Kintetsu Namba Line

Kintetsu's predecessor lines had long terminated at Uehommachi (now Ōsaka-Uehommachi), the terminus of both the Osaka Line and the Nara Line, the latter opened by the Osaka Electric Railway in 1914. Reaching Namba, closer to the city centre, required an extension, and on 23 February 1959 Kintetsu obtained a licence to build a line between Tsuruhashi and Namba. A construction bureau was set up on 1 March 1965, and work on the underground station at Uehommachi began on 9 September 1965, followed by a formal groundbreaking ceremony on 9 October 1965.

Construction then proceeded station by station beneath the streets of central Osaka. Work on the intermediate Nippombashi station started on 25 November 1966, and construction of the Namba terminus began on 25 April 1967. The whole alignment was driven underground along Sennichimae-dōri.

The final stages came in early 1970. Track-laying began on 25 January 1970 and test running followed on 24 February 1970. On 1 March 1970 all Nara Line trains were switched to the new underground platforms at Uehommachi, and on 15 March 1970 the line between Kintetsu-Namba and Uehommachi opened to traffic. A few days later, on 21 March 1970, some Osaka Line limited expresses also began running through onto the new line. The opening day, 15 March, was also the day Expo '70, the Japan World Exposition, opened to the public.

Kintetsu levied a special surcharge on fares over the line to help recover the construction cost. This added fare was introduced on 8 January 1979. Once the building costs had been fully recouped, the surcharge was abolished on 20 November 1991, and fares over the Namba Line reverted to the ordinary scale.

The line's reach was transformed in 2009. On 20 March 2009 the Hanshin Electric Railway extended its Nishi-Osaka Line to Ōsaka-Namba, where it met the Kintetsu line; the whole line, existing section included, became the Hanshin Namba Line, and the two operators began through services. On the same day Kintetsu renamed the stations at either end of the line — Kintetsu-Namba became Ōsaka-Namba, and Uehommachi became Ōsaka-Uehommachi.

The Namba Line carries frequent commuter and limited-express services even though it is only two kilometres long. Direct trains between Kōbe-Sannomiya on the Hanshin side and Kintetsu-Nara also run over it via Ōsaka-Namba.

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

• Kintetsu-Nippombashi近鉄日本橋
• Osaka Namba大阪難波
• Osaka Uehommachi大阪上本町

• 195923 February: Kintetsu obtains a licence to build a line between Tsuruhashi and Namba.
• 19651 March: a construction bureau is established. 9 September: construction of the underground station at Uehommachi begins; 9 October: groundbreaking ceremony.
• 196625 November: construction of the intermediate Nippombashi station begins.
• 196725 April: construction of the Namba terminus begins.
• 1969On the connecting Nara Line, the voltage is raised to 1,500 V DC.
• 197025 January: track-laying begins. 24 February: test running. 1 March: all Nara Line trains switch to the underground platforms at Uehommachi.
• 197015 March: the line between Kintetsu-Namba and Uehommachi opens to traffic, on the day Expo '70 opens to the public.
• 197021 March: some Osaka Line limited expresses begin running through onto the new line.
• 19798 January: a special surcharge fare is introduced to help recover the line's construction cost.
• 199120 November: with construction costs fully recovered, the surcharge fare on the Namba Line is abolished.
• 200920 March: through services with the new Hanshin Namba Line begin; Kintetsu-Namba is renamed Ōsaka-Namba and Uehommachi is renamed Ōsaka-Uehommachi.