubara, Fujiidera and Habikino in Osaka Prefecture, and Katsuragi and Yamato-Takada in Nara Pref ...

(Osaka Abenobashi - Kashiharajingu-mae) ***

Domyoji Line The is a single-tracked, 2.2 km short railway line operated by Kintetsu Railway, connecting Dōmyōji Station in the city of Fujiidera and Kashiwara Station in Kashiwara, both in Osaka Prefecture. History The line is the oldest in the K ...

(Domyoji - Kashiwara) *** Nagano Line (Furuichi - Kawachi-Nagano) ***

Gose Line The is a railway line of Kintetsu Corporation in Nara Prefecture, Japan connecting Shakudo Station in Katsuragi and Gose Station in Gose. The line has four stations including the terminal Gose and the transfer station Shakudo. It is mainly use ...

(Shakudo - Kintetsu Gose) ** Yoshino Line (Kashiharajingu-mae - Yoshino)

Cable car (Funicular) lines

(Toriimae - Ikoma-Sanjo) * Nishi-Shigi Line (ShigiSangūchi - Takayasuyama)

Ropeway (aerial tramway)

Katsuragisan Ropeway The , legally referred to as , is an aerial tramway line in Gose, Nara, Japan. The line is the only aerial tramway line in Japan that is directly owned and operated by a major private railway company, the Kintetsu Railway. Opened in 1967, the lin ...

(Katsuragi-tozanguchi - Katsuragi-sanjo)

Operated lines owned by other entities (Type II Railway Business)

Following line belongs to Kintetsu's under the Railway Business Act. This means that Kintetsu operates trains on the line, but the owner of the railway trackage is a separate company. * line **

(Ikoma - Gakken-Nara-Tomigaoka, trackage owned by Nara Ikoma Rapid Transit Railway Co., Ltd.)

Owned lines operated by other entities (Type III Railway Business)

Following lines belong to Kintetsu's under the Railway Business Act. This means that Kintetsu is the owner of the railway facility, but the trains are operated by separate companies. *

narrow gauge A narrow-gauge railway (narrow-gauge railroad in the US) is a railway with a track gauge narrower than standard . Most narrow-gauge railways are between and . Since narrow-gauge railways are usually built with tighter curves, smaller structu ...

lines **

Iga Line The is a railway line in Iga, Mie, Japan, operated by the private railway operator . The line connects Iga-Ueno Station with Iga-Kambe Station. The track and trains are owned by Kintetsu Railway, although the trains are operated by Iga Railway. ...

(Iga-Ueno - Iga-Kambe, trains operated by Iga Railway Co., Ltd.) ** Yōrō Line (Kuwana - Ogaki - Ibi, trains operated by Yōrō Railway Co., Ltd.) Until September 30, 2007, those lines were part of the Category 1 railway business.

Through-train services

Kintetsu trains also run on the

Osaka Metro The is a major rapid transit system in the Osaka Metropolitan Area of Japan, operated by the Osaka Metro Company, Ltd. It serves the city of Osaka and the adjacent municipalities of Higashiosaka, Kadoma, Moriguchi, Sakai, Suita, and Yao. O ...

Chūō Line (all Keihanna Line trains), the

Kyoto Municipal Subway The , also known as Kyoto City Subway, is the rapid transit network in the city of Kyoto, Japan. Operated by the Kyoto Municipal Transportation Bureau, it has two lines. Lines The Kyoto Municipal Subway is made up of two lines: the long, 15 ...

Karasuma Line The is one of the two lines of the Kyoto Municipal Subway operated by Kyoto Municipal Transportation Bureau in Kyoto, Japan. On maps, diagrams and signboards, the line is colored green, and its stations are given numbers following the letter " ...

, and the

Hanshin Railway is a Japanese private railway company of Hankyu Hanshin Toho Group that links Osaka and Kobe. It also owns the Hanshin Tigers baseball team. The first character for Kobe (神戸) and the second character for Osaka (大阪) combine to form th ...

Hanshin Namba Line The is a railway line operated by the private railway operator Hanshin Electric Railway connecting Amagasaki Station in Amagasaki, Hyogo Prefecture, and Ōsaka Namba Station in Chuo-ku, Osaka, Osaka Prefecture, Japan. History The , the pre ...

