Osaka Higashi Line

Osaka Higashi Line
Osaka Higashi Line
	A 221 series EMU on a Local service in March 2022
Overview
Native name	おおさか東線
Owner	Osaka Soto-Kanjo Railway Co., Ltd.
Locale	Osaka Prefecture
Termini	Ōsaka; Kyūhōji;
Stations	15
Service
Type	Heavy rail
System	Urban Network
Operator(s)	JR-West; JR Freight
Depot(s)	Aboshi
Rolling stock	221 series EMU
History
Opened	15 March 1929 (as Katamachi Freight Branch Line); 15 March 2008 (as Osaka Higashi Line);
Technical
Line length	20.2 km (12.6 mi)
Track gauge	1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in)
Electrification	1,500 V DC (overhead lines)
Operating speed	120 km/h (75 mph)
Route map
	0.0
	–
	–
	10.3
	–
	10.7
	–
	5.7
	–
	2.9
	11.1
	0.0
	12.8
	1.7
	14.4
	3.3
	15.0
	3.9
	16.0
	4.9
	18.7
	7.6
	20.3
	9.2

The Osaka Higashi Line (おおさか東線, Ōsaka-Higashi-sen) (Literally: Osaka East Line) is a railway line in Osaka, Japan, operated by the West Japan Railway Company (JR-West). The line connects Ōsaka Station in northern Osaka with Kyūhōji Station in Yao, forming an arc around the northern and eastern suburbs of the city. Before being named on August 23, 2007, the line was constructed with the tentative name "Osaka Outer Loop Line (大阪外環状線, Ōsaka-soto-kanjōsen)".

The line is constructed and owned by the Osaka Soto-Kanjo Railway Co., Ltd. (大阪外環状鉄道株式会社, Ōsaka Sotokanjō Tetsudō Kabushiki Kaisha) as a Category-3 railway business under the Railway Business Act of Japan. JR-West and JR Freight operate trains as Category-2 railway business. The Kita-Umeda extension opened on March 18, 2023, replacing the above-ground Umeda Freight Line.

History

Conceived in the 1950s during Japan's explosive postwar economic growth, it was planned as a grand "outer loop" of the city, using existing freight lines to link Amagasaki with Shin-Osaka, Suita, Awaji, Hanaten, Kami, Uriwari and Sugimotochō, with a newly constructed segment into Osaka's (then primarily industrial) Nankō Port Town. However, with JNR's financial situation deteriorating catastrophically (culminating in its privatization) and continuing issues surrounding land acquisition and squatting by local residents on railway property, the plan was cut back to Shin-Osaka and Kami, terminating at Kyūhōji in the south. (The Hanwa Freight Line, which would have carried the southern segment from Kami to Sugimotochō, was officially abandoned by JR Freight in 2009.) The line connects Shin-Osaka Station in northern Osaka with Kyūhōji Station in Yao, forming an arc around the northern and eastern suburbs of the city.

The southern part opened on 15 March 2008.^[1] But because of problems with the illegal occupation of a site, construction of the northern part was delayed.^[2] Construction of the northern segment started in 2011 and the section between Shin-Osaka and Hanaten has opened on 16 March 2019.^[3]^[4]

Incorporated into the second phase of the Osaka Higashi Line project is the construction of underground platforms at Osaka Station (known as Umekita).^[5] The project provides the basis for the future Naniwasuji Line while also providing a small shortcut on current services on the Haruka and Kuroshio limited express trains.

In February 2023, track switching work took place between the 11th and 13th of that month.^[6] The underground platforms began operation later in the year on 18 March.^[7]

Stations

● : Direct Rapid service stops here
| : Direct Rapid service does not stop here

Local trains stop at all stations. For limited express Mahoroba, please see their respective article.

