Osaka Higashi Line

The Osaka Higashi Line (おおさか東線, Ōsaka-Higashi-sen) (Literally: Osaka East Line) is a railway line in Osaka, Japan, operated by the West Japan Railway Company (JR-West). The line connects Shin-Osaka Station in northern Osaka 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 "Osaka Outer Loop Line (大阪外環状線, Ōsaka-soto-kanjōsen)".

Osaka Higashi Line
A 201 series EMU on a "Local" service in February 2011
Overview
Native nameおおさか東線
TypeHeavy rail
SystemUrban Network
LocaleOsaka Prefecture
TerminiOsaka
Kyūhōji
Stations14
Operation
OpenedMarch 15, 1929 (as Katamachi Freight Branch Line)
March 15, 2008 (as Osaka Higashi Line)
OwnerOsaka Soto-Kanjo Railway Co., Ltd.
Operator(s)JR-West
JR Freight
Depot(s)Aboshi
Rolling stock201 series EMU
207 series EMU
321 series EMU
Technical
Line length20.2 km (12.6 mi)
Track gauge1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in)
Electrification1,500 V DC, overhead lines
Operating speed120 km/h (75 mph)
Route map
Umeda Freight Line
Osaka
Umeda Signal Box (formerly JR Freight Umeda Freight Terminal)
Hankyu Kobe Main Line, Hankyu Takarazuka Main Line (Nakatsu)
Tōkaidō Main Line (JR Kyoto Line)
Old Tōkaidō Line
Spur track to Miyahara Depot
0.0
–
 Shin-Osaka
Sanyō Shinkansen
Osaka Metro: Midōsuji Line
Kanzaki River
Suita Freight Line
Minami-Suita
Jōtō Freight Line
–
10.3
 Senri Signal Box
–1982
–
10.7
 Suita
Kanzaki River
Tōkaidō Shinkansen
Hankyu Kyoto Line
JR-Awaji
Akagawa Bridge
Yodogawa River
–
5.7
 Miyakojima Signal Box
–1982
 Shirokitakōendōri
 JR-Noe
Yodogawa Freight Line and Sakuranomiya Line
–
2.9
 Tatsumi Signal Box
−1982
 Jōtō Freight Line
Katamachi Line (Gakkentoshi Line)
Neya River
 Shigino
Osaka Metro: Imazatosuji Line
11.1
0.0
 Hanaten
Katamachi Line (Gakkentoshi Line)
Daini Neya River
Aboshi Depot Hanaten Branch
12.8
1.7
 Takaida-Chūō
Osaka Metro: Chūō Line (Takaida)
14.4
3.3
 JR Kawachi-Eiwa
15.0
3.9
 JR Shuntokumichi
Shuntokumichi Signal Box
2007–2008
16.0
4.9
 JR Nagase
Hagusa Signal Box
–2003
South Jōtō Freight Line
(see inset below)
Old Jōtō Freight Line
(see inset below)
18.7
7.6
 Shin-Kami
Hanwa Freight Line
20.3
9.2
 Kyūhōji
 Ryūge Signal Box
–1997
 10.4 Yao
Old Jōtō Freight Line
0.0 Shogakuji Signal Box Osaka Higashi Line
Kansai Main Line (Yamatoji Line)
Jōtō Freight–Yamatoji connection
Kutara No. 1 Signal Box
1.5 Hirano
Jōtō Freight–Yamatoji connexion
Kudara Freight Terminal
Kudarashijō –1984

The line is constructed and owned by the Osaka Soto-Kanjo Railway Co., Ltd. (大阪外環状鉄道株式会社, Ōsaka Sotokanjō Tetsudō Kabushiki Kaisha) 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 will open in 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 with Shin-Osaka, Suita, Awaji, Hanaten, Kami, 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 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.[1] But because of problems with the illegal occupation of a site, construction of the northern part was delayed.[2] Construction of the northern segment started in 2011 and the section between Shin-Osaka and Hanaten has opened on March 16, 2019.[3][4]

