Osaka Higashi Line
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The (Literally: Osaka East Line) is a railway line in Osaka, Japan, operated by the
West Japan Railway Company , also referred to as , is one of the Japan Railways Group (JR Group) companies and operates in western Honshu. It has its headquarters in Kita-ku, Osaka. It is listed in the Tokyo Stock Exchange, is a constituent of the TOPIX Large70 index, ...
(JR-West). The line connects
Ōsaka Station is a major railway station in the Umeda district of Kita-ku, Osaka, Japan, operated by West Japan Railway Company (JR West). It forms as one of the city's main railway terminals to the north, the other being Shin-Ōsaka Station, Shin-Ōsaka. Al ...
in northern
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 ...
with Kyūhōji Station in Yao, forming an arc around the northern and eastern suburbs of the city. Before being named on August 23, 2007, the line was constructed with the tentative name "". The line is constructed and owned by the as a Category-3 railway business under the Railway Business Act of Japan. JR-West and JR Freight operate trains as Category-2 railway business. The Kita-Umeda extension opened on March 18, 2023, replacing the above-ground Umeda Freight Line.


History

Conceived in the 1950s during Japan's explosive postwar economic growth, it was planned as a grand "outer loop" of the city, using existing freight lines to link
Amagasaki 270px, Amagasaki Castle 270px, Aerial view of Amagasaki city center 270px, Amagasaki Station is an industrial city located in Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 455,555 in 223,812 households, and a population de ...
with Shin-Osaka,
Suita is a city located in Osaka Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 381,238 in 182,636 households, and a population density of 11,000 persons per km2. The total area of the city is . It is a suburban city of Osaka City and a p ...
, Awaji, Hanaten,
Kami are the Deity, deities, Divinity, divinities, Spirit (supernatural entity), spirits, mythological, spiritual, or natural phenomena that are venerated in the traditional Shinto religion of Japan. ''Kami'' can be elements of the landscape, forc ...
, Uriwari and Sugimotochō, with a newly constructed segment into Osaka's (then primarily industrial) Nankō Port Town. However, with JNR's financial situation deteriorating catastrophically (culminating in its privatization) and continuing issues surrounding land acquisition and squatting by local residents on railway property, the plan was cut back to Shin-Osaka and Kami, terminating at Kyūhōji in the south. (The Hanwa Freight Line, which would have carried the southern segment from Kami to Sugimotochō, was officially abandoned by JR Freight in 2009.) The line connects Shin-Osaka Station in northern
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 ...
with Kyūhōji Station in Yao, forming an arc around the northern and eastern suburbs of the city. The southern part opened on March 15, 2008. But because of problems with the illegal occupation of a site, construction of the northern part was delayed. Construction of the northern segment started in 2011 and the section between Shin-Osaka and Hanaten has opened on March 16, 2019. Incorporated into the second phase of the Osaka Higashi Line project is the construction of underground platforms at Osaka Station (known as Umekita). The project provides the basis for the future Naniwasuji Line while also providing a small shortcut on current services on the Haruka and
Kuroshio The , also known as the Black Current or is a north-flowing, warm ocean current on the west side of the North Pacific Ocean basin. It was named for the deep blue appearance of its waters. Similar to the Gulf Stream in the North Atlantic, the Ku ...
limited express trains. In February 2023, track switching work took place between the 11th and 13th of that month. The underground platforms began operation later in the year on March 18.


Stations

*● : Direct Rapid service stops here *, : Direct Rapid service does not stop here Local trains stop at all stations. For limited express ''Mahoroba'', please see their respective article. ;Notes:


Rolling stock


Passenger

*
221 series The is a suburban electric multiple unit (EMU) train type operated by West Japan Railway Company (JR-West) in the Kansai Region of Japan since March 1989. Operations * Tōkaidō Main Line (Biwako Line, JR Kyoto Line, JR Kobe Line) ( - , until ...
(used for Local services from March 12, 2022 and Direct Rapid services from March 18, 2023)


Former

*
103 series The is a DC electric multiple unit (EMU) commuter train type introduced in 1963 by Japanese National Railways (JNR), and currently operated by West Japan Railway Company (JR West) and Kyushu Railway Company (JR Kyushu). They were also operate ...
(until 2018) * 201 series (until March 11, 2022) * 207 series (used for Direct Rapid Services from March 12, 2011, until March 17, 2023) * 223-6000 series (used for Direct Rapid Services from March 15, 2008, until March 11, 2011) * 321 series (Used for Direct Rapid Services until March 17, 2023) The 103 and 201 series trains are based at Nara Depot, the 207 series trains are based at Aboshi Depot, while the 223-6000 series trains were based at Miyahara Depot.


Freight

Locomotives seen hauling freight trains include the DD51,
DE10 The is a class of Japanese C-B wheel arrangement diesel-hydraulic locomotives. 708 locomotives were built between 1966 and 1978. , 138 locomotives remained in operation. Variants DE10-0 subclass 158 DE10-0 locomotives were built with steam g ...
, EF66, EF81 and EF210. File:JNR DD51 831 20011120.jpg, A DD51 locomotive on the Osaka Higashi Line in November 2001 File:EF81-627 Akagawa.jpg, An EF81 locomotive on the Akagawa Bridge in August 2013


See also

*
Musashino Line The is a railway line operated by the East Japan Railway Company (JR East). It links Tsurumi Station in Yokohama with Nishi-Funabashi Station in Chiba Prefecture, forming a unclosed loop around central Tokyo Tokyo, officially the Tok ...
, in the Tokyo area * Aichi Loop Line


References


External links


Osaka Soto-Kanjo Railway Co., Ltd.
{{West Japan Railway Company Lines Rail transport in Osaka Prefecture Lines of West Japan Railway Company Railway lines opened in 1929 1067 mm gauge railways in Japan