Hanshin Electric Railway

Hanshin Electric Railway
Overview
Parent companyHankyu Hanshin Holdings
(Hankyu Hanshin Toho Group)
HeadquartersOsaka, Japan
LocaleKansai region, Japan
Dates of operation1905 (established in 1899)–
Technical
Track gauge1,435 mm (4 ft 8+12 in)
Length48.9 km
Other
Websiterail.hanshin.co.jp
Corporate headquarters of Hanshin

Hanshin Electric Railway Co., Ltd. (阪神電気鉄道株式会社, Hanshin Denki-tetsudō Kabushiki-gaisha) is a Japanese private railway company owned by Hankyu Hanshin Toho Group that links Osaka and Kobe. It also owns the Hanshin Tigers baseball team.

The first character for Kobe (戸) and the second character for Osaka (大) combine to form the company name, 阪神, which can be read Han-shin.

IC cards (PiTaPa and ICOCA) are accepted when taking trains.

Rail lines

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Linemap of Hanshin Electric Railway

Operating lines

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The section between Nishikujō and Ōsaka-Namba is the newest line of Hanshin that opened on March 20, 2009. Prior to this extension the line was called the Nishi-Ōsaka Line.
The tracks of the line are owned by Kobe Rapid Transit Railway Co., Ltd. as the Tozai Line.

Abandoned lines

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Incomplete lines

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History

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  • June 12, 1899: Settsu Electric Railway Co., Ltd. (摂津電気鉄道株式会社, Settsu Denki-tetsudō Kabushiki-gaisha) was established.
  • July 7, 1899: The company was renamed "Hanshin Electric Railway Co., Ltd."
  • April 7, 1968: Kobe Rapid Railway was opened and joint operation with Sanyo Electric Railway was started.
  • February 15, 1998: Joint operation with Sanyo Electric Railway for limited express service between Umeda and Himeji was started.
  • June 20, 2006: Hankyu Holdings, Inc. completed its purchase of a controlling interest in Hanshin in a transaction valued at about $2.2 billion.[1]
  • March 20, 2009: Joint operation with Kintetsu Railway for Rapid Express service between Sannomiya and Kintetsu Nara was started.

Rolling stock

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Limited Express/Express

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Local

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Mukogawa Line

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Subsidiaries

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Hanshin Electric Railway owns the Hanshin Tigers baseball team, whose home ground is Hanshin Koshien Stadium in front of Kōshien Station of the railway's Main Line.

One of the company's subsidiaries is the Osaka-based company Hanshin Contents Link, that operates the Billboard Japan brand under licence from Billboard's publisher.[4][5]

References

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  1. ^ "UPDATE 2-Hankyu takes over fellow railway operator Hanshin". Reuters. 2006-06-20. Retrieved 2006-06-20.
  2. ^ 阪神5550系が営業運転を開始 [Hanshin 5550 series enters service]. Japan Railfan Magazine Online (in Japanese). Koyusha Co., Ltd. 30 December 2010. Retrieved 10 July 2013.
  3. ^ 阪神5700系が営業運転を開始 [Hanshin 5700 series enters revenue service]. Japan Railfan Magazine Online (in Japanese). Japan: Koyusha Co., Ltd. 25 August 2015. Retrieved 25 August 2015.
  4. ^ "'Billboard Live' Venues To Roll Out In Japan". Billboard. 2006-09-14. Retrieved 2016-04-11.
  5. ^ Nielsen Business Media, Inc. (18 August 2007). "Billboard 18 August 2007". Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. pp. 34–. ISSN 0006-2510. {{cite magazine}}: |author= has generic name (help)
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