, but such lines are not Kintetsu lines.

Abandoned lines and transferred lines

*Hase Line (長谷線) (Sakurai - Hase, abandoned ) *Sanjo Line (山上線) (Takayasuyama - Shigizammon, discontinued on January 7, 1944 and abandoned on ) *Horyuji Line (法隆寺線) (Shin-Horyuji - Hirahata, discontinued on February 11, 1945 and abandoned on ) *Obusa Line (小房線) (Unebi - Kashiharajingu-eki, discontinued on June 1, 1950 and abandoned on ) *Ise Line (伊勢線) (Edobashi - Shin-Matsusaka - Daijingu-mae) **Shin-Matsusaka - Daijingu-mae: abandoned on **Edobashi - Shin-Matsusaka: abandoned on *Iga Line (伊賀線) (Nishi-Nabari - Iga-Kambe, abandoned on ) *Shima Line (志摩線) (Kashikojima - Shinjuko, abandoned on ) *Hachioji Line (八王子線) (Nishihino - Ise-Hachioji, discontinued on July 25, 1974 and abandoned on ) *Higashi-Shigi Cable Line (東信貴鋼索線) (Shigisanshita - Shigisan, abandoned on ) * Hokusei Line (Nishi-Kuwana - Ageki, transferred to Sangi Railway Co. on April 1, 2003) * Utsube Line (Kintetsu Yokkaichi - Utsube, transferred to Yokkaichi Asunaro Railway Company on April 1, 2015) * Hachioji Line (Hinaga - Nishi-Hino, transferred to Yokkaichi Asunaro Railway Company on April 1, 2015)

Lines transferred to Nankai Electric Railway

To separate both former Kankyū lines and Nankai Railway lines, on June 1, 1947, the following lines were transferred to

Nankai Electric Railway is a private railway in Japan, founded in 1884. The name ''Nankai'' (which means "South Sea") comes from the company's routes along the Nankaidō, the old highway that ran south from the old capital, Kyoto, along the sea coast. Nankai predates a ...

Co. Ltd. that was renamed from Kōyasan Electric Railway Co., Ltd. * Nankai Main Line (Namba - Wakayamashi) **Tennoji Branch Line (天王寺支線) (Tengachaya - Tennoji) ***Tengachaya - Imaikecho: abandoned on ***Imaikecho - Tennoji: abandoned on **

Takashinohama Line is a railway line in Osaka Prefecture, Japan, owned and operated by Nankai Electric Railway. This line connects to the Nankai Main Line. History The line was opened in 1918 and 1919, electrified at 1500 VDC. The maximum speed of the line is 45 ...

(Hagoromo - Takashinohama) **

Tanagawa Line is a railway line in Osaka Prefecture, Japan, owned by Nankai Electric Railway. This line connects to the Nankai Main Line. History The line opened in 1944, electrified at 1500 VDC, to serve the Kawasaki Heavy Industries shipbuilding yard. In 19 ...

(Misakikoen - Tanagawa) ** Kada Line (Kinokawa - Kada) **Kitajima Branch Line (北島支線) (Wakayamashi - Higashi-Matsue, abandoned on ) *

Koya Line The is a railway line in Osaka Prefecture and Wakayama Prefecture, Japan, owned and operated by the Nankai Electric Railway, a private railway operator. It connects Osaka and Koyasan, the capital of the Japanese Buddhist sect Shingon, via the ...

(Shiomibashi - Koyashita) *

Hankai Line The is a tramway in the cities of Osaka and Sakai, Osaka Prefecture, Japan. Hankai Tramway Co., Ltd. owns and operates the line. The line's name comes from (the kanji character for ''saka'' is also pronounced ''han'') and (whose kanji contribu ...

