Hankyu Arashiyama Line (阪急嵐山線)
The Hankyu Arashiyama Line (Hankyu Arashiyama-sen) is a railway of Hankyu Corporation that connects from Katsura Station located in Saikyo Ward, Kyoto City, Kyoto Prefecture, to Arashiyama Station (Hankyu).
Having Arashiyama and other sightseeing areas along the line, the Hankyu Arashiyama line has a large turnout with holidaymakers and New Year's visitors to shrines. In the past, it was sometimes described as the Arashiyama feeder line.
Railway data:
Railway distance (operating kilometers): 4.1 km
Track gauge: 1435mm
Number of stations: 4 (including the starting and final stations)
Double-tracked section: none (the entire line is one-track)
Electrified section: entire line electrified (DC1500V)
Block (railway) system: automatic block system
Maximum speed: 70 km/h
Rolling stock base: Katsura depot
Type of operation
Currently, only the shuttle service is available, but a direct special express called the 'Hankyu Kyoto Main Line Special Train' was operated between Umeda Station and Arashiyama Station during the spring and autumn sightseeing seasons until autumn 2000 (with the timetable revision of March 2001, the trains was discontinued).
The express train made a stop at each stations while running on the Arashiyama Line, and on the Kyoto Line it made a stop at the same stations as the other express (currently rapid express) trains (Nagaoka-tenjin Station, Takatsuki-shi Station, Ibaraki Station, Awaji Station and Juso Station). In spring 2001, the operation of local trains from Arashiyama Station to Katsura Station was extended to Nagaoka-tenjin Station so that the passengers could transfer to the limited express train for Umeda Station on the same platform; however, since then this operation has not been performed in any sightseeing season.
The trains are generally four cars long and shuttle four times during the daytime, but on Sundays and holidays during the tourist seasons, or on the day of Gozan no Okuribi (Mountain Bon Fire), some trains are operated with six cars every 10 minutes during the daytime. These six-car trains are formed from the eight-car trains normally running on the Hankyu Kyoto Main Line by decoupling the two final cars to the direction of Umeda Station.
History
The Shinkeihan Railway, a subsidiary of Keihan Electric Railway, took over the railway construction license owned by Kyoto Dento and started the double-track operation of the entire line. Initially, a projected Arashiyama Station had an extensive structure consisting of six platforms and five tracks, because it was planned that Arashiyama Station, as the final station, would be the terminal station in the Kyoto area. However, there was less demand than expected, and under the aggravation of the war situation the order of compulsory metal delivery obliged the line to operate with one track, labeling it as an unnecessary line, and since then it has remained a one-track line. As a legacy of that time, the rail track gauge and the overhead wire poles correspond to the width of a double-track line, and some of the bridge abatements and beams are still in place. However, during the yard reform carried out after the war, the Katsura Station's turnover point with the Kyoto Main Line was largely scrapped, leaving only the roadbed for one track; therefore, it isn't possible to fully restore the line with a double track.
November 9, 1928: Shinkeihan Railway started operations between Katsura Station and Arashiyama Station.
September 15, 1930: Following the incorporation of the Shinkeihan Railway into Keihan Electric Railway, the line became one of the Keihan Electric Railway lines.
October 1, 1943: With the merger of the Keihan Electric Railway into Hanshin Electric Express Railway, the line belonged to Hanshin Electric Express Railway (Hankyu Dentetsu).
January 9, 1944: Owing to the compulsory delivery of materials, the entire line became one-track.
January 1, 1948: Matsuojinja-mae Station was renamed as Matsuo Station.
List of stations
All trains make a stop at each station.