No.	Station	Japanese	Distance (km)		Direct Rapid	Transfers	Location
No.	Station	Japanese	Between Stations	Total	Direct Rapid	Transfers	Location
JR-F01	Ōsaka	大阪	3.8	3.8	●	JR Kōbe Line (JR-A47) JR Takarazuka Line (JR-G47) Osaka Loop Line (JR-O11) From Osaka-umeda Station: Hankyū Kōbe Main Line, Hankyu Takarazuka Main Line, Hankyu Kyoto Main Line (HK-01) From Osaka-Umeda Station: Hanshin Main Line (HS 01) From Umeda Station: Midōsuji Line (M16) From Higashi-Umeda Station: Tanimachi Line (T20) From Nishi-Umeda Station: Yotsubashi Line (Y11) From Kitashinchi Station: JR Tōzai Line (JR-H44)	Kita-ku, Osaka
JR-F02	Shin-Ōsaka	新大阪	-	0.0	●	JR Kyoto Line (JR-A46) Tokaido・Sanyo Shinkansen Osaka Metro Midōsuji Line (M13)	Yodogawa-ku, Osaka
JR-F03	Minami-Suita	南吹田	2.0	2.0	\|		Suita
JR-F04	JR-Awaji	JR淡路	1.3	3.3	\|	From Awaji Station: Hankyu Kyoto Line (HK-63) Hankyu Senri Line (HK-63)	Higashiyodogawa-ku, Osaka
JR-F05	Shirokitakōendōri	城北公園通	2.1	5.4	\|		Miyakojima-ku, Osaka
JR-F06	JR-Noe	JR野江	2.2	7.6	\|	From Noe Station: Keihan Main Line (KH-05) From Noe-Uchindai Station: Osaka Metro Tanimachi Line (T16)	Joto-ku, Osaka
JR-F07	Shigino	鴫野	1.8	9.4	\|	Katamachi Line (Gakkentoshi Line, JR-H40) Osaka Metro Imazatosuji Line	Joto-ku, Osaka
JR-F08	Hanaten	放出	1.6	11.0	●	Katamachi Line (Gakkentoshi Line, JR-H39)	Tsurumi-ku, Osaka
JR-F09	Takaida-Chūō	高井田中央	1.7	12.7	●	From Takaida Station: Osaka Metro Chuo Line (C22)	Higashiosaka, Osaka
JR-F10	JR Kawachi-Eiwa	JR河内永和	1.6	14.3	●	From Kawachi-Eiwa Station A Kintetsu Nara Line (A07)
JR-F11	JR Shuntokumichi	JR俊徳道	0.6	14.9	\|	From Shuntokumichi Station: D Osaka Line (D07)
JR-F12	JR Nagase	JR長瀬	1.0	15.9	\|
JR-F13	Kizuri-Kamikita	衣摺加美北	1.3	17.2	\|
JR-F14	Shin-Kami	新加美	1.4	18.6	\|		Hirano-ku, Osaka
JR-F15	Kyūhōji	久宝寺	1.6	20.2	●	Yamatoji Line (Kansai Main Line)	Yao, Osaka
Direct Rapid service through to Nara via the Yamatoji Line

Notes

Rolling stock

Passenger

221 series (used for Local services from 12 March 2022 and Direct Rapid services from 18 March 2023)^[8]^[9]

Former

103 series (until 2018)
201 series (until 11 March 2022)^[8]
207 series (used for Direct Rapid Services from 12 March 2011 until 17 March 2023)^[9]
223-6000 series (used for Direct Rapid Services from 15 March 2008 until 11 March 2011)
321 series (Used for Direct Rapid Services until 17 March 2023)^[9]

The 103 and 201 series trains are based at Nara Depot, the 207 series trains are based at Aboshi Depot, while the 223-6000 series trains were based at Miyahara Depot.

Freight

Locomotives seen hauling freight trains include the DD51, DE10, EF66, EF81 and EF210.

A DD51 locomotive on the Osaka Higashi Line in November 2001
An EF81 locomotive on the Akagawa Bridge in August 2013

References

↑ JR-West Press Release (December 20, 2007) (in Japanese)
↑ "JRおおさか東線、北ヤード乗り入れ、18年度までに開業、150億円追加投資。" (in Japanese). Nihon Keizai Shimbun. January 31, 2009. Retrieved January 31, 2009.
↑ "2019年春ダイヤ改正について" (Press release). 西日本旅客鉄道. December 14, 2018. Retrieved January 29, 2019.
↑ "直結！おおさか東線". jr-odekake.net. March 16, 2019. Archived from the original on March 4, 2019. Retrieved March 18, 2019.
↑ "運輸政策審議会答申図（三大都市圏） - 大阪圏" [Transport Policy Council Report Map (Three Major Metropolitan Areas) - Osaka Area] (PDF). Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, and Transportation (in Japanese). March 10, 2007. Archived (PDF) from the original on February 22, 2021. Retrieved February 7, 2020.
↑ "「はるか」地下へ切り替え東海道線、ホーム開業控え工事" [Work Continues at Osaka Umekita as the Haruka Limited Express Is Rerouted Underground]. Yomiuri Shimbun (in Japanese). February 14, 2023. Archived from the original on February 14, 2023. Retrieved February 14, 2023.
↑ "梅田貨物線「地下化」来年2月に「うめきた地下ホーム」使用開始に先行" [Umeda Freight Line "Underground ahead of the start of use of "Umekita Underground Platform in February next year]. news.railway-pressnet.com. December 9, 2022. Archived from the original on December 9, 2022. Retrieved March 18, 2023.
1 2 "おおさか東線で221系の運用開始" [221 series starts operation on the Osaka Higashi Line]. Japan Railfan Magazine Online (in Japanese). Japan: Koyusha Co., Ltd. March 12, 2022. Retrieved March 12, 2022.
1 2 3 "おおさか東線の直通快速が221系に" [The direct rapid service on the Osaka Higashi Line becomes the 221 series.]. Japan Railfan Magazine Online (in Japanese). Koyusha Co., Ltd. March 19, 2023. Retrieved December 19, 2023.

