JR Tōzai Line | |
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H | |
207 series EMU
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Overview | |
Native name | JR東西線 |
Type | commuter rail |
System | Urban Network |
Locale |
Osaka Amagasaki, Hyogo |
Termini | Kyobashi Amagasaki |
Stations | 9 |
Operation | |
Opened | March 8, 1997 |
Owner | Kansai Rapid Railway Co., Ltd. |
Operator(s) | JR West |
Rolling stock |
207 series EMU 321 series EMU |
Technical | |
Line length | 12.5 km (7.8 mi) |
Number of tracks | 2 |
Track gauge | 1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in) |
Electrification | 1,500 V DC, overhead lines |
Operating speed | 90 km/h (56 mph) |
The JR Tōzai Line (JR東西線 Jei-āru Tōzai-sen?) is one of several commuter rail lines and services in the Osaka-Kobe-Kyoto Metropolitan Area, operated by West Japan Railway Company (JR West). The line, whose name literally means "east-west", runs underground through central Osaka and connects the Gakkentoshi Line at Kyobashi Station in Osaka and the JR Takarazuka Line and the JR Kobe Line at Amagasaki. All stations on this line are in the city of Osaka, except for the western terminus in Amagasaki, Hyōgo Prefecture.
All trains make local stop at every station on the line. Some trains terminate at Amagasaki, but most westbound trains continue on the Kobe Line to Nishi-Akashi and on the Takarazuka Line to Tsukaguchi and Takarazuka. All eastbound trains continue past Kyobashi on the Gakkentoshi Line.
The line was initially proposed in 1971 by Japanese National Railways (JNR) as a link between the Katamachi Line, which connected Osaka to its eastern suburbs, and Fukuchiyama Line, which connected the city to its northwestern suburbs. Osaka's municipal government had maintained tight controls over transportation within the city, and most intercity lines terminated outside the city center. The line, provisionally known as Katafuku Line (片福線?, Kata- from Katamachi, -fuku from Fukuchiyama), and would give commuters a single-seat ride from the suburbs and an east-west connection through central Osaka.