Nankai Main Line

Nankai Main Line
Nankai 1000 series EMU on local service
Operation
Operator(s)	Nankai Electric Railway Co., Ltd.
Technical
Track gauge	1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in)
Electrification	1,500 V DC, overhead line

Route diagram

Legend 0.2 Namba -1980 0.0 Namba 1980- 0.9 Imamiyaebisu 1.4 Shin-Imamiya 2.0 Haginochaya Tennōji Branch Line 3.0 Tengachaya "Shiomibashi Line" (part of Kōya Line) 3.9 Kishinosato-Tamade Tamade abandoned in 1993 consolidation to Kishinosato-Tamade Station Kōya Line 5.1 Kohama Hankai Tramway: Hankai Line Hankai Tramway: Uemachi Line Sumiyoshi Sumiyoshikōen 5.7 Sumiyoshitaisha Sumiyoshi-Toriimae 6.5 Suminoe -1916 Suminoe Depot 6.7 Suminoe 1928- Yamatogawa (first) -1888 Yamato River Yamatogawa (second) 1889-1917 8.2 Shichidō Hankai Railway (later Osaka Municipal Tram Hankai Line) Sakai (first) -1955 9.8 Sakai (third) 1985- Tate River Sakai (second) 1955-1985 Ōhama-kitamachi Ohama Branch Line Ryujin abandoned in 1955 consolidation to Sakai Station Ōhama 11.2 Minato Dejima (Hankai Railway) 12.7 Ishizugawa Shimo-Ishizu (Hankai Railway) Ishizu River 13.8 Suwanomori Suwanohama Hankai Tramway: Hankai Line Left: Hamadera (Hankai Railway) Right: Kaidōbata Hamadera-ekimae 14.8 Hamaderakōen Hamaderakōen (Hankai) JR West: Hanwa Line ("Hagoromo Branch Line") 15.5 Hagoromo Higashi-Hagoromo Takashinohama Line 16.6 Takashinohama -1918 17.4 Takaishi 18.5 Kita-Sukematsu 19.4 Matsunohama 20.4 Izumiōtsu Otsu River 22.3 Tadaoka 23.7 Haruki Haruki River 26.1 Izumi-ōmiya 25.0 Kishiwada 26.9 Takojizō Tsuda River 28.6 Kaizuka Mizuma Railway: Mizuma Line 30.4 Nishikinohama 31.3 Tsuruhara 32.4 Iharanosato Sano River 34.0 Izumisano Airport Line JR West: Kansai Airport Line 35.9 Rinkū Town Kansai Airport Bridge 42.8 Kansai Airport Kansai Airport 36.1 Hagurazaki Hagurazaki Depot 37.4 Yoshiminosato 38.8 Okadaura 40.6 Tarui 43.1 Ozaki 44.6 Tottorinoshō 46.6 Hakotsukuri 50.2 Tannowa 51.9 Misaki-kōen Tanagawa Line Fuke abandoned in 1958 56.3 Kyōshi ↑Osaka Prefecture Kyoshi Tunnel ↓Wakayama Prefecture Wakayama-Daigaku-mae Scheduled to open in 2012 Kada Kada Line 61.6 Kinokawa 62.5 Wakayama-kitaguchi -1903 Kinokawa River JR West: Kisei Main Line Wakayama Depot 64.2 Wakayamashi Wakayama Tram Line (Kainan Line) Kitajima Branch Line Wakayamakō Line 67.0 Wakayamakō Details of Namba area  Subway: Yotsubashi Line (Y15) Subway: Midōsuji Line (M20) Subway: Sennichimae Line (S16) Kintetsu: Namba Line (Osaka Namba) Hanshin: Hanshin Namba Line (Osaka Namba) Namba Subway: Sakaisuji Line Subway: Daikokuchō Imamiyaenisu Hankai Tramway: Ebisuchō Hankai: Hankai Line JR West: Osaka Loop Line, Kansai Main Line (Yamatoji Line) Shin-Imamiya /Hankai: Minami-Kasumichō Subway: Midōsuji Line (M22) Subway: Dōbutsuen-mae Subway: Sakaisuji Line (K19) Haginochaya Hankai: Imaike Tengachaya Nankai Line (left)/Koya Line (right)

