is a Japanese private railway company owned by Hankyu Hanshin Toho Group. Its lines serve to link the cities of Osaka and Kobe in the Hanshin region of Japan. The first character from Kobe (神戸) and the second character from Osaka (大阪) combine to form the company name, 阪神, read as Han-shin.
The company also owns the Hanshin Tigers baseball team, which plays in the Central League and is based in Nishinomiya, Hyōgo Prefecture.
IC cards, including ICOCA and PiTaPa, are accepted on all trains.
Rail lines
Operating lines Main Line (本線) ( – , 32.1 km) Hanshin Namba Line (阪神なんば線) ( – , 10.1 km) The section between Nishikujō and Ōsaka-Namba is the newest segment, having opened on March 20, 2009. Prior to this extension, the line was called the Nishi-Ōsaka Line. Mukogawa Line (武庫川線) ( – , 1.7 km) Kobe Kosoku Line (神戸高速線) (Category-2, – , 5.0 km) The tracks of the line are owned by Kobe Rapid Transit Railway, called the Tōzai Line.
Abandoned lines Kita-Osaka Line (北大阪線) ( – ) Kokudo Line (国道線) (Noda – Higashi-Kobe) Koshien Line (甲子園線) (Kamikoshien – – Hamakoshien – Nakatsuhama) Amagasaki Kaigan Line (尼崎海岸線) ( – Higashihama) Mukogawa Line (武庫川線) (Mukogawa – Muko-ohashi – ): the line between Muko-ohashi and Nishinomiya was used only for freight trains operated by JNR.
Incomplete lines Imazu Deyashiki Line (今津出屋敷線): Takasu – Suzaki - Hamakoshien – Imazu Amagasaki Takarazuka Line (尼崎宝塚線): Amagasaki – (formerly under ) Daini Hanshin Line: Umeda - - Amagasaki – –
History
June 12, 1899: was established. July 7, 1899: The company was renamed "Hanshin Electric Railway Co., Ltd." April 7, 1968: Kobe Rapid Railway was opened and joint operation with Sanyo Electric Railway was started. February 15, 1998: Joint operation with Sanyo Electric Railway for limited express service between Umeda and Himeji was started. June 20, 2006: Hankyu Holdings, Inc. completed its purchase of a controlling interest in Hanshin in a transaction valued at about $2.2 billion. March 20, 2009: Joint operation with Kintetsu Railway for Rapid Express service between Sannomiya and Kintetsu Nara was started.
Rolling stock
Limited Express/Express 1000 series - through services onto the Kintetsu Nara Line 8000 series 9000 series - through services onto the Kintetsu Nara Line 9300 series
Local 5001 5131/5331 5500 series 5550 series (since January 2010) 5700 series (since August 2015) (2016 Blue Ribbon Award winner)
Mukogawa Line 7861 7890/7990
Subsidiaries Hanshin Electric Railway owns the Hanshin Tigers baseball team, whose home ground is Hanshin Koshien Stadium in front of Kōshien Station of the railway's Main Line.
One of the company's subsidiaries is the Osaka-based company Hanshin Contents Link, that operates the Billboard Japan brand under licence from Billboard's publisher.
References
External links
Hankyu Hanshin Holdings Group Website in English Hanshin Electric Railway Website in English