Nankai Kōya Line

Nankai Koya Line
25px
A Rinkan limited express service
Overview
Native name	南海高野線
Type	Heavy rail
Locale	Osaka Prefecture, Wakayama Prefecture
Operation
Owner	Nankai Electric Railway
Depot(s)	Chiyoda, Oharata
Technical
Line length	64.5 km (40.1 mi)
Track gauge	1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in)
Electrification	1,500 V DC, overhead catenary
Operating speed	100 km/h (60 mph)

The Nankai Kōya Line (南海高野線, Nankai Kōya-sen) is a railway line in Osaka Prefecture and Wakayama Prefecture, Japan, operated by the private railway operator Nankai Electric Railway. It connects Osaka and Koyasan, the capital of the Japanese Buddhist sect Shingon, via the suburbs of Osaka, such as Sakai, Osakasayama, Tondabayashi and Kawachinagano in Osaka Prefecture and Hashimoto and Kōya in Wakayama Prefecture. To distinguish it from other Nankai Lines, the Kōya Line is indicated with pictograms of coniferous-like trees which infer Mount Koya, or with the line colour, green.

For historical reasons, the line formally begins at Shiomibashi Station in Osaka and crosses the Nankai Main Line, the company's other main line, at Kishinosato-Tamade Station, though operationally it starts at Namba Station together with the Nankai Line, diverges at Kishinosato-Tamade Station and goes to Gokurakubashi Station, to connect to Koyasan through Nankai Cable Line.

The section from Shiomibashi to Kishinosato-Tamade, called the "Shiomibashi Line" (汐見橋線), has trains operating only in between those two stations. The section from Hashimoto to Gokurakubashi and the Koyasan Cable is named the "Koya Flower Railway" (こうや花鉄道) by operating a sightseeing train "Tenku".

Route map
Legend
Koya Line  Stations of Nankai Railway line unless otherwise noted 4.1 Namba (first)-1980 3.9 NK01 Namba (second)1980- (for connections, see below)   3.0 NK02 Imamiyaebisu 2.5 NK03 Shin-Imamiya( for connections, see below ) 1.9 NK04 Haginochaya Tennoji Branch Line 13px Sakaisuji Line (K20) 0.9 NK05 Tengachaya Shiomibashi "Shiomibashi Line"   for details, see below 0.0 NK06 Kishinosato-Tamade Nankai Main Line Hankai: Hankai Line 1.1 NK51 Tezukayama Hankai: Uemachi Line (Kaminoki Station) 2.0 NK52 Sumiyoshihigashi 2.9 NK53 Sawanochō 3.2 Wakamiya-1917 3.5 NK54 Abikomae Yamato River 4.8 NK55 Asakayama 6.4 NK56 Sakaihigashi JR-W: Hanwa Line 7.9 NK57 Mikunigaoka 8.8 NK58 Mozuhachiman Subway: Midosuji Line (M30) 9.5 NK59 Nakamozu Osaka Urban Development:   Semboku Rapid Railway Kōmyōike Izumi-Chūō 10.1 Mozu (freight)-1912? 10.4 (extra) Nakamozu Undojo-mae 10.5 NK60 Shirasagi 12.0 NK61 Hatsushiba 12.9 NK62 Hagiharatenjin 14.7 NK63 Kitanoda Nishiyoke River 15.6 NK64 Sayama Higashiyoke River 16.7 Ikejiri Signal Box-1914 17.2 NK65 Ōsakasayamashi 17.6 Daiichi Handa (freight)-1930? 18.2 Daini Handa (freight)-1930? 18.3 NK66 Kongō 20.0 NK67 Takidani 21.3 NK68 Chiyoda 22.0 Chiyoda Signal Box Chiyoda Depot and Chiyoda Workshop Kintetsu: Nagano Line 23.4 NK69 Kawachinagano Ishikawa River Amami River Amami River Amami River 25.1 NK70 Mikkaichichō Kagata Signal Box-1984 26.7 NK71 Mikanodai 28.6 NK72 Chihayaguchi 30.3 NK73 Amami Osaka Prefecture Kimi Tunnel Wakayama Prefecture 34.0 NK74 Kimitōge 35.3 NK75 Rinkanden'entoshi 36.2 Hashitani Signal Box-1983 x20px 37.3 NK76 Miyukitsuji 38.2 Oharata Signal Box Oharata Inspection Depot 39.5 (extra) Ichiwakiyama-1918? 39.9 Hashimotocho (extra platform)-? 40.1 NK77 Hashimoto 40.6 0.0 Tsuma Signal Box-1959 JR-W: Wakayama Line - 0.6 Kinokawaguchi-1959 Kinokawa 43.2 NK78 Kii-Shimizu 45.8 NK79 Kamuro 47.6 NK80 Kudoyama Nyugawa River 49.6 NK81 Kōyashita Fudotani River 51.3 NK82 Shimo-Kosawa 2 tunnels Naka-Kosawa Bridge 53.0 NK83 Kami-Kosawa 4 tunnels Kasagi Bridge 2 tunnels 56.0 NK84 Kii-Hosokawa 7 tunnels 58.4 NK85 Kii-Kamiya 4 tunnels 59.9 NK86 Gokurakubashi Kōyasan Cable funicular
Shiomibashi Branch  Subway: 13px Sennichimae Line (Sakuragawa) Hanshin: Hanshin Namba Line (Sakuragawa) 0.0 NK06-5 Shiomibashi JR-W: Osaka Loop Line (Ashiharabashi) 0.9 NK06-4 Ashiharachō 1.6 NK06-3 Kizugawa 2.6 NK06-2 Tsumori Osaka Tram: Hankai Line 3.6 NK06-1 Nishi-Tengachaya 4.6 NK06 Kishinosato-TamadeNankai Main Line Koya Line
Details of Namba area  13px Yotsubashi Line (Y15) Midōsuji Line (M20) 13px Sennichimae Line (S16) Kintetsu: Namba Line (Osaka Namba) Hanshin: Hanshin Namba Line (Osaka Namba) NK01 Namba Subway: 13px Sakaisuji Line Subway: Daikokuchō NK02 Imamiyaenisu Subway, Hankai: Ebisuchō Hankai: Hankai Line JR-W: Osaka Loop, Kansai Main (Yamatoji) lines NK03 Shin-Imamiya /Hankai: Minami-Kasumichō Midōsuji Line (M22) Dōbutsuen-mae 13px Sakaisuji Line (K19) NK04 HaginochayaHankai: Imaike NK05 Tengachaya Nankai Line (left)/Koya Line (right)