The Nankai Main Line (南海本線, Nankai Honsen) is one of the two main railway lines of Japanese private railway company Nankai Electric Railway, together with Kōya Line. The route is from Namba Station in south downtown of Osaka to Wakayamashi Station in Wakayama via Sakai, Izumiōtsu, Kishiwada, Kaizuka, Izumisano, Sennan, Hannan and Misaki municipalities. The proper name is with the company's name, "the Nankai Main Line", not simply "the Main Line" often seen in other Japanese private railways. Lines of the Nankai Main Lane and the connecting lines excluded the Kōya Line and the Airport Line are named generically "the Nankai Line (南海線, Nankai Sen)". The line is shown with a pictogram of waves, or distinguished with blue from conifer or green Kōya Line.

Descriptions

• Line length: 64.2 km
• Track: quadruple from Namba to Suminoe (to Kishinosato-Tamade, eastern two tracks are for Kōya Line exclusively), double from Suminoe to Wakayamashi

History

One of the oldest private railway lines still existing, the Nankai Main Line was opened in 1885 by Hankai Railway (阪堺鉄道, Hankai Tetsudō) (separate from the present-day Hankai Tramway) between Namba and later abandoned Yamatogawa stations with 838mm gauge and steam motive power. Extension was made in 1888 to Sakai. In 1897 the then separate Nankai Railway opened between Sakai and Sano (present-day Izumisano). In 1897 Hankai regauged, in 1898 they merged with Nankai Railway. The present stretch was completed in 1903 to Wakayamashi Station. Electrification was begun in 1907 on the section from Namba to Hamaderakōen, and was completed in 1911.

Express and rapid service

Nankai and Kintetsu are the only two operators that offers charged Limited Express trains in private railways in Kansai.

Limited Express Southern (特急サザン, Tokkyū "Sazan") (LE)

Partly charged for seat reservation, between Namba and Wakayamashi (or Wakayamakō) as the trains connecting to the Shikoku region.

Airport Limited Express rapi:t (空港特急ラピート, Kūkō Tokkyū "Rapīto") (ALE)

Named rapi:t. Charged. operated between Namba and Kansai Airport, rapi:t α trains stop at only stations marked with S, and rapi:t β trains at stations marked with S and S*. Since Kansai International Airport opened in 1994. Exclusively with 50000 series 6 car formation.

Limited Express (特急, Tokkyū) (LE)

Day time, between Namba and Wakayamashi. Stops are the same as the Southern. No seat reservations.

Express (急行Kyūkō) (Ex)

Longest operation between Namba and Wakayamakō, passes Haruki Station. Before 10 a.m., after 4 p.m. on weekdays, early in morning on Saturdays, Sundays, Holidays, and up Express trains in the early morning and midnight. Half through to the Wakayamakō Line. Six or eight cars. The fourth car of eight-car trains for Namba is only for women in the morning until arriving at Tengachaya.

Before November 26, 2005, operated all day, two per hour from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Airport Express (空港急行, Kūkō Kyūkō) (AE)

All day, between Namba and Kansai Airport, stops at Haruki. Two trains per hour per direction from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. Six or eight cars. The fourth car of eight-car trains for Namba is only for women in the morning until arriving at Tengachaya.

Sub Express (区間急行, Kukan Kyūkō) (SbE)

All day, between Namba and Hagurazaki, Misakikoen or Wakayamashi. From 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. between Namba and Misakikoen. In the rush hours, between Namba and Hagurazaki or Wakayamashi

Semi-Express (準急, Junkū) (SE)

In the morning, from Hagurazaki or Haruki to Namba.