Stations
  • ● : Direct Rapid service stop
  • | : Direct Rapid service non-stop
Status No. Station Japanese Distance (km) Direct Rapid Transfers Location
Between Stations Total
Under construction  F01  Ōsaka (Ume-kita underground station) 大阪（うめきた地下駅） - - JR Kōbe Line (JR-A47)

JR Takarazuka Line (JR-G47)

Osaka Loop Line (JR-O11)

From Umeda Station:

From Higashi-Umeda Station:

From Nishi-Umeda Station:

From Kitashinchi Station:

 Kita-ku, Osaka
In operation  F02  Shin-Osaka 新大阪 - 0.0 ● JR Kyoto Line (JR-A46)

Tokaido・Sanyo Shinkansen

Osaka Metro Midōsuji Line (M13)

 Yodogawa-ku, Osaka
 F03  Minami-Suita 南吹田 2.0 2.0 |   Suita
 F04  JR-Awaji JR淡路 1.3 3.3 | From Awaji Station:
  • Hankyu Kyoto Line (HK-63)
 Higashiyodogawa-ku, Osaka
 F05  Shirokitakōendōri 城北公園通 2.1 5.4 |   Miyakojima-ku, Osaka
 F06  JR-Noe JR野江 2.2 7.6 | From Noe Station:

Keihan Main Line (KH-05)

From Noe-Uchindai Station:

Osaka Metro Tanimachi Line (T16)

 Joto-ku, Osaka
 F07  Shigino 鴫野 1.8 9.4 | Katamachi Line (Gakkentoshi Line, JR-H40)

Osaka Metro Imazatosuji Line

 F08  Hanaten 放出 1.6 11.0 ● Katamachi Line (Gakkentoshi Line, JR-H39) Tsurumi-ku, Osaka
 F09  Takaida-Chūō 高井田中央 1.7 12.7 ● From Takaida Station:

Osaka Metro Chuo Line (C22)

 Higashiosaka, Osaka
 F10  JR Kawachi-Eiwa JR河内永和 1.6 14.3 ● From Kawachi-Eiwa Station

 A  Kintetsu Nara Line (A07)

 F11  JR Shuntokumichi JR俊徳道 0.6 14.9 | From Shuntokumichi Station:

 D  Osaka Line (D07)

 F12  JR Nagase JR長瀬 1.0 15.9 |  
 F13  Kizuri-Kamikita 衣摺加美北 1.3 17.2 |  
 F14  Shin-Kami 新加美 1.4 18.6 |   Hirano-ku, Osaka
 F15  Kyūhōji 久宝寺 1.6 20.2 ● Yamatoji Line (Kansai Main Line) Yao, Osaka
Rapid service through to Nara via the Yamatoji Line
Notes

    Rolling stock

    Passenger

    Former

    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, EF66, EF81 and EF210.

    • A DD51 locomotive on the Osaka Higashi Line in November 2001
    • An EF81 locomotive on the Akagawa Bridge in August 2013
    gollark: Anyway, I don't leave it *running*, it's suspended to RAM.
    gollark: No.
    gollark: I have to restart it every week or so or it runs into badness.
    gollark: I think it's not the tabs *per se*, but Firefox having memory leaks.
    gollark: 1200 or so.

    See also

    References
    1. JR-West Press Release (December 20, 2007) (in Japanese)
    2. "JRおおさか東線、北ヤード乗り入れ、18年度までに開業、150億円追加投資。" (in Japanese). Nihon Keizai Shimbun. 2009-01-31. Retrieved 2009-01-31.
    3. "2019年　春ダイヤ改正について" (Press release). 西日本旅客鉄道. 2018-12-14. Retrieved 2019-01-29.
    4. "直結！おおさか東線". jr-odekake.net. 2019-03-16. Archived from the original on 2019-03-04. Retrieved 2019-03-18.
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