The , also known as the "Yumekamome" ( ja, 夢かもめ), is one of two lines of the

Kobe Municipal Subway The is a rapid transit system in Kobe, Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan. Like other large Japanese cities, Kobe's subway system is heavily complemented by suburban rail. In addition, two people mover lines also serve the Kobe area: the Port Island Line ...

. Trains of the line are propelled by

linear motor A linear motor is an electric motor that has had its stator and rotor "unrolled", thus, instead of producing a torque (rotation), it produces a linear force along its length. However, linear motors are not necessarily straight. Characteristicall ...

s. This is the third linear motor rapid transit line to be built in Japan.

History

Construction of the line began in 1994 but was interrupted by the

Great Hanshin earthquake The , or Kobe earthquake, occurred on January 17, 1995, at 05:46:53 JST (January 16 at 20:46:53 UTC) in the southern part of Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan, including the region known as Hanshin. It measured 6.9 on the moment magnitude scale and had ...

which hit

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 ...

in 1995. Despite the cross section of the tunnels being smaller compared to a conventional subway tunnel, there was still a substantial amount of construction happening at surface level. After being scheduled for a 1999 opening, revenue service began in 2001. Since opening, ridership numbers have stagnated. The projected ridership within 2001 was estimated to be 80,000 boardings, the actual boardings recorded were just over 34,000 in that year. The goal of 50,000 boardings by 2020 was also not achieved. As a result, the line has accumulated a deficit of over over 20 years of operation as of 2021.

Operation

The line is long and runs between Shin-Nagata Station in the west to Sannomiya-Hanadokeimae Station in the east. The maximum grade on the line is 50%.

Stations

Rolling stock

* 5000 series (since 2001) All trains are based at Misaki-Kōen Depot.

References

External links

Official website (in Japanese)

Official route map (in English and Japanese)
{{Osaka transit Kobe Municipal Subway Transport in Kobe Linear motor metros Railway lines opened in 2001