(Ebisucho - Hamadera-eki-mae) (transferred to Hankai Tramway Co., Ltd. on December 1, 1980) **Ohama Branch Line (大浜支線) (Shukuin - Ohama-kitaguchi - Ohamakaigan) ***Ohama-kitaguchi - Ohamakaigan: abandoned on ***Shukuin - Ohama-kitaguchi: closed on July 10, 1945, abandoned on ** Uemachi Line (Tennoji-eki-mae - Sumiyoshikoen) (transferred to Hankai Tramway Co., Ltd. on December 1, 1980) **Hirano Line (平野線) (Imaike - Hirano) (abandoned on )

Unbuilt lines

*Gifu Line (岐阜線) (Ogaki - Gifu or Hashima), planned by Yoro Electric Railway Co. *Shijonawate Line (四条畷線) (Sakuranomiya - Nukata), planned by Osaka Electric Railway Co.

Rolling stock

, Kintetsu operates a fleet of 1,905

electric multiple unit An electric multiple unit or EMU is a multiple-unit train consisting of self-propelled carriages using electricity as the motive power. An EMU requires no separate locomotive, as electric traction motors are incorporated within one or a numbe ...

(EMU) vehicles, the second largest fleet for a private railway operator in Japan after

Tokyo Metro The is a major rapid transit system in Tokyo, Japan, operated by the Tokyo Metro Co. With an average daily ridership of 6.84 million passengers, the Tokyo Metro is the larger of the two subway operators in the city; the other being the Toe ...

(2,766 vehicles). The newest ''Hinotori'' 80000 series EMU trainsets entered revenue service on limited express services between Osaka Namba and Kintetsu Nagoya in spring 2020. Eight six-car sets and three eight-car sets, 72 vehicles in total, will enter service by 2021. The end cars in each set will be designated "High Grade cars" with 1+2 abreast seating and a seat pitch of . The intermediate "Regular" cars will have 2+2 abreast seating and a seat pitch of . Seating in both types of accommodation will consist of fixed-back shell seats. File:Kintetsu 21020.jpg, 21020 series ''Urban Liner next'' File:Kintetsu-30000 001 JPN.JPG, 30000 series ''Vista EX'' File:Kintetsu1400Series02.jpg, 1400 series File:Kintetsu 5820 series 001.JPG, 5820 series File:Kintetsu7000Series01.jpg,

7000 series 7000 series may refer to: Japanese trains * Chichibu Railway 7000 series electric multiple unit (EMU) * Echizen Railway 7000 series EMU * Hankyu 7000 series EMU * Hokushin Kyuko Electric Railway 7000 series EMU operating for the Kobe Municipal Su ...

File:Kintetsu 80000 series Nagoya Station (49703548326).jpg, alt=Kintetsu 80000 series Hinotori train at Kintetsu Nagoya station, 80000 series ''Hinotori''

Future

In May 2022 Kintetsu announced that new commuter trainsets would be in service for 2024.

Fare cards

Kintetsu accepts

ICOCA The card is a rechargeable contactless smart card used on the JR West rail network in Japan. The card was launched on November 1, 2003 for usage on the Urban Network, which encompasses the major cities of Osaka, Kyoto and Kobe (Keihanshin). It ...

PiTaPa is a contactless smart card ticketing and electronic money system used in the Kansai region (and may also be used in some areas of Okayama Prefecture, Hiroshima Prefecture, and Shizuoka Prefecture) of Japan. The name ''PiTaPa'' is an acronym of ...

, and other compatible nation-wide IC cards throughout their network except on the Ikoma cable car and Katsuragi ropeway. Various discount tickets are also available from their website or ticket machines, with varying valid areas and usage periods. Surutto Kansai passes can be used in the Keihanshin area, west of Aoyamachō and north of Tsubosakayama stations.

Offices of Kintetsu

*Headquarters and Osaka Transportation Department, Railway Headquarters, Railway Headquarters: 1-55, Uehommachi Rokuchome, Tennoji-ku, Osaka *Nagoya Transportation Department, Railway Headquarters: 16-11, Unomori Itchome, Yokkaichi, Mie

References

External links

*
about Kintetsu
{{Authority control Companies listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange * Railway companies of Japan Railway companies established in 1910 Companies based in Osaka Prefecture Holding companies of Japan Companies listed on the Nagoya Stock Exchange Holding companies established in 1910 Japanese companies established in 1910