Chūō Line (Osaka)

Chūō Line
Chūō Line 20 series EMU
Overview
Type	Rapid transit
System	Osaka Municipal Subway
Locale	Osaka and Higashiosaka
Termini	Cosmosquare Nagata
Stations	14
Line number	4
Operation
Opened	December 11, 1961
Owner	Osaka Municipal Transportation Bureau (Osakako — Nagata) Osaka Port Transport System Co., Ltd. (Cosmosquare — Osakako)
Operator(s)	Osaka Municipal Transportation Bureau
Depot(s)	Morinomiya
Technical
Line length	17.9 km (11.1 mi)
Track gauge	1,435 mm (4 ft 8 ^1⁄2 in)
Electrification	750 V DC, third rail
Operating speed	70 km/h (43 mph)
Route map

Route map

Legend Nankō Port Town Line (P09) 0.0 C10 Cosmosquare 2.4 C11 Ōsakakō 3.9 C12 Asashiobashi 5.5 C13 Bentenchō Osaka Loop Line Hanshin Namba Line 6.8 C14 Kujō Kizu River Sennichimae Line (S13) 8.3 C15 Awaza Connecting line Connecting lineunder construction Yotsubashi Line (Y13) 9.4 C16 Hommachi Midōsuji Line (M18) Sakaisuji Line (K15) 10.1 C17 Sakaisuji-Hommachi Higashi-Yokobori River Tanimachi Line (T23) 11.1 C18 Tanimachi Yonchōme 12.4 C19 Morinomiya Nagahori Tsurumi-ryokuchi Line (N20) Osaka Loop Line JR West Suita Inspection Depot Morinomiya Branch Morinomiya Inspection Depot and Morinomiya Workshop Hirano River Imazatosuji Line (I20) 13.6 C20 Midoribashi 14.7 C21 Fukaebashi Osaka Higashi Line (Takaida-Chūō) 16.1 C22 Takaida Chūō Line 17.9 C23 Nagata Kintetsu Keihanna Line 36.7 C30 Gakken Nara-Tomigaoka

The Chūō Line (大阪市営地下鉄中央線 Ōsaka-shiei-chikatetsu Chūō-sen) is a rapid transit system in Osaka, Japan, operated by the Osaka Municipal Subway. The line runs east-westerly under Chūō Avenue (中央大通 Chūō Ōdōri). Its official name is Rapid Electric Tramway Line No. 4 (高速電気軌道第4号線), while the Osaka Municipal Transportation Bureau refers to it as Osaka City Rapid Railway Line No. 4 (大阪市高速鉄道第4号線), and in MLIT publications, it is written as Line No. 4 (Chūō Line) (4号線（中央線）). Station numbers are indicated by the letter C.

Together with the through operation to the Kintetsu Keihanna Line, the two lines have a unified nickname "Yumehanna" (ゆめはんな).

On July 1, 2005, Osaka City bought the Technoport Line (テクノポート線) from Cosmosquare to Osakakō of its subsidiary Osaka Port Transport System Co., Ltd. (大阪港トランスポートシステム), reducing fare to increase traffic. The section became a part of the Chūō Line, however is still owned by OTS.

The Chūō Line is the only line to connect to all other railway lines operated by the Osaka Municipal Transportation Bureau, including the Nankō Port Town Line.

Line data

• Above-ground section: after Awaza Station to Ōsakakō Station
• Block signalling: Automatic
• Train protection system: WS-ATC
• Cars per train: 6 (1984 – present)
• Maximum possible cars per train (platform length): 8

Stations

No.	Station	Japanese	Distance (km)	Transfers	Location
C10	Cosmosquare	コスモスクエア	0.0	Nankō Port Town Line (P09)	Suminoe-ku, Osaka
C11	Ōsakakō (Tempozan)	大阪港 （天保山）	2.4		Minato-ku, Osaka
C12	Asashiobashi	朝潮橋	3.9
C13	Bentenchō	弁天町	5.5	JR West: Osaka Loop Line
C14	Kujō	九条	6.8	Hanshin: Namba Line	Nishi-ku, Osaka
C15	Awaza	阿波座	8.3	Sennichimae Line (S13)
C16	Hommachi (Semba-nishi)	本町 （船場西）	9.4	Midōsuji Line (M18) Yotsubashi Line (Y13)	Chūō-ku, Osaka
C17	Sakaisuji-Hommachi (Semba-higashi)	堺筋本町 （船場東）	10.1	Sakaisuji Line (K15)
C18	Tanimachi Yonchōme	谷町四丁目	11.1	Tanimachi Line (T23)
C19	Morinomiya	森ノ宮	12.4	Nagahori Tsurumi-ryokuchi Line (N20) JR West: Osaka Loop Line
C20	Midoribashi	緑橋	13.6	Imazatosuji Line (I20)	Higashinari-ku, Osaka
C21	Fukaebashi	深江橋	14.7
C22	Takaida	高井田	16.1	JR West: Osaka Higashi Line - Takaida-Chuo	Higashiosaka
C23	Nagata	長田	17.9	Kintetsu Keihanna Line (through to Gakken Nara-Tomigaoka Station)

Rolling stock

Osaka Municipal Subway

• 20 series (from 1984)
• 24 series (from 1991) (in green Osaka Municipal Transportation Bureau and blue Osaka Port Transport System (OTS) liveries)

Kintetsu

• 7000 series (from 1986)
• 7020 series (from 2004)

The Osaka Municipal Subway trains are based at Morinomiya Depot, while the Kintetsu trains are based at Higashi-Hanazono and Tomigaoka Depots located on the Keihanna Line.

• 

  24 series (in green livery)

• 

  Kintetsu 7000/7020 series

Former

• 800 series (1961-1978)
• 900 series (1964-1978)
• 30 series (1967-1969, 1983-1995)
• 50 series (1969-1991)

History

The line opened on December 11, 1961, initially running between Ōsakakō and Bentenchō (this was the first elevated portion of the Osaka subway system); trains were initially composed of one car.^[1] Between 1964 and 1985, the line was expanded towards Nagata in four stages:

• October 31, 1964: Section between Bentenchō and Hommachi opens, with intermediate stations at Kujo and Awaza.
• September 30, 1967: The section between Tanimachi 4-chome and Morinomiya opens as a shuttle service with 2-car trains.
• July 29, 1968: The section of the shuttle service between Morinomiya and Fukaebashi opens.
• December 6, 1969: The section between Hommachi and Tanimachi 4-chome (including Sakaisuji-Hommachi) opens after construction delays; the shuttle service between Tanimachi 4-chome and Fukaebashi was absorbed into the line, which was now named the Chūō Line. 4-car trains begin operation.
• April 5, 1985: The section between Fukaebashi and Nagata opens. 6-car trains begin operation.
• October 1, 1986: Through service to Ikoma commences upon the opening of the Kintetsu Keihanna Line (then named the Higashiosaka Line).

On December 18, 1997, the OTS Technoport Line opened between Ōsakakō and Cosmosquare. This line was absorbed into the Chūō Line on July 1, 2005. The Keihanna Line was extended further into Nara when the extension to Gakken Nara-Tomigaoka opened on March 27, 2006.

References

1. Terada, Hirokazu (July 2002). データブック日本の私鉄 [Databook: Japan's Private Railways]. Japan: Neko Publishing. p. 133. ISBN 4-87366-874-3.