Umeda Station

Umeda Station 梅田駅
Location
Prefecture	Osaka (See other stations in Osaka)
City	Osaka
Ward	Kita
(in Japanese)	大阪市北区
Rail services
Operator(s)	Hanshin Electric Railway Co., Ltd. Hankyu Corporation Osaka Municipal Transportation Bureau Japan Freight Railway Company
Major bus terminal(s) attached to the station

Umeda Station (梅田駅, umeda eki) is a railway station located in Kita-ku in the northern commercial center of Osaka, Japan. It is the busiest station in Western Japan, serving 2,343,727 passengers daily in 2005.

Umeda Station is served by the following railways:

• Hankyu Railway (Kōbe Line, Kyōto Line, Takarazuka Line)
• Hanshin Electric Railway (Main Line)
• Osaka Municipal Subway (Midōsuji Line, Station number: M16)
• Japan Freight Railway Company (JR Freight) (Umeda Freight Branch of Tōkaidō Main Line) - freight only

The nearby stations Ōsaka (JR West), Kitashinchi (JR West Tōzai Line), Nishi-Umeda (Osaka Subway Yotsubashi Line, Y11) and Higashi-Umeda (Osaka Subway Tanimachi Line, T20) are within walking distance and connected by a large complex of underground malls.

Hanshin Railway

Hanshin Railway
Umeda Station 梅田駅
Location
Prefecture	Osaka
City	Osaka
Ward	Kita
Neighborhood etc.	Umeda Sanchōme
Coordinates	34°42′3.49″N 135°29′47.2″E
(in Japanese)	大阪市北区梅田三丁目
History
Year opened	1906
Rail services
Operator(s)	Hanshin Electric Railway Co., Ltd.
Line(s)	Main Line

The underground Umeda terminal of Hanshin Electric Railway (officially Umeda Station, but commonly called Hanshin Umeda Station) is located south of Ōsaka Station, next to underground of Hanshin Department Store. The Hanshin station first opened on December 21, 1906 as a ground level station and moved to the present underground location on March 21, 1939.

Layout

• There are five bay platforms and four tracks on the second basement. There are east ticket gates on the second basement and center ticket gates and west ticket gates on the first basement.

Main Line for Amagasaki, Koshien, Kobe (Sannomiya), Akashi and Himeji

1	(Not used during non-rush hour) ■limited express trains (for Kobe and Himeji)
2	■limited express trains (for Kobe and Himeji)
3	■express trains morning express trains a limited express train departing for Himeji at 6:00
4	■local trains

Adjacent stations of Hanshin Umeda

«		Service	»
Main Line
Terminus		Local (普通, every day)		Fukushima
Terminus		Morning Express(区間急行, on weekdays)		Fukushima
Terminus		Express (急行, every day)		Noda
Terminus		Limited Express (直通特急, 特急, every day)		Amagasaki
Terminus		Morning Limited Express terminating at Umeda (区間特急, on weekdays)		Koshien

Hankyu Railway

Hankyu Railway
Umeda Station 梅田駅
Platforms of Hankyu Umeda Station
Location
Prefecture	Osaka
City	Osaka
Ward	Kita
Neighborhood etc.	1-2, Shibata Itchōme
Coordinates	34°42′19.85″N 135°29′53.92″E
(in Japanese)	大阪市北区芝田一丁目1-2
History
Year opened	1910
Rail services
Operator(s)	Hankyu Corporation
Line(s)	Kobe Line Takarazuka Line Kyoto Line

The Umeda terminal of Hankyu Railway (officially Umeda Station, but commonly called Hankyu Umeda Station) is located northeast of Ōsaka Station.

The station first opened on March 10, 1910, as a ground-level station. The original location of the station was southeast of Ōsaka Station and the Hankyu (then Minoo-Arima Electric Tramway) tracks crossed the Tōkaidō Main Line by an overpass. The station was elevated on July 5, 1926.

The former "Lagare Vision" screen of Hankyu Umeda Station

When Ōsaka Station was elevated in 1934, Hankyu's elevated tracks were forced to be removed and new Umeda Station was built to handle new ground-level tracks. The switching of tracks were carried out on June 1, 1934. This station facility was used until November 28, 1971, when the move of station to the present location was completed. This move was because of a sharp increase of transit, which forced Hankyu to operate 8-car trains. The existence of JNR tracks on the northern end of the 1934 station prevented the expansion of the station so that the station could not handle long trains.

