Katamachi Line (片町線)
Katamachi Line refers to the railway (trunk line) of West Japan Railway Company (JR West Japan) between Kizu Station (Kyoto Prefecture) in Kizu City, Kyoto Prefecture and Kyobashi Station (Osaka Prefecture) in Osaka City, Osaka Prefecture. It is nicknamed the Gakkentoshi Line. It also includes the freight feeder lines between Shigino and Suita, which are commonly called the Joto Goods Line of the Osaka Higashi Line, and is between Shogakuji signal station and Hirano. All lines are included in a big city section and the line between Nagao Station (Osaka Prefecture) and Kyobashi Station is included in a specific electric train section.
The line color is yellow green ().
The reason for this color is because 'it expresses the youthful energy of the future.'
Railroad data
The distance of the railroad (operational kilometers):
West Japan Railway Company (railway operator):
The distance between Kizu and Kyobashi is 44.8 km.
The distance between Shigino and Suita is 9.1 km.
The distance between Shogakuji signal station and Hirano is 1.5 km.
Japan Freight Railway Company (railway operator) :
The distance between Tokuan and Shigino (3.4 km).
The distance between Shigino and Suita (9.1 km).
The distance between Shogakuji signal station and Hirano (1.5 km).
The gauge: 1067 mm
The number of stations: twenty-four stations (including both the terminal stations, except for freight feeder lines)
Double line sections: between Matsuiyamate and Kyobashi
Electrified section: all lines except between the Shogakuji signal station and Hirano (direct current 1500 V)
Block (railway)
Between Kizu and JR Miyamaki: automatic blocking system (special)
Between Miyamaki and Matsuiyamate: single line automatic blocking system
Between Matsuiyamate and Kyobashi: double line automatic blocking system
Security device: Between Kizu and Kyotanabe is the ATS: automatic train stopping (system), between Kyotanabe and Kyobashi is the Base P system and ATS-SW.
(All lines are scheduled to be unified to ATS-P in the year 2011.)
Maximum speed: 110 km/h
The operation Center: Shin-Osaka General Operations Control Center
Track maintenance section: between Kizu and Hoshida (Yamatoji Line track maintenance section), and between Hoshida and Kyobashi (Tennoji track maintenance section)
* All lines are under direct jurisdiction of the West Japan Railway Company, Osaka branch.
Summary
The line runs around the north side of the Ikoma Mountain Range and is the commuter line linking the cities in the northeast area of Osaka Prefecture or the residential areas spread around the south area of Kyoto Prefecture and the areas in Osaka and the Hanshin (Osaka and Kobe) regions. Also it is the access line to Kansai Science City, Tanabe area, as it is fondly referred to.
In the information for passengers concerning the lines of West Japan Railway Company, it is fondly referred to as the 'Gakkentoshi Line.'
This nickname was designated on March 13, 1988.
Originally, Katamachi Station, the source of the Line's name, was the end of the line, but the station was abolished in place of Osakajokitazume Station at the same time when the JR Tozai Line opened and thus Kyobashi Station became the end of the line. After Katamachi Station was abolished, the formal name for the line was not changed.
In the westward direction from Shijonawate Station, the lines were constructed by Naniwa Railway. It first became an electrified section in the line of Japan National Railways (JNR) (currently, JR) in Kansai area and is considered to be the opening line of JNR in the Kansai area. Also following the example of the Musashino JNR line, it incorporated the first automatic ticket gate in western Japan.
For boarding cards, ICOCA and IC Cards (see ICOCA), used interchangeably with ICOCA, they can be used at all stations and the J Through Card can be used by exchanging it with a boarding ticket at the automatic ticket machine with the exception of some stations.
