Osaka Higashi Line

Stations15ServiceTypeHeavy railSystemUrban NetworkOperator(s)JR-West
JR FreightDepot(s)AboshiRolling stock221 series EMUHistoryOpenedTechnicalLine length20.2 km (12.6 mi)Track gauge1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in)Electrification1,500 V DC (overhead lines)Operating speed120 km/h (75 mph)

Route map

Legend Osaka Loop Line Naniwasuji Line (future) Tōkaidō Main Line (JR Kobe Line, JR Takarazuka Line) Umeda Freight Line Umeda Signal Box (formerly JR Freight Umeda Freight Terminal) –2023  JR-F01  Ōsaka Hankyu Kobe Main Line, Hankyu Takarazuka Main Line (Osaka-Umeda) old Umeda Freight Line –2023 Tōkaidō Main Line (JR Kyoto Line) Osaka Metro: Midōsuji Line Yodo River Old Tōkaidō Line Hankyu Kyoto Main Line Spur track to Miyahara Depot 0.0 –  JR-F02  Shin-Ōsaka Tōkaidō Shinkansen – Sanyō Shinkansen Hoppō Freight Line Osaka Metro: Midōsuji Line Higashi-Yodogawa Kanzaki River  JR-F03  Minami-Suita Jōtō Freight Line Kanzakigawa Signal Box Hankyu Senri Line – 10.3 Senri Signal Box –1982 – 10.7 Suita Suita Freight Terminal Kanzaki River Tōkaidō Shinkansen Hankyu Kyoto Line  JR-F04  JR-Awaji Akagawa Bridge Yodogawa River – 5.7 Miyakojima Signal Box –1982  JR-F05  Shirokitakōendōri  JR-F06  JR-Noe Osaka Metro: Tanimachi Line (Noe-Uchindai) Keihan Main Line (Noe) Yodogawa Freight Line and Sakuranomiya Line – 2.9 Tatsumi Signal Box −1982 Jōtō Freight Line Katamachi Line (Gakkentoshi Line) Neya River  JR-F07  Shigino Osaka Metro: Imazatosuji Line 11.1 0.0  JR-F08  Hanaten Katamachi Line (Gakkentoshi Line) Daini Neya River Aboshi Depot Hanaten Branch 12.8 1.7  JR-F09  Takaida-Chūō Osaka Metro: Chūō Line (Takaida) 14.4 3.3  JR-F10  JR Kawachi-Eiwa Kintetsu Nara Line (Kawachi-Eiwa) 15.0 3.9  JR-F11  JR Shuntokumichi Osaka Line (Shuntokumichi) Shuntokumichi Signal Box 2007–2008 16.0 4.9  JR-F12  JR Nagase Hagusa Signal Box –2003  JR-F13  Kizuri-Kamikita Shōgakuji Signal Box South Jōtō Freight Line (see inset below) Old Jōtō Freight Line (see inset below) 18.7 7.6  JR-F14  Shin-Kami Kansai Main Line (Yamatoji Line) Kami Hanwa Freight Line 20.3 9.2  JR-F15  Kyūhōji Ryūge Signal Box –1997 10.4 Yao Kansai Main Line (Yamatoji Line) Old Jōtō Freight Line 0.0 Shōgakuji Signal Box Osaka Higashi Line Kansai Main Line (Yamatoji Line) Jōtō Freight–Yamatoji connection Kutara No. 1 Signal Box 1.5 Hirano Jōtō Freight–Yamatoji connexion Kudara Freight Terminal Kudarashijō –1984

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.^{[citation needed]} 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.^{[citation needed]} (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][clarification needed]} 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
			Between Stations	Total
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
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.^{[citation needed]}

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

See also

• Musashino Line, in the Tokyo area
• Aichi Loop Line

References

External links

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