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Kyoto Municipal Subway line2 min read

Karasuma Line

烏丸線

The Karasuma Line (烏丸線, Karasuma-sen) is one of the two lines of the Kyoto Municipal Subway, operated by the Kyoto Municipal Transportation Bureau in Kyoto, Japan.

Running 13.7 kilometres north to south largely beneath Karasuma Street, it links Kokusaikaikan in the north of the city with Takeda in the south, serving fifteen stations. It is built to 1,435 mm standard gauge and electrified at 1,500 V DC by overhead catenary. At its southern end the line connects with the Kintetsu Kyoto Line at Takeda, where through trains continue onto the Kintetsu network as far as Nara.

KyotoMinamiYamashinaMuko2 km
Route of the Karasuma Line · Kyoto · Boundaries: MLIT / GSI / Japan Post

History

The Karasuma Line was the first Kyoto Municipal Subway line to open. A groundbreaking ceremony for the line was held at Gōō Shrine on 29 November 1974, and the first section, between Kitaōji and Kyoto Station, opened on 29 May 1981. The new 10 series trains entered service on the same day.

The line was then extended in stages. On 11 June 1988 it was carried south from Kyoto Station to Takeda, reaching the point at which it could meet the Kintetsu Kyoto Line. On 28 August 1988 mutual through-running with the Kintetsu Kyoto Line began, with services running from Kitaōji through to Shin-Tanabe on the Kintetsu side; Kintetsu 3200 series trains began appearing on the subway from that date.

Extension continued at the northern end. On 24 October 1990 the line was pushed north from Kitaōji to Kitayama. The final section followed on 3 June 1997, when the stretch from Kitayama to Kokusaikaikan opened, completing the line to its present length of 13.7 kilometres. The same year, ahead of the opening of the Municipal Subway's second line, the Tōzai Line, Oike Station was renamed Karasuma Oike Station.

Through services onto the Kintetsu network were later extended. In December 1997 a temporary through-service was run between Kokusaikaikan and Takanohara in connection with the COP3 climate conference. Then, on 15 March 2000, regular express through-services began running from Kokusaikaikan to Kintetsu Nara, and Kintetsu 3220 series trains entered service the same day.

The new 20 series trains, built to replace the nine 10 series sets in use since the line opened in 1981, entered service on 26 March 2022.

Stations on this line

15 stations tracked on the map, listed alphabetically. Select any to read its page.

Timeline
  • 197429 November: a groundbreaking ceremony for the Karasuma Line is held at Gōō Shrine.
  • 198129 May: the first section, Kitaōji–Kyoto, opens as the first line of the Kyoto Municipal Subway; the 10 series trains enter service.
  • 198811 June: the line is extended south from Kyoto Station to Takeda.
  • 198828 August: mutual through-running with the Kintetsu Kyoto Line begins, with services running from Kitaōji to Shin-Tanabe; Kintetsu 3200 series trains begin operating on the line.
  • 199024 October: the line is extended north from Kitaōji to Kitayama.
  • 1997Oike Station is renamed Karasuma Oike Station, ahead of the opening of the Tōzai Line.
  • 19973 June: the final section, Kitayama–Kokusaikaikan, opens, completing the line at 13.7 km.
  • 19971–10 December: a temporary through-service is run between Kokusaikaikan and Takanohara in connection with the COP3 climate conference.
  • 200015 March: regular express through-services begin running from Kokusaikaikan to Kintetsu Nara; Kintetsu 3220 series trains are introduced.
  • 202226 March: the new 20 series trains enter service, beginning replacement of the original 10 series fleet.

Sources

Last updated 16 October 2026.

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