Hankyū Imazu Line

The Hankyu Imazu Line (阪急今津線, Hankyū Imazu-sen) is a 9.3 km long commuter rail line in Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan owned and operated by the private railway operator Hankyu Railway. It is the longest of three branchlines of the Hankyu Kobe Line. The line connects the cities of Nishinomiya and Takarazuka.

Hankyu Imazu Line
The Hankyu Imazu Line with the Takarazuka Grand Theater in the background
Overview
Native name阪急今津線
LocaleHyōgo Prefecture
Stations10
Service
Operator(s)Hankyu Railway
Depot(s)Nishinomiya Depot
Technical
Line length9.3 km (5.8 mi)
Number of tracksDouble
Track gauge1,435 mm (4 ft 8 1⁄2 in)
Electrification1,500 V DC, overhead lines
Operating speed80 km/h (50 mph)
Route map
Imazu Line (south section) train

Operation

The Imazu Line runs between Imazu Station and Takarazuka Station. However, no trains run directly from one end to the other because the tracks have split since 1984 at Nishinomiya-Kitaguchi Station, where the line crosses the Kobe Line. Typical Imazu Line trains stop every station between Imazu and Nishinomiya-Kitaguchi (south section) or Nishinomiya-Kitaguchi and Takarazuka (north section).

A small number of trains, called Semi-Express (junkyū), run from Takarazuka Station to Umeda Station (Hankyu's main terminal in Osaka) on weekdays not via the Takarazuka Line, but via the Imazu Line and the Kobe Line. Semi-Express trains of this route do not stop at Nishinomiya-Kitaguchi Station because of the layout of the track in the station; there is no platform for through trains. The distance between Takarazuka and Umeda stations via the Imazu Line is shorter than the route via the Takarazuka line.

Stations
  • All stations are in Hyōgo Prefecture
  • Stops:
    • S: Semi-Express
    • E: Express (Rinji-Kyūkō)
  • Pass: |
No. Station Japanese km S E Transfers Location
South section
HK-21 Imazu 今津 9.3     Nishinomiya
HK-22 Hanshin-Kokudō 阪神国道 8.6  
HK-08 Nishinomiya-Kitaguchi 西宮北口 (阪急西宮ガーデンズ前) 7.7
North section
HK-08 Nishinomiya-Kitaguchi 西宮北口 7.7 | |
  • Hankyu Kobe Main Line
  • Hankyu Imazu Line (South section)
 Nishinomiya
HK-23 Mondo-Yakujin 門戸厄神 6.4 S |  
HK-24 Kōtōen 甲東園 5.4 S |  
HK-25 Nigawa 仁川 (阪神競馬場前) 4.5 S E   Takarazuka
HK-26 Obayashi 小林 2.8 S    
HK-27 Sakasegawa 逆瀬川 1.8 S  
HK-28 Takarazuka-Minamiguchi 宝塚南口 (宝塚ホテル前) 0.9 S  
HK-56 Takarazuka 宝塚 (宝塚大劇場前) 0.0 S

Connections

History

The section between Takarazuka and Nishinomiya-Kitaguchi opened on 2 September 1921, named the Nishi-Takarazuka Line (西宝塚線).[1] The section from Nishinomiya-Kitaguchi to Imazu opened on 18 December 1926, and the line was renamed the Imazu Line.[1]

Attractions along the line

See also

References
  1. Terada, Hirokazu (19 January 2013). データブック日本の私鉄 [Databook: Japan's Private Railways] (in Japanese). Japan: Neko Publishing. p. 139. ISBN 978-4-7770-1336-4.
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