Local (普通, Futsū) (L)

All day, between Namba and Wakayamashi or Kansai Airport. In the rush hours and at night, some return to Namba at Hagurazaki, Tarui or Misakikōen. One train is operated from Izumisano to Wakayamashi and from Takaishi to Namba in each direction as the first train in the early morning. Trains are operated from Wakayamashi to Hagurazaki in the midnight. Passes Imamiyaebisu and Haginochaya stations due to absence of platforms on the tracks of Nankai Main line. Those stations are served by Locals of Kōya Line.

In Japanese railway operation, "Futsū" (literally "ordinary, normal") and "Kakueki Teisha" (literally "train that stop each station", "Kakutei" for short) are understood interchangeably as trains that stop each station. In Nankai alone, however, sympatrically and for separate type of stops the two words are used. The former is for Locals of Nankai Main Line that do not stop at the above two stations, while the latter is of Kōya Line that stop there true to the Japanese sense.

Rolling stock

• 9000 series
• 8000 series exclusively for Southern (non-reserved car)
• 7100 series exclusively for Southern (non-reserved car)
• 7000 series exclusively for Southern (non-reserved car)
• 2000 series
• 1000 series
• 10000 series exclusively for Southern (reserved car)
• 12000 series exclusively for Southern (reserved car)
• 50000 series exclusively for rapi:t

Limited Express rapi:t

Limited Express Southern bound for Wakayamakō

Stations

• S: Trains stop.
• S*: rapi:t α trains pass, β trains stop.
• s: Trains stop in the off-peak hours from January 1 until 3 every year.
• ^: one direction
• *: Wakayama-daigaku-mae Station will be one of the stops of local trains, sub express trains, and express trains on April 1, 2012.

For connections and distances, see route diagram.

Station	L	SE	SbE	AE	Ex	LE	ALE	Location
Nankai Main Line
Namba	S	S	S	S	S	S	S	Chūō-ku, Osaka	Osaka Prefecture
Imamiyaebisu								Naniwa-ku, Osaka
Shin-Imamiya	S	S^	S	S	S	S	S	Nishinari-ku, Osaka
Haginochaya
Tengachaya	S	S^	S	S	S	S	S
Kishinosato-Tamade	S
Kohama	S							Sumiyoshi-ku, Osaka
Sumiyoshitaisha	S		s	s
Suminoe	S							Suminoe-ku, Osaka
Shichidō	S							Sakai-ku, Sakai
Sakai	S	S^	S	S	S	S	S*
Minato	S	S^
Ishizugawa	S	S^						Nishi-ku, Sakai
Suwanomori	S	S^
Hamaderakōen	S	S^
Hagoromo	S	S^	S	S	S			Takaishi
Takaishi	S	S^
Kita-Sukematsu	S	S^						Izumiōtsu
Matsunohama	S	S^
Izumiōtsu	S	S^	S	S	S
Tadaoka	S	S^						Tadaoka
Haruki	S	S^	S	S				Kishiwada
Izumi-Ōmiya	S	S^
Kishiwada	S	S^	S	S	S	S	S*
Takojizō	S	S^
Kaizuka	S	S^	S	S	S			Kaizuka
Nishikinohama	S	S^
Tsuruhara	S	S^						Izumisano
Iharanosato	S	S^
Izumisano	S	S^	S	S	S	S	S
Airport Line
Rinkū Town	S			S			S	Izumisano	Osaka Prefecture
Kansai Airport	S			S			S	Tajiri
Nankai Main Line
Hagurazaki	S	S^	S					Izumisano	Osaka Prefecture
Yoshiminosato	S		S					Tajiri
Okadaura	S		S					Sennan
Tarui	S		S
Ozaki	S		S		S	S		Hannan
Tottorinoshō	S		S
Hakotsukuri	S		S
Tannowa	S		S					Misaki
Misaki-kōen	S		S		S	S
Kyōshi	S		S
Wakayama-Daigaku-mae (scheduled to open on April 1, 2012)	*		*		*			Wakayama	Wakayama Prefecture
Kinokawa	S		S
Wakayamashi	S		S		S	S
Wakayamakō Line
Wakayamakō					S	S		Wakayama	Wakayama