In the Joto Goods Line between Shigino and Suita and between the Shogakuji signal station and Hirano, the Japan Freight Railway Company (JR Freight) manages the freight trains that run on the line, but currently the Osaka outside loop line, which is a joint public-private venture, has advanced construction to make the line a passenger-traffic line that will be called the Osaka Higashi Line. On March 15, 2008, the south side line between Hanaten and Kyuhoji Station, a part of the Joto Goods Line, opened in ahead of schedule. Originally, the line between Shin-Osaka and Kyuhoji Station was scheduled to open in 2006, but was delayed due to the difficulty of land acquisition and negotiations with the locals on the unopened grade crossing near Shin-Osaka Station and the delay was resolved by connecting the line with the Umeda Goods Line and is scheduled to open before the year 2018.
Since March 15, 2008 when the Osaka Higashi Line partly opened, in the morning and evening the Osaka Higashi Line had been managed as a direct train on that line and the Kansai Main Line (Yamatoji Line) (also see direct rapid train in this article). The direct train by way of the Osaka Higashi Line was scheduled to run through the Nara and Kansai Main Line (Yamatoji Line), Katamachi Line, JR Tozai Line, Tokaido Main Line, Sanyo Main Line (JR Kobe Line) and Nishi-Akashi Station or Shin-Sanda Station on the Fukuchiyama Line, but after a derailment accident on the JR Fukuchiyama Line, the diagram, not free from pressure, was criticized and revised, on the basis whether to connect the line with those lines or not.
Travel form
It runs directly through Takarazuka Station, Shin-Sanda Station, and Sasayamaguchi Station on the Fukuchiyama Line (JR Takarazuka Line) and through Kobe Station (Hyogo prefecture) on the Tokaido and Sanyo Main Line (JR Kobe Line) and Nishi-Akashi Station. In addition to local or rapid trains, trains run according to the type of train or type of section, during the rush hour in the early morning, evening, and at midnight. And since the management has been unified for the JR Tozai Line, the line will also be explained.
Rapid trains
During the day they run every fifteen minutes. During rush hours in the morning, on weekdays and at midnight, they run every twenty minutes. Also, during rush hour in the morning, on weekdays, they run every six to thirteen minutes in the direction of Kyobashi, westward from Shijonawate Station, with regional rapid trains and they all directly run in the direction of Takarazuka and Sasayamaguchi on the Fukuchiyama Line (JR Takarazuka Line) except for one rapid train running from Kizu to Kyobashi at midnight. Most of them run to Doshishamae Station or Kizu Station and as far as Kizu Station, they run every thirty minutes. During the early morning and at midnight, they run from Kizu into the Kansai Main Line (Yamatoji Line) and there are three trains that depart from and arrive at Nara Station. On the JR Tozai Line (Amagasaki - Kyobashi), they stop at every station. Also, rapid trains, departing and arriving at Nara Station, also stop at Narayama Station, unlike rapid trains on the Nara Line.
Except for rapid trains departing and arriving at Kyotanabe, all are attached or unattached at Kyotanabe Station and four-car trains run between Nara, Kizu and Kyotanabe and seven-car trains run between Kyotanabe and Kyobashi. The reason why mass production cars of JR (West) Commuter Trains Series 207 are divided into four and three-car trains is because of this type of management. And during the daytime, in both directions, they undergo pacing attachments with local trains at Shijonawate (revised on March 14, 2009).
The rapid trains had been managed with three-car trains on all the sections for the first year since when they were in full-scale service during March 1989, but they were changed to four-car trains on all sections from March 1990 because of heavy congestion. Until JR Tozai Line opened in March 1997, rapid trains had not run during the rush hour in the morning and after the evening they ran with four-car trains, except for two seven-car trains that ran from Katamachi to Doshishamae (the three rear cars were detached at Matsuiyamate Station) to be used as commuter trains to Doshisha University in the morning.
And in March 2010 (at the end of the year 2009), the platforms of every Station between Kizu Station and Doshishamae Station were extended and it was announced that seven-car trains are being planned to run even between Nara, Kizu, and Kyotanabe.
Direct rapid trains
Since the Osaka Higashi Line partly opened on March 15, 2008, they have run between Nara Station and Amagasaki Station (JR West Japan) by way of the Kansai Main Line (Yamatoji Line) and the Osaka Higashi Line. They run through Hanaten Station to Kyobashi Station on the Katamachi Line (Gakkentoshi Line) and stop at every Station on the JR Tozai Line. Regarding the number of direct rapid trains, there are four from Nara to Amagasaki, and there are four from Amagasaki to Nara in the evening. The eight-car trains, consisting of two four-car trains of JR (West) Suburban Trains Series 223, the 6000s number (Miyahara car) are attached, are used.
