is a railway operator in

Osaka Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan located in the Kansai region of Honshu. Osaka Prefecture has a population of 8,778,035 () and has a geographic area of . Osaka Prefecture borders Hyōgo Prefecture to the northwest, Kyoto Prefecture to the north, Nar ...

, Japan. Its sole line, officially named the , operates as an extension of the

Midōsuji Line The 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 L ...

of 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. ...

. The , established on 11 December 1967, is majorly owned by

Hankyu , trading as , is a Japanese private railway company that provides commuter and interurban service to the northern Kansai region and is one of the flagship properties of Hankyu Hanshin Holdings Inc., in turn part of the Hankyu Hanshin Toho Gr ...

. ''Kitakyu'', as it is often abbreviated, also owns various commercial and residential properties along the line.

Stations on the Kitakyu Namboku Line

;Notes:

Former line

*Kaijō Line (Senri-Chūō - )

Rolling stock

* 8000 series (since 1987) * 9000 series (since 28 April 2014)

Former rolling stock

* 2000 series (from 1969 until 1993) * 7000/8000 series (from 1969 until 1970)

History

The line was opened on 24 February 1970, to connect the then northern terminus of the Midōsuji Line, , with the grounds of the

1970 World's Fair The or Expo 70 was a world's fair held in Suita, Osaka Prefecture, Japan between March 15 and September 13, 1970. Its theme was "Progress and Harmony for Mankind." In Japanese, Expo '70 is often referred to as . It was the first world's fai ...

. The Expo link was closed on 14 September, and the line was redirected to a new underground terminal of .

Takeo Miki was a Japanese politician who served as Prime Minister of Japan from 1974 until 1976. Early life and family Takeo Miki was born on 17 March 1907, in Gosho, Tokushima Prefecture (present-day Awa, Tokushima), the only child of farmer-merchant ...

, then Minister of International Trade and Industry, brokered the deal creating the railway as a

joint venture A joint venture (JV) is a business entity created by two or more parties, generally characterized by shared ownership, shared returns and risks, and shared governance. Companies typically pursue joint ventures for one of four reasons: to acces ...

between the City of Osaka and Hankyu Railway. Although the line was originally envisioned as a straightforward extension of the Midosuji Line, the city government was unable to independently complete the extension because it went beyond municipal boundaries, thus raising issues of expropriation and financing. The tracks between Senri-Chuo and the Expo Park were removed following the Expo, and the right-of-way repurposed as part of the Chugoku Expressway. Since the late 1980s, there has been a plan to extend the line 2.5 km northward from Senri-Chuo to a new station in the city of

Minoh is a city in northwestern Osaka Prefecture, Japan. Its name is commonly romanized as "Minō" or "Minoo"; however, the city government officially uses the spelling Minoh in English. As of October 2016, the city has an estimated population of 134 ...

. The Minoh municipal government exchanged a letter of confirmation with Hankyu and Kitakyu regarding studies of the extension in 2011, and the government of

joined a four-party memorandum of understanding in 2012. As of early 2016, the extension was not yet finalized or funded. On 19 January 2017, construction began on the extension of the line to , which will have one intermediate station at . Completion of the extension was originally scheduled for 2020; in May 2019, the extension's scheduled opening date was delayed to 2023 because of construction problems. The scheduled opening of the extension is currently set for the end of 2023.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Kita-Osaka Kyuko Railway Rail transport in Osaka Prefecture Railway companies of Japan Railway companies established in 1967 1967 establishments in Japan