After the opening of the current huge elevated station, spaces around and beneath the station, as well as the site of former station, were extensively redeveloped. One of the symbols of the commercial complex surrounding the station is the BIG MAN video screen above the Kinokuniya bookshop, common and necessary places to meet in this bustling railway station.

The Hankyu Department Store, built next to the station in 1929, was a pioneer of the successful business model of department stores run by urban railway companies in Japan. The store is still in business at the original location even after the move of the station (as of 2007, the reconstruction of the store building is in progress).

Layout

• There are ten bay platforms and nine tracks on the third floor. There are south ticket gates on the third floor and center ticket gates and on Chayamachi ticket gates on the second floor.

■Kyoto Line for Takatsuki-shi, Kyoto (Kawaramachi), Arashiyama and Kita-Senri
1	■limited express trains ■local trains (in the morning and evening)
2	■local trains (non rush-hour) ■commutation limited express trains (in the morning and the evening on weekdays) ■rapid express trains (in the morning and the evening)
3	■semi-express trains ■rapid services (in the evening on weekdays) ■local trains (partly in the morning on weekdays)
■Takarazuka Line for Takarazuka, Minoo and Nissei-Chūō
4	■express trains for Takarazuka (every day) ■commutation semi-express trains for Mino-o (in the morning on weekdays)
5	■local trains (every day) ■commutation express trains (in the morning on weekdays)
6	Used in the rush hour on weekdays ■limited express trains for Nissei-Chuo ■commutation semi-express trains for Mino-o ■local trains for Hibarigaoka-Hanayashiki and Mino-o
■Kobe Line for Nishinomiya-kitaguchi and Kobe (Sannomiya, Kosoku Kobe, Shinkaichi)
7	■local trains
8	■limited express trains (non-rush hour) ■express trains (in the morning on weekdays) ■commutation express trains (from the evening until night on weekdays) ■local trains (every early morning and every night)
9	■limited express trains ■morning commutation limited express trains ■rapid express trains ■express trains ■local trains (every early morning and every night)

Adjacent stations of Hankyu Umeda

«		Service	»
Kobe Main Line
Terminus		Local		Nakatsu
Terminus		Semi-Express		Jūsō
Terminus		Express Rapid Express Commutation Express		Jūsō
Terminus		Limited Express Commutation Limited Express		Jūsō
Takarazuka Main Line
Terminus		Local		Nakatsu
Terminus		Semi-Express Commutation Semi-Express		Nakatsu
Terminus		Express Commutation Express		Jūsō
Terminus		Limited (Nissei) Express		Jūsō
Kyoto Main Line
Terminus		Local		Jūsō
Terminus		Semi-Express		Jūsō
Terminus		Rapid Service		Jūsō
Terminus		Rapid Express		Jūsō
Terminus		Limited Express Commutation Limited Express		Jūsō

Osaka Municipal Subway

Osaka Municipal Subway
Umeda Station 梅田駅
Subway Umeda Station
Location
Prefecture	Osaka
City	Osaka
Ward	Kita
Neighborhood etc.	8-6, Kakudachō
Coordinates	34°42′10.22″N 135°29′51.89″E
(in Japanese)	大阪市北区角田町8-6
History
Year opened	1933
Rail services
Station number(s)	M16
Operator(s)	Osaka Municipal Transportation Bureau
Line(s)	Subway Midosuji Line

Umeda is the transferring point of three lines of the municipal subway: the Midōsuji Line, the Tanimachi Line and the Yotsubashi Line. Among them, only the Midōsuji Line station is named Umeda, with the station number M16. The Tanimachi Line station is Higashi-Umeda (meaning "East Umeda") and the Yotsubashi Line station is Nishi-Umeda (meaning "West Umeda"). These three stations are connected with each other by underground walkways. Regular tickets of the subway, Surutto Kansai cards and IC cards are valid until the passenger gets out the ticket barrier of the station. The transfer between the three Umeda stations is an exception of this principle; the fare can be calculated as one travel as if the passengers do not exit the station provided the passengers transfer within 30 minutes.

