A ''Rapi:t'' train repainted in a red '' Gundam Neo Zeon'' livery to mark the 20th anniversary is a limited express train service between

Kansai International Airport Kansai International Airport (), commonly known as Kankū (; ), is the primary international airport in the Keihanshin, Greater Osaka Area of Japan and the closest international airport to the cities of Osaka, Kyoto, and Kobe. It is located on ...

and

Namba Station is a name shared by two physically separated railway stations in the Namba district of Chūō-ku, Osaka, Japan, operated by Nankai Electric Railway and the Osaka Metro. The name "Namba Station" can also refer to the entire station complex as a ...

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 ...

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

. It is operated by

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 predate ...

, and the train service uses the

Nankai Main Line The is one of the two main railway lines of Japanese private railway company Nankai Electric Railway, together with Nankai Kōya Line, Kōya Line. The route is from Namba Station in south downtown of Osaka to Wakayamashi Station in Wakayama, Wa ...

and the Airport Line. The futuristic and retro-style six-car ''Rapi:t'' train sets, officially designated as the

Nankai 50000 series The is a limited express electric multiple unit (EMU) train type operated in Japan by the private railway operator Nankai Electric Railway. These 6-car trains were introduced in 1994 on the new ''Rapi:t'' limited express service on the Nankai A ...

, were designed by architect Wakabayashi Hiroyuki and won the Blue Ribbon Prize in 1995, one year after entering service..

Station stops

There are two classes of ''Rapi:t'' services. ''Rapi:t β'' (beta) takes 37 minutes from Namba to Kansai Airport, stopping at Shin-Imamiya, Tengachaya, Sakai, Kishiwada, Izumisano, and Rinkū Town. ''Rapi:t α'' (alpha) takes 34 minutes, stopping at Shin-Imamiya, Tengachaya, Izumisano, and Rinku Town. All seats are reserved and non-smoking. 4 ''α'' trains depart Namba for Kansai Airport on weekday mornings (6:00, 7:00, 8:00, 9:00), and 6 depart Kansai Airport for Namba from 20:00 (2 per hour). ''β'' trains depart Namba for Kansai Airport every day, 1 per hour from 7:00 until 10:00 and 2 per hour from 10:00, and 1 or 2 depart Kansai Airport for Namba by 20:00. *''Rapi:t α'':

- Shin-Imamiya Station - Tengachaya Station - Izumisano Station -

Rinkū Town Station Rinku may refer to: In characters: * Rinku (''The Legend of Zelda'') or Link, the main character in ''The Legend of Zelda'' media * Rinku (''YuYu Hakusho''), a character in ''YuYu Hakusho'' media * Rinku Aimoto, character from the media '' D4DJ'' ...

Kansai Airport Station is a ground level passenger railway station shared by Nankai Electric Railway and West Japan Railway Company (JR West) located at Kansai International Airport in the town of Tajiri, Osaka, Tajiri, Sennan District, Osaka, Sennan District, Osaka Pr ...

*''Rapi:t β'': Namba Station - Shin-Imamiya Station - Tengachaya Station -

Sakai Station is a passenger railway station located in Sakai-ku, Sakai, Osaka Prefecture, Japan, operated by the private railway operator Nankai Electric Railway. It has the station number "NK11". Lines Sakai Station is served by the Nankai Main Line, and i ...

- Kishiwada Station - Izumisano Station - Rinkū Town Station - Kansai Airport Station

History

The ''Rapi:t'' service was inaugurated on 4 September 1994 using 6-car Nankai 50000 series EMUs. ''Rapi:t'' services were suspended on 4 September 2018 due to the effects of Typhoon Jebi causing damage to the airport and the Sky Gate Bridge R being damaged by an empty fuel tanker. Services to the airport were completely restored on 18 September 2018.

References

External links

Kansai International Airport access
- Nankai Railway Official Website in English "How to enjoy Osaka" Nankai Group Airport rail links in Japan Rail transport in Osaka Prefecture Named passenger trains of Japan Railway services introduced in 1994 1994 establishments in Japan {{japan-rail-transport-stub

Station stops

History

See also

References

External links