External links

Osaka Soto-Kanjo Railway Co., Ltd. (in Japanese)

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[1] JR-West Press Release (December 20, 2007) (in Japanese)

[Nihon_Keizai_Shimbun-2] "JRおおさか東線、北ヤード乗り入れ、18年度までに開業、150億円追加投資。" (in Japanese). Nihon Keizai Shimbun. January 31, 2009. Retrieved January 31, 2009.

[3] "2019年春ダイヤ改正について" (Press release). 西日本旅客鉄道. December 14, 2018. Retrieved January 29, 2019.

[4] "直結！おおさか東線". jr-odekake.net. March 16, 2019. Archived from the original on March 4, 2019. Retrieved March 18, 2019.

[5] "運輸政策審議会答申図（三大都市圏） - 大阪圏" [Transport Policy Council Report Map (Three Major Metropolitan Areas) - Osaka Area] (PDF). Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, and Transportation (in Japanese). March 10, 2007. Archived (PDF) from the original on February 22, 2021. Retrieved February 7, 2020.

[:22-6] "「はるか」地下へ切り替え東海道線、ホーム開業控え工事" [Work Continues at Osaka Umekita as the Haruka Limited Express Is Rerouted Underground]. Yomiuri Shimbun (in Japanese). February 14, 2023. Archived from the original on February 14, 2023. Retrieved February 14, 2023.

[7] "梅田貨物線「地下化」来年2月に「うめきた地下ホーム」使用開始に先行" [Umeda Freight Line "Underground ahead of the start of use of "Umekita Underground Platform in February next year]. news.railway-pressnet.com. December 9, 2022. Archived from the original on December 9, 2022. Retrieved March 18, 2023.

[221_higashi-8] 1 2 "おおさか東線で221系の運用開始" [221 series starts operation on the Osaka Higashi Line]. Japan Railfan Magazine Online (in Japanese). Japan: Koyusha Co., Ltd. March 12, 2022. Retrieved March 12, 2022.

[221_DROHS-9] 1 2 3 "おおさか東線の直通快速が221系に" [The direct rapid service on the Osaka Higashi Line becomes the 221 series.]. Japan Railfan Magazine Online (in Japanese). Koyusha Co., Ltd. March 19, 2023. Retrieved December 19, 2023.

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JR West lines
Shinkansen	San'yō Shinkansen (Hakata-Minami) Hokuriku Shinkansen
Main	Hokuriku Kansai Kisei Sanin San'yō Takayama Tōkaidō
Local	Akō J Bantan Etsumi-Hoku G Fukuchiyama Z Fukuen Gantoku P Geibi V Hakubi R Hanwa Himi M Honshi-Bisan B Imbi Jōhana H JR Tōzai B Kabe I Kakogawa V Kansai Airport H Katamachi U Kibi K Kishin E Kisuki B Kosei Y Kure C Kusatsu L Maizuru Mine Nanao D Nara Obama Ōito Onoda F Osaka Higashi Osaka Loop C Sakai U Sakurai P Sakurajima T Tsuyama Ube L Uno T Wakayama Yamaguchi
Other	A Biwako A JR Kyoto A JR Kobe Sagano Yamatoji Seto-Ōhashi
Past	Gannichi Hokuriku Main Ishikawa Ainokaze Toyama Echigo Tokimeki Nihonkai Hisui Kajiya Miki Miyazu Noto Sankō Shigaraki Taisha Toyamakō Wakasa Gakkentoshi Kyobashi - Katamachi