Hanshin Main Line

The Main Line of Hanshin Electric Railway (阪神本線, Hanshin Honsen) is a railway line connecting two Japanese cities of Osaka and Kobe through the industrial and residential areas between the cities.

The Main Line started operation on April 12, 1905. It is one of the oldest interurban railways in Japan. For decades, the line had competed with the Hankyu Kobe Line and JR Kobe Line that connect the same two cities. However, from 2006, Hankyu Kobe Line is not a real competitor of Hanshin Main Line because the two operator companies are owned by one company, Hankyu Hanshin Holdings.

The line has 33 stations (including both ends, Umeda Station in Osaka and Motomachi Station in Kobe) along its 32.1 km route. The line has entirely double tracked standard gauge track electrified with the overhead 1500-volt direct current wire.

Some trains run through the Sanyo Railway Main Line to Sanyo Himeji Station in Himeji, Hyōgo beyond Motomachi terminal via Kobe Rapid Railway.

Stations on the Main Line

The Main Line, having 33 stations, is noted for its "high density" of stations. In comparison, Sannomiya Station is the 16th station on the Hankyu Kobe Line from Umeda Station and Motomachi Station is the 15th station on the JR Kobe Line from Osaka Station.

The table below shows the name of each station on the Hanshin Main Line, as well as its location and distance (in kilometre) from Umeda Station.

Station	km	Location
Umeda Station	0.0	Kita-ku, Osaka	Osaka Prefecture
Fukushima Station	1.1	Fukushima-ku, Osaka
Noda Station	2.3
Yodogawa Station	3.3
Himejima Station	4.4	Nishiyodogawa-ku, Osaka
Chibune Station	5.9
Kuise Station	6.8	Amagasaki	Hyōgo Prefecture
Daimotsu Station	8.0
Amagasaki Station	8.9
Deyashiki Station	10.1
Amagasaki Center Pool-mae Station	10.8
Mukogawa Station	12.0
Naruo Station	13.2	Nishinomiya
Kōshien Station	14.1
Kusugawa Station	14.8
Imazu Station	15.4
Nishinomiya Station	16.7
Kōroen Station	17.8
Uchide Station	19.0	Ashiya
Ashiya Station	20.2
Fukae Station	21.5	Higashinada-ku, Kobe
Ōgi Station	22.6
Uozaki Station	23.8
Sumiyoshi Station	24.6
Mikage Station	25.1
Ishiyagawa Station	25.7
Shinzaike Station	26.6	Nada-ku, Kobe
Ōishi Station	27.6
Nishi-Nada Station	28.2
Iwaya Station	28.8
Kasuganomichi Station	29.9	Chūō-ku, Kobe
Sannomiya Station	31.2
Motomachi Station	32.1

Connecting railway lines

The Hanshin Main Line has the following connections to the other railway lines. If the name of the station on the connecting line is different from the station of the Main Line, station name is noted.

At Umeda Station:

• West Japan Railway Company (JR West)
  • Tōkaidō Main Line (JR Kobe Line, JR Kyoto Line, JR Takarazuka Line) - Osaka Station
  • Osaka Loop Line - Osaka Station
  • JR Tozai Line - Kitashinchi Station
• Osaka Municipal Subway
  • Midosuji Line
  • Tanimachi Line - Higashi-Umeda Station
  • Yotsubashi Line - Nishi-Umeda Station
• Hankyu Railway
  • Kobe Line
  • Kyoto Line
  • Takarazuka Line

At Fukushima Station:

• West Japan Railway Company (JR West)
  • Osaka Loop Line
  • JR Tozai Line - Shin-Fukushima Station

At Noda Station:

• West Japan Railway Company (JR West)
  • JR Tozai Line - Ebie Station
• Osaka Municipal Subway
  • Sennichimae Line - Nodahanshin Station

At Daimotsu Station and Amagasaki Station:

• Hanshin Electric Railway
  • Nishi-Osaka Line

At Mukogawa Station:

• Hanshin Electric Railway
  • Mukogawa Line

At Imazu Station:

• Hankyu Railway
  • Imazu Line

At Uozaki Station:

• Kobe New Transit
  • Rokko Island Line

At Sannomiya Station:

• West Japan Railway Company (JR West)
  • Tōkaidō Main Line (JR Kobe Line)
• Hankyu Railway
  • Kobe Line
• Kobe New Transit
  • Port Island Line
• Kobe Municipal Subway
  • Seishin-Yamate Line
  • Kaigan Line - Sannomiya-Hanadokeimae Station