Regional rapid trains
They run in the early morning and in middle of the night and during rush hours on weekdays. They run as rapid trains between Kyobashi and Shijonawate and eastward from Shijonawate they stop at every station. Basically during the early morning, they start from Nara, Kizu, but except for these, departures and arrivals are at Doshishamae, Kyotanabe, and Matsuiyamate. As for the category curtain, there is not one train with the cherry fruit color (the line color of JR Tozai Line) for regional rapid trains and therefore, the green belt train (line color of Yamatoji Line) is used instead. As regional rapid trains are not set on the JR Takarazuka and JR Kobe Lines, the number of trains and categories are changed for the up line at Amagasaki and for the down line at Kyobashi. They stop at each station on the JR Tozai Line like the rapid trains and the direct rapid trains do.
Local trains
All day they run directly to the area of Sannomiya and Nishiakashi on the Tokaido, Sanyo Main Line (JR Kobe Line). Also during rush hour the first direct train from Kakogawa Station, the direct train going to JR Takarazuka Line, and the shuttle train at Kyobashi Station are running. The category curtain of cherry fruit color belt (the line color of JR Tozai Line) is used for JR Tozai direct trains and the yellow green belt (the line color of Gakkentoshi Line) is used for the shuttle trains on the Gakkentoshi Line. Basically they run between Matsuiyamate and Nishiakashi, but during the rush hour some run to Shijonawate and Hanaten. And only on the up line in the early morning, do some run to Kizu. The train detach the back three-cars at Kyotanabe Station.
Until 1989 when the line between Kizu and Nagao was electrified, the operation had been divided at Nagao Station and diesel trains ran between Kizu and Nagao (see the History also).
Train cars used
The number of cars below were used in March 2008.
JR (West) Commuter Trains Series 207
All cars belong to the Akashi Quality Control Center, Aboshi Rolling Stock Depot and except for F1 trains (mass produced foregoing cars), all 470 cars are commonly used in JR Kobe, Takarazuka, JR Kyoto, Tozai, Gakkentoshi and Biwako Lines. Sixty-six three-car trains (198 cars) and sixty-eight four-car trains (272 cars) are used on the Gakkentoshi Line. Three-car trains are not used east from Kyotanabe. Some four-car trains are used from Kizu through the Yamatoji Line to Nara.
Commercial operation started from April 30, 1991 on the Gakkentoshi Line. Mass produced foregoing cars which are seven-car trains, called F1 trains, were first used and mass produced cars ran in December 1991. The F1 trains were abolished from the JR Tozai and Gakkentoshi Lines on March 23, 2002 upon the timetable revision, but later on April 25, 2005 when a derailment accident occurred on the JR Fukuchiyama Line, they were temporarily used and the next year, on March 18 2006 upon the next timetable revision, were abolished again and because they were used commonly with JR-West Commuter Trains Series 321 below, they are used again on March 15, 2008 upon the timetable revision, and they repeatedly underwent the on-and-off the line.
JR-West Commuter Trains Series 321
Also they started to be used on the Katamachi Line on March 14, 2008. Usually local trains run between Kyobashi and Matsuiyamate, but unexpected rapid trains and regional rapid trains are additionally used and sometimes run to Kyotanabe.
JR (West) Suburban Trains Series 223, the 6000s number (Miyahara car)
Miyahara Integrated Operation Center
When Osaka Higashi Line opened, they were used for direct rapid trains only between Kyobashi and Hanaten.
They were rare in the Urban Network and the trains on all the sections had long seat cars until March 14, 2008 (same as JR Tozai Line). Only long seat cars were used between Hanaten and Kizu even after March 15.
