The Kyoto Line (京都線, Kyōto sen) is a Japanese railway line owned and operated by the Kintetsu Railway, a private railway operator. It connects the cities of Kyoto, Uji, and Nara, and competes with the Nara Line of West Japan Railway Company (JR-West), which also connects those cities.

Kyoto Line
A limited express train
Overview
Native name京都線
OwnerThe logo of the Kintetsu Railway Company. Kintetsu Railway
Line numberB
LocaleKyoto Prefecture
Nara Prefecture
Termini
Stations26
Color on map     (#e7a61a)
Service
Type
SystemThe logo of the Kintetsu Railway Company. Kintetsu Railway
Operator(s)Kintetsu Railway
Depot(s)
  • Shin-Tanabe
  • Saidaiji
  • Miyazu
History
Opened3 November 1928; 96 years ago (1928-11-03)
Technical
Line length34.6 km (21.5 mi)
Number of tracksDouble-track
Character
  • Heavy rail
  • Commuter rail
Track gauge1,435 mm (4 ft 8+12 in) standard gauge
Electrification1,500 V DC (Overhead line)
Operating speed105 km/h (65 mph)
SignallingAutomatic closing block
Train protection systemKintetsu ATS, ATS-SP
Route map

Kintetsu Lines unless noted

JR-West lines
 B01 
Kyōto
0.0
closed 1946
Hachijō
 B02 
Tōji
0.9
Kujō
Kyoto Tram
Kujō Line
 B03 
Jūjō
1.5
Jūjō
 B04 
Kamitobaguchi
2.5
Kuinabashi
Takeda Depot
 B05 
Takeda
3.6
4.9
Fushimi
 B06 
original JNR Nara Line
Tambabashi
6.0
Kintetsu Tambabashi
 B07 
Fushimi Momoyama
6.5
Momoyamagoryōmae
 B08 
Yodo-Gawa Bridge
over Uji River
8.6
Mukaijima
 B09 
 B10 
Ogura
11.4
 B11 
Iseda
12.7
 B12 
Ōkubo
13.6
Shinden
 B13 
Kutsukawa
14.6
 B14 
Terada
15.9
 B15 
Tonoshō
17.4
Kizu-Gawa Bridge
over Kizu River
Kizugawa
closed 1974
Shin-Tanabe Depot
Kyōtanabe
19.6
Shin-Tanabe
 B16 
Dōshisha-mae
21.1
Kōdo
 B17 
JR Miyamaki
22.4
Miyamaki
 B18 
 
Miyazu
23.1
 
Kintetsu
Depot
 
Miyazu
 
 B19 
Shimokoma
24.4
Komada
 B20 
Hōsono
26.7
Shin-Hōsono
 B21 
28.2
Kizugawadai
 B22 
29.2
Yamadagawa
 B23 
30.8
Takanohara
 B24 
33.5
Heijō
 B25 
34.6
Yamato-Saidaiji
 B26 
Kintetsu Nara
Nara Line
 A28 
Saidaiji Depot

Many trains on the line continue to the Nara Line to Kintetsu Nara Station or the Kashihara Line via Yamato-Saidaiji Station. The line also provides the through train services with the Karasuma Line of Kyoto Municipal Subway.

History

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The Kyoto Line was built by Nara Electric Railway (奈良電気鉄道, Nara Denki Tetsudō) in November 1928 as dual track electrified at 600 V DC. The track between Kyoto Station and Horiuchi Station (present-day Kintetsu-Tambabashi Station) was placed on the site of a removed railway, which had been rerouted and is now called the JR Nara Line.[1]

The railway provided the through services to the lines of Kintetsu (originally, Osaka Electric Tramway) from the beginning. As of September 1961, Kintetsu was the largest shareholder of Nara Electric Railway with 980,000 shares out of the company's 1.9 million shares, while Keihan Electric Railway owned 710,000 shares. Through a deal between the two major shareholders, the shares owned by Keihan were transferred to Kintetsu in April 1962 and the company was merged into Kintetsu from October 1963.[1]

Between 1945 and 1968, there were through services with the Keihan Main Line using crossovers at Tambabashi.[2] The line voltage was increased to 1,500 V DC in 1969, and in 1988 through services with the Karasuma Line were introduced.[citation needed]

Stations

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  • S: All trains stop
  • M: Only express trains operated from Kyoto to Kintetsu Miyazu stop
  • X: limited stop of limited express trains (northbound in the morning and southbound in the evening and night)
  • |: Trains pass
  • Local trains stop at every station between Kyoto and Yamato-Saidaiji.
  • SE: Semi-express
  • Ex: Express
  • LE: Limited express
No. Name Japanese Distance
(km)
SE Ex LE Transfers Location
 B01  Kyōto 京都 0.0 S S S Shimogyō-ku, Kyoto Kyoto Prefecture
 B02  Tōji 東寺 0.9 S S | Minami-ku, Kyoto
 B03  Jūjō 十条 1.5 | | |
 B04  Kamitobaguchi 上鳥羽口 2.5 | | | Fushimi-ku, Kyoto
 B05  Takeda 竹田 3.6 S S |   Karasuma Line (K15)
 B06  Fushimi 伏見 4.9 | | |
 B07  Kintetsu-Tambabashi 近鉄丹波橋 6.0 S S S   Keihan Main Line (Tambabashi) (KH30)
 B08  Momoyamagoryōmae 桃山御陵前 6.5 S S |
 B09  Mukaijima 向島 8.6 S | |
 B10  Ogura 小倉 11.4 S | | Uji
 B11  Iseda 伊勢田 12.7 S | |
 B12  Ōkubo 大久保 13.6 S S |
 B13  Kutsukawa 久津川 14.6 S | | Jōyō
 B14  Terada 寺田 15.9 S | |
 B15  Tonoshō 富野荘 17.4 S | |
 B16  Shin-Tanabe 新田辺 19.6 S S | Kyōtanabe
 B17  Kōdo 興戸 21.1 M |
 B18  Miyamaki 三山木 22.4 M |
 B19  Kintetsu Miyazu 近鉄宮津 23.1 M |
 B20  Komada 狛田 24.4 | | Seika
 B21  Shin-Hōsono 新祝園 26.7 S S H Gakkentoshi Line (Hōsono) (JR-H20)
 B22  Kizugawadai 木津川台 28.2 | |
 B23  Yamadagawa 山田川 29.2 | |
 B24  Takanohara 高の原 30.8 S X Nara Nara Prefecture
 B25  Heijō 平城 33.5 | |
 B26  Yamato-Saidaiji 大和西大寺 34.6 S S B Kashihara Line (through service) (B26)
A Kintetsu-Nara Line (A26)

Trains down to

References

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This article incorporates material from the corresponding article in the Japanese Wikipedia.

  1. ^ a b Takayama, Reizō (December 1992). "奈良電の時代" [The Era of Naraden]. The Railway Pictorial (in Japanese). No. 569. Denkisha Kenkyūkai Tetsudōtosho Kankōkai. p. 124.
  2. ^ Teramoto, Mitsuteru (December 1991). "京阪 列車・運転の移り変わり" [Transition of Keihan trains and operation]. The Railway Pictorial (in Japanese). No. 553. Denkisha Kenkyūkai Tetsudōtosho Kankōkai. p. 94.
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