At Motomachi Station:

• Kobe Rapid Railway
  • Tozai Line
• West Japan Railway Company (JR West)
  • Tōkaidō Main Line (JR Kobe Line)

Stopping patterns

The Hanshin Main Line operates 8 types of trains: Local (普通, Futsū), Semi-Express (準急, Junkyū), Express (急行, kyūkō), Morning Express (区間急行, Kukan Kyūkō), Rapid Express (快速急行, Kaisoku Kyūkō), Hanshin Limited Express (特急, Tokkyū), Hanshin-Sanyō Through Limited Express (直通特急, Chokutsū Tokkyū), Morning Limited Express (区間特急, Kukan Tokkyū).

• Semi-Express trains are operated only in the rush hour on weekdays, and Semi-Express trains terminate at Koshien.
• Rapid Express trains are operated only in the evening on weekdays.
• x: stop
• |: pass
• ^: only in one direction
• *1: Express trains stop at Imazu from the evening to the last train on weekdays, and all day on Saturdays, Sundays, and Holidays.
• Express trains are operated between Umeda and Nishinomiya from 9:30 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. on weekdays and all day on Saturdays, Sundays, and Holidays.
• *2: Limited Express trains (including Hanshin-Sanyō Through Limited Express trains) stop at Koshien in the early morning and from the evening until the last train on weekdays, and all day on Saturdays, Sundays, and Holidays. Hanshin-Sanyō Through Limited Express trains for Himeji stop there in the morning rush hour on weekdays.
• *3: Semi-Express trains from Ishiyagawa, Nishinomiya or Koshien bound for Umeda stop at Amagasaki Center Pool-mae in the morning on weekdays.
• *4: Hanshin-Sanyō Limited Express with yellow marking stop at Nishi-Motomachi and Daikai.
• Morning Express trains are operated from Koshien to Umeda in the morning on weekdays.

Station	Local 普通	Semi- Express 準急	Express 急行	Morning Express 区間急行 (from Koshien for Umeda)	Rapid Express 快速急行	Hanshin Limited Express 特急	Hanshin- Sanyō Through Limited Express 直通特急	Morning Limited Express 区間特急 (from Sannomiya for Umeda)
Main Line
Umeda	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X
Osaka	X	X	X	^ |	|	|	|	^ |
Hanshin	X	X	X	X	X	|	|	^ |
Yodogawa	X	|	|	^ |	|	|	|	^ |
Himejima	X	X	|	^ |	|	|	|	^ |
Chibune	X	X	|	^ |	|	|	|	^ |
Kuise	X	X	|	^ |	|	|	|	^ |
Daimotsu	X	|	|	^ |	|	|	|	^ |
Hanshin	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	^ |
Deyashiki	X	X	|	^ |	|	|	|	^ |
Amagasaki Center Pool-mae	X	*3	|	^ |	|	|	|	^ |
Mukogawa	X	X	X	X	|	|	|	^ |
Naruo	X	X	|	X	|	|	|	^ |
Koshien	X	X	X	X	X	*2	*2	X
Kusugawa	X	^ |	|		|	|	|	^ |
Hyogo	X	X	*1		X	|	|	^ |
Hanshin	X	X	X		X	X	X	^ |
Koroen	X	^ |	|		|	|	|	X
Uchide	X	X	|		|	|	|	^ |
Hanshin	X	X	X		|	X	X	X
Hyogo	X	X	|		|	|	|	^ |
Hyōgo	X	^ |	X		X	|	|	X
Uozaki	X	X	|		|	X	X	^ |
Hanshin	X	^ |	|		|	|	|	^ |
Hanshin	X	X	X		|	X	X	^ |
Ishiyagawa	X	X	|		|	|	|	^ |
Shinzaike	X		|		|	|	|	^ |
Oishi	X		X		|	|	|	^ |
Nishi-Nada	X		|		|	|	|	^ |
Hyogo	X		X		X	|	|	^ |
Hanshin	X		|		|	|	|	^ |
Sannomiya	X		X		X	X	X	X
Hyogo	X		X			X	X
Kobe Rapid Railway Tozai Line
Nishi-Motomachi	X		X			X	*4
Kosoku Kobe	X		X			X	X
Shinkaichi	X		X			X	X
Daikai	X		X			X	*4
Kosoku Nagata	X		X			X	X
Hyogo	X		X			X	|
Down to (the Sanyō Electric Railway Main Line)	Higahi-Suma		Sumaura-koen			Sumaura-koen	Sanyō Himeji