Kintetsu Railway

Kintetsu Railway

2014 Blue Ribbon Award winner, 50000 series on the Shimakaze () Limited Express
Locale	Kinki region, Japan Tōkai region, Japan
Dates of operation	1910; 107 years ago (1910)–present
Predecessor	Kansai Express Electric Railway () Nankai Railway
Track gauge	1,435 mm (4 ft 8 1⁄2 in) 1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in)
Electrification	1,500V DC, overhead line 750V DC, third rail
Length	501.2 km (311.4 mi)
Headquarters	6-1-55, Uehonmachi, Tennoji-ku, Osaka, Osaka Prefecture, Japan
Website	www.kintetsu.co.jp/foreign/english/

Kintetsu Railway Co., Ltd.

Native name	近畿日本鉄道株式会社
Formerly called	Kintetsu Split Preparatory Company, Ltd.
Type	Private KK
Industry	Ground Transport
Predecessor	Kintetsu Corporation
Founded	April 30, 2014; 2 years ago (2014-04-30) in Osaka, Osaka Prefecture, Japan
Key people	Tetsuya Kobayashi (Chairman) Michiyoshi Wadabayashi (President)
Brands	KIPS ICOCA
Services	Passenger Transport
Owner	Kintetsu Group Holdings Co., Ltd.
Website	www.kintetsu.jp (Japanese)

Kintetsu Railway Co., Ltd. (近畿日本鉄道株式会社, Kinki Nippon Tetsudō Kabushiki Kaisha^?), referred to as Kintetsu (近鉄^?), is a Japanese passenger railway company, managing infrastructure and operating passenger train service. Its railway system is the largest in Japan, excluding Japan Railways Group. The railway network connects Osaka, Nara, Kyoto, Nagoya, Tsu, Ise, and Yoshino. Kintetsu Railway Co. Ltd. is currently a wholly owned subsidiary of Kintetsu Group Holdings Co., Ltd.

On September 16, 1910, Nara Tramway Co., Ltd. (奈良軌道株式会社, Nara Kidō^?) was founded and renamed Osaka Electric Tramway Co., Ltd. (大阪電気軌道株式会社, Ōsaka Denki Kidō^?, Daiki (大軌)) a month after. Osaka Electric Tramway completed Ikoma Tunnel and started operating a line between Osaka and Nara (nowaday the Nara Line) on April 30, 1914. The modern Kashihara, Osaka, and Shigi lines were completed in the 1920s, followed by the Kyoto Line (a cooperative venture with Keihan Electric Railway). Daiki founded Sangu Electric Railway Co., Ltd. (参宮急行電鉄株式会社, Sangū Kyūkō Dentetsu^?, Sankyū (参急)) in 1927, which consolidated Ise Electric Railway Co., Ltd. (伊勢電気鉄道株式会社, Ise Denki Tetsudō^?, Iseden (伊勢電)) on September 15, 1936.