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OSAKA
 Japan

Osaka Subway Map

Click on map to expand to full size!Osaka Hankai Tramway

 
 OSAKA METRO

Osaka Subway logoThe city of Osaka has a population of almost 3 million inhabitants. It is the centre of a metropolitan region with some 18 million people, including the cities of Kyoto and Kobe.

Osaka opened its first subway line (the first public metro in Japan) on 20 May 1933 between Umeda and Shinsaibashi. Most lines run along main streets and were built by the cut-and-cover method at low depth. In 2007, the eight subway lines reached a total length of 130 km with 123 stations. View complete history chart here.

Apart from the subway lines, which cross the city like a grid network, and the so-called new tram serving the waterfront, there are several suburban rail services operating in the metropolitan area, among them the Osaka Loop Line (21.7 km), which connects all subway lines, and the two Hankai tramway lines. As is common with other Japanese metro systems, some lines have a reciprocal service with suburban rail lines. In 2004, station numbers were added. Although no line numbers are used, lines are generally listed in the following order:

 

 Midosuji Line (M)

Esaka - Nakamozu
24.5 km, 20 stations, 10-car trains, on the surface north of Nishinakajima (includes Yodo river crossing); through-operation with Kita-Osaka Kyuko (Kitakyu) to Senri-Chuo

20 May 1933 Umeda - Shinsaibashi

 

Midosuji Line Midosuji Line Midosuji Line

 

 Tanimachi Line (T)

Dainichi - Yaominani
28.1 km, 26 stations, 6-car-trains

 

Tanimachi Line Tanimachi Line Tanimachi Line

 

 Yotsubashi Line (Y)

Nishi-Umeda - Suminoekoen
11.4 km, 11 stations, 5-car trains

 

Yotsubashi Line Yotsubashi Line Yotsubashi Line

 

 Chuo Line (C)

Cosmosquare - Nagata
17.9 km, 14 stations, 6-car trains, elevated between Bentencho and Osakako; reciprocal service with Kintetsu's Keihanna Line.

The section Osakako - Cosmosquare was part of the 3.7 km OTS "Nanko Technoport Line" (Osakako - Nakafuto), including a 2.2 km underwater rail/road tunnel; it opened on 18 December 1997, but was fully integrated into the Subway Chuo Line and the Nanko Port Town Line on 30 June 2005.

Chuo Line Chuo Line Chuo Line

 

 Sennichimae Line (S)

Noda-hanshin - Minami-Tatsumi
12.6 km, 14 stations, 4-car trains

 

Sennichimae Line Sennichimae Line Sennichimae Line

 

 Sakaisuji Line (K)

Tenjinbashisuji-6-chome - Tengachaya; reciprocal service with Hankyu Railway
8.5 km, 10 stations, 6-car trains

 

Sakaisuji Line Sakaisuji Line Sakaisuji Line

 

 Nagahori-Tsurumi-ryokuchi Line (N)

Kadoma-Minami - Taisho
13 km, 16 stations, 4-car trains

 

Nagahori-Tsurumi-ryokuchi Line Nagahori-Tsurumi-ryokuchi Line Nagahori-Tsurumi-ryokuchi Line

 

 Imazatosuji Line (I)

Imazato - Itakano
11.9 km, 11 stations, linear-motor trains

24 Dec 2006 Imazato - Itakano

Imazatosuji Line Imazatosuji Line Imazatosuji Line

 


 Other Rapid Transit Systems in the Osaka Metropolitan Area
..

 Nanko Port Town Line (P)

Suminoekoen - Cosmosquare

7.9 km, 10 stations, automatic elevated pneu light metro, also referred to as "new tram"

16 March 1981 - Nanko Port Town Line (New Tram) Nakafuto - Suminoekoen

The section Nakafuto - Cosmosquare was part of the 3.7 km OTS "Nanko Technoport Line" (Osakako - Nakafuto), including a 2.2 km underwater rail/road tunnel; it opened on 18 December 1997, but was fully integrated into the Subway Chuo Line and the Nanko Port Town Line on 30 June 2005. The Nanko Port Town Line is now fully integrated with the Osaka Subway system.

Nanko Port Town Line Nanko Port Town Line Nanko Port Town Line

 

 Osaka Monorail

Osaka Airport - Kadoma-shi / Saito-nishi

28 km - 18 stations

01 June 1990: Senri-Chuo - Minami-ibaraki
30 Sept 1994: Senri-Chuo - Shibahara
01 April 1997: Shibahara - Osaka Airport
22 Aug 1997: Minami-ibaraki - Kadoma-shi
01 Oct 1998: Bampaku-kinen-koen - Handai-byoin-mae
19 Mar 2007: Handai-byoin-mae - Saito-nishi

The main line (21.2 km and 14 stations) runs on a tangential semi-circle route along the northern suburbs of Osaka from Osaka Airport to Kadoma-shi. It does not reach the city of Osaka but intersects with the several railway services to Osaka, including Hankyu Takarazuka Line at Hotarugaike, Kita-Osaka Kyuko Line at Senri-Chuo that provides through service with Osaka Subway Midosuji Line, Hankyu Senri Line at Yamada, Hankyu Kyoto Line at Minami-Ibaraki, Osaka Subway Tanimachi Line at Dainichi (eastern terminus), and with Keihan Main Line at Kadoma-shi.
The branch line to Saito diverges from the main line at Bampaku-kinen-koen (EXPO commemoration Park) and with 4 stations it has a length of 6.8 km. On 19 March 2007 it was extended from Handai-byoin-mae to Saito-nishi. During day time the monorail provides a 10-minute interval on the main line and a 20-minute service on the Saito Line.

See the map of Osaka Monorail here

Osaka Monorail Osaka Monorail Osaka Monorail Osaka Monorail

 

 Links

Osaka Metro Official Website

Osaka Monorail (Official site)

Monorails.org - Osaka Page


Osaka Metro at Wikipedia

Osaka Monorail at Wikipedia

Osaka Subway Map at JohoMaps

Adoption of Linear Motor Propulsion System for Subway

Osaka-Subway.com

BLOG: Read your webmaster's impressions of Osaka's Subway & Monorail (May 2016)

 

 Book

Metros & Trams in JapanAndrew Phipps & Robert Schwandl:

METROS & TRAMS in JAPAN - Vol. 3: West & South

Osaka - Kyoto - Kobe - Okayama - Hiroshima - Kitakyushu - Fukuoka - Nagasaki - Kumamoto - Kagoshima

The third volume of our trilogy about urban rail systems in Japan covers all the systems in West and South Japan, from the metros in Osaka, Kyoto and Fukuoka to the different special transit systems like monorails and people movers, and to the numerous tramways, including Japan's largest network in Hiroshima. As usual, the book is illustrated with a large number of recent colour photos and detailed network maps.

Text: German & English; 160 pages, ca. 300 photos; Detailed network maps
Oct 2018 - ISBN 978-3-936573-54-1

 Photos
 
 

 

2011 © UrbanRail.Net by Robert Schwandl.