History
The line between Katamachi and Shijonawate was opened by the Naniwa Railway in 1895 for visiting the shrine in Jigen-ji Temple (Daito City) and Shijonawate-jinja Shrine at the western foot of Mt. Iimori in the northern part of the Ikoma Mountain Range. The line between Shijonawate, Shin-Kizu and Kizu was opened in 1898 by the Kansai Railway which, in those days, planned to gain ground in Osaka and obtain a Railway Construction License for the line between Shijonawate, Nagao, and Kizu from Joga Railway, merging with Naniwa Railway in 1897.
The Kansai Railway line between Amijima, Shijonawate and Shin-Kizu was considered to be the main line connecting Nagoya and Osaka, and direct trains ran between Amijima and Nagoya through Shijonawate, but in 1900 the Kansai Railway merged with the Osaka Railway and changed the main line between Nagoya and Osaka to one running through Oji and while, after 1907 when the line between Kamo and Nara through Daibutsu changed to run through Kizu, only the local line between Kizu, Sakuranomiya and Katamachi remained. The line between Hanaten and Sakuranomiya was abolished in 1913.
In 1932 the line between Shijonawate and Katamachi was electrified first in the sections of the JNR in the Kansai area (Hanwa Line opened in 1929 was, in those days, a private railroad company called Hanwa Electric Railway), the JNR steam locomotive C11 class ran between Kizu and Shijonawate, and the electric trains ran between Shijonawate and Katamachi. After Type C11 entered service, only these locomotives were used as towing trains until the steam locomotives were done away with.
The characteristics of the line during the prewar era was transportation to meet military demand, linking Osaka Artillery Arsenal, Imperial Japanese Army (located in the place of the present-day Osaka Business Park) with the arsenals and magazines located along the line. An exclusive line connecting these facilities for the army was laid (there were three lines such as Hoshida Station Kori factory, Tsuda Station Nakamiya (Kinya magazine) and the present-day Shimokoma Station vicinity of the Hosono ammunition chamber). After the war, the abolition of the facilities caused the exclusive line leading to Kori and Nakamiya to become a road, but the exclusive line in Hosono, converted for the facilities of US forces and the Self Defense Force after the war, was used afterward as well and a bit of the original line still remains. And the Kori factory was converted to the Kori apartment block in 1958 and what was left of the exclusive line to Hirakata city road and Katano city road. The Kinya magazine in Nakamiya was converted to the Komatsu Ltd. Osaka factory and since October 1967 the major local road, Minakuchi-Hirakata Road (upgraded to National Route 307 on April 1, 1970), was converted to a Bypass.
In 1949 after the war, the trains ran between Shijonawate and Katamachi every twenty-two minutes and the required time was thirty-four minutes, but they ran more frequently and faster every twenty minutes and the required time during the daytime was twenty-two minutes and the one in the morning and evening was twenty-four to twenty-six minutes. In 1950 the line between Nagao and Shijonawate was electrified and on the nonelectrified sections JNR/JR Diesel Cars Series Kiha 04 began to run and for the railway trains, only freight trains running between Kizu and Hanaten two to three times a day (the line between Hanaten and Katamachi and the Joto Goods Line were not known) remained (in 1972 the use of steam locomotives was abolished). After that, the electrified sections did not extend for a long time and diesel trains ran between Kizu and Nagao one to two times in the afternoon, but in 1989 after the division and privatization of the JNR the line between Kizu and Nagao was electrified and many trains started to run.
In 1997, the JR Tozai Line opened and direct trains started to run on the JR Takarazuka Line and the JR Kobe Line. At the same time the line between Kyobashi and Katamachi was abolished.
Chronology
Hereinafter, 'abolishment' of the section means the abolishment of the said station or commercial line between signal stations, except as otherwise noted. Even after the day of abolishment, if there was deadhead line to the train car depot or some railway tracks of overlapped sections, it was informed accordingly.
On August 22, 1895
The line between Katamachi and Shijonawate (eight miles five chain (unit) ≒ 12.98 km) was opened by Naniwa Railway. All lines were single lines. Katamachi Station, Hanaten Station, Tokuan Station, Suminodo Station and Shijonawate Station opened.