Umeda Station on the Midōsuji Line started its operation on May 20, 1933, as a temporary station. The station was moved to the present location on October 6, 1935. Originally the station with an island platform and two tracks was built amid one tunnel, but on November 5, 1989, the station was expanded to a tunnel existed next to the station (built for Tanimachi Line but due to change of plan remained unused for decades). The two tunnels are separated by a wall with some passages.

Layout

• There is an island platform with two tracks on the second basement. There is a wall with passages in the center of the platform. On upper level of the platform, there are north, center-north-west, center-north-east, center-south and south ticket gates.

1	■Midosuji Line	southbound for Tennoji and Nakamozu
2	■Midosuji Line	northbound for Shin-Ōsaka and Senri-Chūō

Adjacent stations of Subway Umeda

«		Service	»
Midosuji Line (M16)
Nakatsu (M15)		-	Yodoyabashi (M17)

Japan Freight Railway

JR Freight
Umeda Station 梅田駅
Location
Prefecture	Osaka
City	Osaka
Ward	Kita
Neighborhood etc.	2-25, Ōfukachō
Coordinates	34°42′13.38″N 135°29′35.63″E
(in Japanese)	大阪市北区大深町2-25
History
Year opened	1928
Rail services
Operator(s)	Japan Freight Railway Company
Line(s)	Tōkaidō Main Line

Umeda Station of Japan Freight Railway Company (JR Freight) is a freight-only station on the Umeda Branchline (unofficial name) of the Tōkaidō Main Line owned by West Japan Railway Company (JR West). The station was built to separate freight services from Ōsaka Station and began operation on December 1, 1928. The yard of the station is located to the north, literally in the backyard, of the Ōsaka Station.

As of 2007, the relocation work of the freight station to the suburban yards is ongoing. The site, commonly called Ōsaka Station North Area (大阪駅北地区, Ōsaka-eki Kita-chiku) or Ume-kita (うめきた), will be redeveloped.

The JR West Limited Express trains also use the freight line to transfer from the Osaka Loop Line to the JR Kyoto Line bypassing Ōsaka Station. No passenger trains stop at Umeda Station of JR Freight.

«		Service	»
JR West Tōkaidō Line Branch (Umeda Freight Line)
Shin-Ōsaka		-	Fukushima

Surroundings

Hankyu Department Store

Hilton Osaka (left) and office buildings

See also: Umeda

• Hankyu Department Store, Hanshin Department Store (Both are owned by Hankyu Hanshin Department Stores, Inc.)
• HEP NAVIO
  • Hankyu Men's
  • TOHO Cinemas Umeda
• HEP FIVE
• Hankyu San-Bengai
  • Books Kinokuniya
• Hankyu Terminal Building
  • Hankyu 17 bangai
• Hankyu Grand Building
  • Hankyu 32 bandai
• Kitano Hankyu Building
  • D.D.House
• Shin-Hankyu Building
  • Shin-Hankyu Hachi-Bangai
• Hankyu Kappa Yokocho
• Hankyu Kosho no Machi
• Sonezaki Police Station
• Asahiya Shoten
• EST
• South Gate Building
  • Daimaru Umeda
  • Pokémon Center Osaka
  • Hotel Granvia Osaka
• North Gate Buiilding
  • Lucua
  • JR Osaka Isetan-Mitsukoshi
  • Osaka Station City Cinema
  • ITOCHU
• Umeda Center Building
  • the headquarters of Daikin Industries, Ltd.
  • the headquarters of NTT Data Sekisui Systems Corporation
  • Animate Umeda
• Yodobashi Umeda (Yodobashi Camera Multimedia Umeda, Comme Ça Store, etc.)
• Chayamachi Applause
  • Umeda Arts Theater
  • Hotel Hankyu International
• NU Chayamachi
• Chaska Chayamachi
  • Maruzen & Junkudo Umeda
• Mainichi Broadcasting System, Inc. (MBS)
• Umeda Loft
• Osaka Marubiru
• Umeda DT Tower
• E-MA
• Diamor Osaka
• Whity Umeda
• the Hilton Plaza East
  • Hilton Osaka
  • Junkudo Umeda
• the Hilton Plaza West
• Osaka Garden City
  • HERBIS OSAKA
    • the Ritz-Carlton Osaka
  • HERBIS ENT
    • Osaka Shiki Theatre
    • Billboard live Osaka
• Shin Umeda City
  • Umeda Sky Building
  • the Westin Osaka

See also

• Ōsaka Station
• Transport in Greater Osaka