Myoken Line

The operating company was founded on 23 May 1908 as the Nose Electric Tramway (能勢電気軌道株式会社). Its purpose was to carry worshippers to the Nose Myōken-dō temple and to transport the Nose district's local products. The first trains, however, did not run for several more years, and the line was opened in stages over the following decade and a half.

The first section, from Noseguchi — today's Kawanishi-Noseguchi — to Ichinotorii, opened on 13 April 1913, carrying both passengers and freight and electrified at 600 volts DC from the outset. A short section from Ikeda-Ekimae (later Kawanishi-Kokutetsu-mae) to Noseguchi followed on 8 August 1917, linking the line to the national railway at Kawanishi. The route reached its mountain terminus on 3 November 1923, when the segment from Ichinotorii to Myōken — now Myōkenguchi — was completed, giving the line its full length.

From early on the company was closely tied to Hankyū, which took a stake in it when it raised fresh capital to build the Ichinotorii–Myōken section. On 1 October 1978 the company adopted its present name, Nose Electric Railway (能勢電鉄株式会社), and it is today a principal subsidiary of Hankyū.

As housing development spread along its route from the 1960s, the line was progressively upgraded for heavier commuter traffic. The busy southern end was double-tracked in stages: Kawanishi-Noseguchi to Uguisunomori on 30 November 1967, Uguisunomori to Hirano on 5 October 1969, and Hirano to Yamashita on 24 April 1977. The short connecting stub to the national railway, the Kawanishi-Kokutetsu-mae–Kawanishi-Noseguchi section, was closed on 20 December 1981 in connection with station-area redevelopment and track elevation at Kawanishi-Noseguchi.

On 26 March 1995 the line's overhead voltage was raised from 600 V to 1,500 V DC. The "Nissei Express" limited express was created in a timetable revision on 16 November 1997 and began running the next day, through from Nissei-Chūō on the Nissei Line over the Hankyū Takarazuka Line to the Umeda terminal in Osaka, giving commuters from the new towns a one-seat ride into the city centre during peak hours.

In practice the Myōken Line is treated almost as a branch of the Hankyū Takarazuka Line. The basic local service runs between Kawanishi-Noseguchi and Nissei-Chūō over the line's double-tracked southern section, and at Yamashita it connects with shuttle trains that cover the northern section to Myōkenguchi, the gateway to Myōken-zan.

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

• Hirano (Hyogo · Nose Electric Railway)平野
• Ichinotorii一の鳥居
• Kawanishi-Noseguchi川西能勢口
• Kinunobebashi絹延橋
• Kofudai (Osaka)光風台
• Myokenguchi妙見口
• Sasabe笹部
• Tada (Hyogo)多田
• Takiyama滝山
• Tokiwadai (Osaka)ときわ台
• Tsuzumigataki鼓滝
• Uguisunomori鴬の森
• Uneno畦野
• Yamashita (Hyogo)山下

• 190823 May: the operating company is founded as the Nose Electric Tramway (能勢電気軌道).
• 191313 April: the first section, Noseguchi (now Kawanishi-Noseguchi)–Ichinotorii, opens for passengers and freight, electrified at 600 V DC.
• 19178 August: the Ikeda-Ekimae (later Kawanishi-Kokutetsu-mae)–Noseguchi section opens, connecting the line to the national railway at Kawanishi.
• 1922Hankyū takes a stake in the company as it raises capital to build the Ichinotorii–Myōken section.
• 19233 November: the Ichinotorii–Myōken (now Myōkenguchi) section opens, completing the full line.
• 1961The railway becomes a subsidiary of Hankyū.
• 196730 November: the Kawanishi-Noseguchi–Uguisunomori section is double-tracked.
• 19695 October: the Uguisunomori–Hirano section is double-tracked.
• 197724 April: the Hirano–Yamashita section is double-tracked.
• 19781 October: the company changes its name to Nose Electric Railway (能勢電鉄株式会社).
• 198120 December: the Kawanishi-Kokutetsu-mae–Kawanishi-Noseguchi section is closed.
• 199526 March: the overhead line voltage is raised from 600 V to 1,500 V DC.
• 199716 November: a timetable revision creates the 'Nissei Express' limited express, which starts running the next day, through from the Nissei Line over the Hankyū Takarazuka Line to Umeda.