On June 9, 1896
The commercial distance of all lines were extended (9C ≒ 0.18 km).
On February 9, 1897
Naniwa Railway transferred the railroads to Kansai Railway.
On April 12, 1898
The line between Shijonawate and Nagao (8M23C ≒13.34 km) was extended and opened. Tsuda Station and Nagao Station opened.
On June 4
The line between Nagao and Shin-Kizu (11M23C ≒ 18.17 km) was extended and opened. Tanabe station, Housono station and Shin-Kizu station opened.
On July 1
Hoshida Station opened.
On September 16
The line between Kizu and Shin-Kizu (29C ≒0.58 km) was extended and opened and connected with the present-day Nara Line, Nara Railroad Line. The starting Station changed from Katamachi Station to Kizu Station.
On November 8
The branch line between Hanaten and Neyagawa connection point (1M35C ≒ 2.31 km) opened. Neyagawa connection point opened.
On November 18
The line between Kamo and Shin-Kizu (3M64C ≒ 6.12 km) and the line between Neyagawa connection point and Amijima (1M6C ≒ 1.73 km) were extended and opened. The line between Nagoya Station, Shin-Kizu and Amijima Station became the Main Line and the direct trains between them started to run. On the line between Hanaten and Katamachi that became a branch line, commercial operations were abolished. Amijima Station opened.
On May 15, 1899
Nozaki temporal Station opened.
On June 6, 1900
When Osaka Railroad (between Nara and JR Nanba) was incorporated into the main line, the line between Kamo, Shin-Kizu, and Amijima became a branch line.
On January 18, 1901
The branch line between Shin-Kizu and Kizu was halted.
On January 25
The commercial distance between Hanaten and Katamachi was extended (2C ≒ 0.04 km).
On December 21
The line between Amijima and Sakuranomiya (57C ≒ 1.15 km) opened.
On November 12, 1902
The unit of commercial distance was changed from mile, chain to mile only (between Kamo and Amijima 31M71C => 31.9M, between Hanaten and Katamachi 2M17C => 2.2M, between Amijima and Sakuranomiya 57C => 0.7M, between Shin-Kizu and Kizu 29C => 0.4M).
On January 1, 1905
The commercial service on the line between Hanaten and Katamachi reopened.
On August 21, 1907
The line between Kamo and Shin-Kizu (3.8M ≒ 6.12 km) was halted. Shinkizu Station was downgraded to Shinkizu water point.
On October 1
Kansai Railway was nationalized. Shinkizu water point was changed to Shinkizu water and coal point.
On November 1
The line between Kamo and Shin-Kizu (0.4M ≒ 0.64 km) was officially abolished. The commercial distance between Kizu and Sakuranomiya was extended (0.2M ≒ 0.32 km).
On October 12, 1909
The name of the lines were designated: the line between Kizu and Sakuranomiya was called the Sakuranomiya Line and the one between Hanaten and Katamachi, the Katamachi Line.
On August 29, 1911
Shinkizu water and coal point was abolished.
On April 21, 1912
Nozaki Provisional Station was upgraded to Nozaki Station. Konoikeshinden Station opened. Kyobashiguchi Stop was set as Katamachi Station precincts.
On May 11
Shinkita Station opened.
On November 15, 1913
The line between Hanaten and Sakuranomiya (3.1M ≒ 4.99 km) was abolished. The line between Kizu and Katamachi became the Katamachi Line. Katamachi Station Kyobashiguchi Stop was integrated into Kyobashi Station. Amijima Station and the Neyagawa connection point were abolished. At this time the connecting line between Hanaten, Neyagawa connection point and Sakuranomiya was set and later became the origin of the line between Hanaten and Yodogawa, but the time of abolishment is not known.
On December 11, 1916
Shinkita Station was abolished.
On December 10, 1927
The line between Hanaten and (Shigino) became the double line. The freight feeder line between Kyobashi and Yodogawa (1.2M ≒ 1.93 km) and the one between Hanaten and Yodogawa (3.0M ≒ 4.83 km) opened and the Yodogawa Station (freight feeder) opened.
