The (Literally: Osaka East Line) is a railway line in Osaka, Japan, operated by 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). The line connects
Shin-Osaka Station in northern
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. ...
with
Kyūhōji Station in
Yao, forming an arc around the northern and eastern suburbs of the city. Before being named on August 23, 2007, the line was constructed with the tentative name "".
The line is constructed and owned by the as a
Category-3 railway business under the Railway Business Act of Japan. JR-West and JR Freight operate trains as
Category-2 railway business. The Kita-Umeda extension will open in 2023, replacing the above-ground Umeda Freight Line.
History
Conceived in the 1950s during Japan's explosive postwar economic growth, it was planned as a grand "outer loop" of the city, using existing freight lines to link
Amagasaki
270px, Amagasaki Castle
270px, Aerial view of Amagasaki city center
270px, Amagasaki Station
is an industrial city located in Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 455,555 in 223812 households, and a population de ...
with
Shin-Osaka,
Suita
is a city located in northern Osaka Prefecture, Japan. As of October 1, 2016, the city has an estimated population of 378,322 and a population density of 9,880 persons per km². The total area is 36.11 km².
The city was founded on April 1, ...
,
Awaji,
Hanaten,
Kami
are the deities, divinities, spirits, phenomena or "holy powers", that are venerated in the Shinto religion. They can be elements of the landscape, forces of nature, or beings and the qualities that these beings express; they can also be the sp ...
, Uriwari and
Sugimotochō, with a newly constructed segment into Osaka's (then primarily industrial) Nankō Port Town. However, with JNR's financial situation deteriorating catastrophically (culminating in its privatization) and continuing issues surrounding land acquisition and squatting by local residents on railway property, the plan was cut back to Shin-Osaka and Kami, terminating at
Kyūhōji in the south. (The Hanwa Freight Line, which would have carried the southern segment from Kami to Sugimotochō, was officially abandoned by JR Freight in 2009.) The line connects
Shin-Osaka Station in northern
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. ...
with
Kyūhōji Station in
Yao, forming an arc around the northern and eastern suburbs of the city.
The southern part opened on 15 March 2008. But because of problems with the illegal occupation of a site, construction of the northern part was delayed.
Construction of the northern segment started in 2011 and the section between
Shin-Osaka and
Hanaten has opened on 16 March 2019.
Future plans
Incorporated into the second phase of the Osaka Higashi Line project is the construction of underground platforms at Osaka Station (known as Ume-kita). The project provides the basis for the future Naniwasuji Line while also providing a small shortcut on current services on the
Haruka and
Kuroshio
The , also known as the Black or or the is a north-flowing, warm ocean current on the west side of the North Pacific Ocean basin. It was named for the deep blue appearance of its waters. Similar to the Gulf Stream in the North Atlantic, the K ...
limited express trains.
As of December 2022, track switching work will take place between 11 February and 13 February 2023, with the underground platforms beginning operation later in the year.
Once track switching is complete, trains will use the new underground tracks while bypassing the underground platforms.
Stations
*● : Direct Rapid service stops here
*, : Direct Rapid service does not stop here
;Notes:
Rolling stock
Passenger
*
207 series (used for Direct Rapid Services since March 12, 2011)
*
321 series (used for Direct Rapid Services)
*
221 series (from 12 March 2022)
Former
*
103 series (until 2018)
*
201 series (until 11 March 2022)
*
223-6000 series (used for Direct Rapid Services from March 15, 2008, until March 11, 2011)
The 103 and 201 series trains are based at Nara Depot, the 207 series trains are based at Aboshi Depot, while the 223-6000 series trains were based at Miyahara Depot.
Freight
Locomotives seen hauling freight trains include the
DD51,
DE10
The is a class of Japanese C-B wheel arrangement diesel-hydraulic locomotives. 708 locomotives were built between 1966 and 1978. , 138 locomotives remained in operation.
Variants
DE10-0 subclass
158 DE10-0 locomotives were built with steam ...
,
EF66,
EF81 and
EF210.
File:JNR DD51 831 20011120.jpg, A DD51 locomotive on the Osaka Higashi Line in November 2001
File:EF81-627 Akagawa.jpg, An EF81 locomotive on the Akagawa Bridge in August 2013
See also
*
Musashino Line
The is a railway line operated by the East Japan Railway Company (JR East). It links Tsurumi Station in Yokohama with Nishi-Funabashi Station in Chiba Prefecture, forming a 100.6 km unclosed loop around central Tokyo. Passenger operations ...
, in the Tokyo area
*
Aichi Loop Line
The is a Japanese railway line connecting Okazaki Station in Okazaki and Kōzōji Station in Kasugai, operated by the . The company or the line is abbreviated as . This is the only line the company operates. Despite its name, the line is not ...
References
External links
Osaka Soto-Kanjo Railway Co., Ltd.
{{West Japan Railway Company Lines
Rail transport in Osaka Prefecture
Lines of West Japan Railway Company
Railway lines opened in 1929
1067 mm gauge railways in Japan