The is a 6.9 km railway line in northern

Osaka Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan located in the Kansai region of Honshu. Osaka Prefecture has a population of 8,778,035 () and has a geographic area of . Osaka Prefecture borders Hyōgo Prefecture to the northwest, Kyoto Prefecture to the north, Nara ...

, Japan, operated by the

private railway A private railway is a railroad run by a private business entity (usually a corporation but not need be), as opposed to a railroad run by a public sector. Japan In Japan, , commonly simply ''private railway'', refers to a public transit railway o ...

company

Keihan Electric Railway The , known colloquially as the , , or simply , is a major Japanese private railway operator in Osaka, Kyoto, and Shiga Prefectures. The transit network includes seven lines; four main lines with heavy rolling stock, two interurban lines, and a ...

. It connects Hirakatashi Station on the

Keihan Main Line The is a railway line in Japan operated by Keihan Electric Railway. The line runs between Sanjō Station in Kyoto and Yodoyabashi Station in Osaka. There are through services to the Keihan Ōtō Line and the Keihan Nakanoshima Line. Trains ...

with Kisaichi Station.

Operation

All trains stop at all stations, except as noted below. There is no through service to Keihan Main Line. Until 15 March 2013, several trains through to

were operated on weekdays, as rapid trains. They were named "Hikoboshi" and "Orihime", unlike other Keihan line rapid trains which were not named. ; :Operated weekday nights, from for Kisaichi, stopped at Watanabebashi, Ōebashi and Naniwabashi on the

Nakanoshima Line The is a railway line operated by the Keihan Electric Railway 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 ...

, then Temmabashi, Kyōbashi, Moriguchishi, Neyagawashi, Kōrien and Hirakatashi on the Keihan Main Line, and all stations on the Katano Line ; :Operated weekday mornings, from Kisaichi for Nakanoshima, stopped at all stations on the Katano Line to Hirakatashi, then Kōrien, Neyagawashi, Kyōbashi and Temmabashi on the Keihan Main Line, then Naniwabashi, Ōebashi and Watanabebashi on the Nakanoshima Line

Stations

All stations are in

Rolling stock

Trains on the line are formed as 4- or 5-car

electric multiple unit An electric multiple unit or EMU is a multiple-unit train consisting of self-propelled carriages using electricity as the motive power. An EMU requires no separate locomotive, as electric traction motors are incorporated within one or a number o ...

(EMU) sets. * 10000 series 4-car EMUs * 13000 series 4-car EMUs (since 9 June 2012) Former * 1900 series 5-car EMUs * 2600 series 4-car EMUs

History

The line was built and opened by an independent railway company, in 1929. The company aimed to build a line to connect its main line, the present-day

Ikoma Line The is a railway line of Kintetsu Railway in Nara Prefecture, Japan connecting Ikoma Station in the city of Ikoma and Ōji Station in the town of Ōji. Having a total length of , the entirely electrified standard gauge line is partially dou ...

, but cancelled the plan for financial reasons, and transferred the operation to Keihan. The operator was renamed in 1939, in May 1945, and

on 1 December 1949. From 9 June 2012, new 13000 series 4-car EMUs were introduced on the line.

References

{{Osaka transit

Katano Line The is a 6.9 km railway line in northern Osaka Prefecture, Japan, operated by the private railway company Keihan Electric Railway. It connects Hirakatashi Station on the Keihan Main Line with Kisaichi Station. Operation All trains stop ...

Rail transport in Osaka Prefecture Standard-gauge railways in Japan Railway lines opened in 1929