On March 15, 1929
The freight feeder line between Yodogawa, Senri signal station and Suita (6.2M ≒ 9.98 km) opened. The line between Tatsumi signal station and Senri signal station opened.
On April 1, 1930
The unit of commercial distance was changed from miles to meters (between Kizu and Katamachi 28.1M => 45.4km, between Hanaten and Yodogawa 3.0M => 4.8km, between Yodogawa and Suita 6.2M => 10.0km, between Kyobashi and Yodogawa 1.2M => 1.8km).
On August 10, 1931
The freight feeder line between Hanaten, Shogakuji signal station and Hirano (8.4 km) and the one between Hanaten and Suita (10.7 km) opened. At the bifurcation point with Kansai Main Line, Shogakuji signal station (the first) opened.
On July 8, 1932
Senri signal station was abolished.
On November 1
Shigino signal station opened between Hanaten and Kyobashi.
On December 1
The line between Shijonawate and Katamachi and the one between Shigino signal station and Suita were electrified.
On September 1, 1933
Shigino signal station was upgraded and Shigino station opened.
On December 2, 1935
Kawachiiwafune Station opened.
On October 15, 1939
The freight feeder line between Hanaten, Ryuge Train Yard and Yao (10.4 km) opened. Shogakuji signal station (the first) was integrated into Hirano Station and was abolished.
On July 25, 1941
Shogakuji signal station (the second) opened.
On October 1, 1943
Hagusa signal station opened on the freight feeder line between Hanaten and Hirano and Miyakojima signal station opened on the one between Hanaten and Suita.
Around 1945
On the line between Nozaki and Suminodo, Higashi-Suminodo temporary Station opened. The trains stopped only during commuting hours during the morning and evening.
Around 1948
Higashi-Suminodo temporary Station was abolished.
On December 25, 1950
The line between Nagao and Shijonawate was electrified.
When electrified at that time, 4-car trains ran to and from twenty-on times a day every forty - sixty minutes. Between Kizu and Nagao, diesel trains ran back and forth nine times a day and one mixed train on the down line ran early in the morning.
On December 1, 1952
Nishi-Kizu Station, Shimokoma Station, Kamitanabe Station and Osumi Station opened.
On May 1, 1953
Shinobugaoka Station opened.
In 1954
The exclusive line between Tsuda and Kinya magazine and the one between Hoshida and Kori factory (Kinya side line and Kori side line) were abolished.
On January 25, 1955
The line between Shigino and Katamachi became a double line.
On April 25, 1961
The freight feeder line between Kyobashi and Yodogawa (1.8 km) was abolished (however, because the trains on the Osaka Loop Line went into Yodogawa train section, the line itself continued.
On December 10
Shogakuji signal station (the second) was integrated into Hirano Station and was abolished.
On February 27, 1969
The line between Shijonawate and Suminodo became a double line.
On March 22
The line between Suminodo and Tokuan became a double line.
On March 25
The line between Tokuan and Hanaten became a double line.
On June 30, 1972
The line for the Hosono ammunition chamber (Kawanishi side line) was abolished.
On March 8, 1976
JNR Series 101 was converted from the Keihin-Tohoku Line
The first new capability train on the Katamachi Line. After that, JNR Series 101 was transferred from the Osaka Loop Line in the year 1976.
In March 1977
Old type train (JNR 72 Series) stopped running.
1979/10/01
The line between Shijonawate and Nagao became a double line. Fujisaka Station and Higashi-Neyagawa Station opened. Automatic ticket gates was installed at each station between Nagao and Katamachi, a first on the JNR line.
On May 9, 1980
JNR Series 103 was newly installed.
On November 15, 1982
The freight feeder line between Hanaten and Yodogawa (4.8 km) and one between Yodogawa and Suita (10.0 km) were abolished. Yodogawa Station, Tatsumi signal station and Miyakojima signal station were abolished. However, as the trains of Katamachi Line ran to Yodogawa Train Depot, the line itself continued until the transfer of Yodogawa Train Depot. The line between Hanaten and Shigino and the line between Tatsumi signal station and Suita were overlapped with the current sections.
