The is a

railway Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport using wheeled vehicles running in railway track, tracks, which usually consist of two parallel steel railway track, rails. Rail transport is one of the two primary means of ...

line in

Kyoto Kyoto ( or ; Japanese language, Japanese: , ''Kyōto'' ), officially , is the capital city of Kyoto Prefecture in the Kansai region of Japan's largest and most populous island of Honshu. , the city had a population of 1.46 million, making it t ...

that was opened on 5 October 1989 by the Keihan Electric Railway. The Ōtō Line re-established a rail connection between the Keihan Main Line and the Eizan Electric Railway, which had been severed when the Kyoto City streetcars ceased running in 1978. The line is operated as an extension of the Keihan Main Line. All trains continue into the Keihan Main Line and Keihan Nakanoshima Line in

Osaka is a Cities designated by government ordinance of Japan, designated city in the Kansai region of Honshu in Japan. It is the capital of and most populous city in Osaka Prefecture, and the List of cities in Japan, third-most populous city in J ...

. The double-track line is situated below Kawabata Street, along the left (eastern) bank of the

Kamo River The is located in Kyoto Prefecture, Japan. The riverbanks are popular walking spots for residents and tourists. In summer, restaurants open balconies looking out to the river. There are walkways running alongside the river, and some stepping s ...

. Despite its length of , it serves as an important transport corridor in central Kyoto.

Overview

The route name is derived the line's route on the east shore of

. It is constructed under Kawabata Street along the Kamo River as an underground extension of the Keihan Main Line. The line is only long but serves as an important transport corridor in central Kyoto.

Addition fares

To recover the cost of construction and interest payments (69 billion yen) of the line, a surcharge of 60 yen is added on top of regular fares when a trip uses the line. The recovery rate at the end of FY2016 was 31.8%; most of it recovered by the 60 yen surcharge. It is undecided whether the additional surcharge will be imposed indefinitely.

History

August 29, 1924: Kyoto Electric Light (predecessor of the Keifuku Electric Railway) acquired a license for laying local railways between Demachiyanagi and Sanjo. April 10, 1950: Keihan Electric Railway established the Ōtō Line Construction Preparation Committee. July 1, 1972: Kamogawa Electric Railway was established. February 20, 1974: Provincial railway laying licence between the Keifuku Electric Railway February 25, 1974: Kamogawa Electric Railway acquires a license for laying a local railway between Demachiyanagi and Sanjo. November 30, 1984: A groundbreaking ceremony was held at the Ōtō Line construction work. April 1, 1989: Keihan Electric Railway merges with Kamogawa Electric Railway. October 5, 1989: Opened as Ōtō Line. The timetable revision accompanying this has been carried out ahead of September 27, until noon October 5 was operated as a forwarding train in the Ōtō Line. October 19, 2008: Because there is a station of the same name on the Kyoto Municipal Subway Karasuma Line, the Marutamachi Station of this line is renamed to Jingu-Marutamachi Station. December 5, 2015: ATS operation begins on the Ōtō Line.

Stations and connections

References

This article incorporates material from the corresponding article in the Japanese Wikipedia {{DEFAULTSORT:Keihan Oto Line Oto Line Rail transport in Kyoto Prefecture Standard-gauge railways in Japan 1989 establishments in Japan Railway lines opened in 1989