On March 21, 1983
JNR Series 103 was installed serially and in huge numbers from Keihanshin Local Train (completed on September 30, 1984).
On March 14, 1985
Yodogawa train section which was a train depot on the Katamachi Line was completely transferred from the old Yodogawa station yard in Nakano-cho, Miyakojima Ward, Osaka City to the present location, Kawamata, Higashi-Osaka City. The old Yodogawa train depot on the line between Hanaten and Yodogawa and the one between Kyobashi and Yodogawa were completely abolished.
On April 1, 1986
Doshishamae Station opened.
On April 1, 1987
After the division and privatization of JNR, West Japan Railway Company succeeded it. Japan Freight Railway Company became a second class railway operator of some sections. Commercial freight operations between Kizu and Tokuan were abolished. As an official registry the passenger commercial operation started between Hanaten and Yao, and between Shigino and Suita.
On March 13, 1988
The nickname, Gakkentoshi Line, started to be used.
Rapid trains started to run (originally on weekdays, the number of the up line was one and the down line, two.)
(The stops: Nagao, Shijonawate, Suminodo, Hanaten, Kyobashi and Katamachi.)
On September 1
Kawachiiwafune Station became a stop for rapid trains.
In 1989
On March 11
The line between Kizu and Nagao was electrified. The line between Osumi and Nagao was shortened (0.1 km) because of the route change and on the section Matsuiyamate Station opened and the line between Matsuiyamate and Nagao became a double line. The number of rapid trains greatly increased.
Around June, JNR Series 101 retired from Katamachi Line (seven-car trains were changed to six-car trains and they came to belong to the Morinomiya train section and ran on the Sakurajima Line or the Osaka Loop Line until 1991).
On April 30, 1991
JNR Series 207 started to run commercially.
In September 1996, JNR Series 103 retired from the Katamachi Line (the Series 103 on Katamachi Line came to belong to the Osaka Loop Line, Yamatoji Line, Nara Line, and Hanwa Line and later some of them were transferred to the Bantan Line as number 3500s).
On March 8, 1997
When JR Tozai line opened, direct lines to JR Takarazuka Line and JR Kobe Line started to run. The line between Kyobashi and Katamachi (0.5 km) was abolished. Katamachi Station was abolished. Tanabe Station was changed to Kyotanabe Station and Kamitanabe Station to JR Miyamaki Station.
On May 10, 1999
Regional rapid trains started to run.
On March 23, 2002
The speed-up project for the line between Kyotanabe and Matsuiyamate was completed by Kyoto Prefecture and Kyotanabe City and so on. The station, where the train car sets are connected or disconnected, was changed from Matsuiyamate station to Kyotanabe station. At the same time Hoshida Station became a stop for rapid trains.
In March 2003
Hagusa signal station on the freight feeder line was abolished.
On March 14, 2008
JNR Series 321 started to run commercially.
On March 15, 2008
The freight feeder line between Hanaten and Yao (10.4 km) was abolished (because of the opening of the Osaka Higashi Line). As the freight feeder line on the Hirano side continued as the Katamachi Line, Shogakuji signal station (the third) was newly established at the bifurcation point from Osaka Higashi Line and the line between Shogakuji signal station and Hirano was treated as a branch line belonging to Katamachi Line.
List of the stations
The local trains stop at all the stations (omitted in the list).
Explanatory note
The name of stations … <>: freight-handling station (no departure and arrival of a regular freight train), : the station in special urban area 'in Osaka City'
The stop … (1): stop,|: passing
Single line/double line...//: double line section, <>: single line section (the interchange of trains is possible),|: single line section (the interchange of trains is impossible), (2): the interchange of trains for Kizu area is impossible, (3): the down below from here is double line.
Freight feeder line
Both of all the stations and signal stations are located in Osaka Prefecture.
Future schedule
It has been announced that until the end of the year 2009, platforms at each station between Kizu Station and Doshishamae Station will be extended and seven-car trains will run on all sections.