Service patterns

Local (各駅停車, Kakueki Teisha) (Lo)

Between Namba and Sakaihigashi, Kitanoda, Kongō, Chiyoda, Kawachinagano, Miikkaichichō, Rinkanden-entoshi or Hashimoto, and between Hashimoto and Kōyashita or Gokurakubashi.

Semi-Express (準急, Junkyū) (SE)

All the southbound trains are operated from Namba to Kōmyōike or Izumi-Chūō on the Semboku Rapid Railway Line. On weekday mornings, northbound trains for Namba are operated from Mikkaichicho, Kawachinagano and Chiyoda in addition to the through trains from the Semboku Rapid Railway Line.

Sub Express (区間急行, Kukan Kyūkō) (SbE)

Trains are operated between Namba and Kawachinagano, Miikkaichichō or Rinkanden-entoshi. Through trains from the Semboku Rapid Railway Line to Namba are available on weekday mornings.

Express (急行, Kyūkō) (Ex)

Trains are operated mainly between Namba and Miikkaichichō, Rinkanden-entoshi or Hashimoto. Several trains are operated between Namba and Kōyashita or Gokurakubashi.

Rapid Express (快速急行, Kaisoku Kyūkō) (RE)

All trains are operated between Namba and Gokurakubashi, and use a special "Zoomcar" rolling stock. On weekday evenings, southbound trains for Hashimoto from Namba are operated using other rolling stock.

Limited Express (特急, Tokkyū) (LE)

The Kōya (こうや) operates between Namba and Gokurakubashi, and the Rinkan (りんかん) between Namba and Hashimoto. All seats of both trains are reserved.

Sightseeing train Tenku (観光列車「天空」) (Tk)

From July 3, 2009, trains operate between Hashimoto and Gokurakubashi daily except Wednesdays and Thursdays from March until November, and on Saturdays, Sundays and national holidays from December until February. They stop at Kamuro and Kudoyama.

• For fare calculation, the distance between Tengachaya and Tezukayama is defined as 1.8 km

Stations

Namba - Kishinosato-Tamade - Gokurakubashi

• LE - Semboku Liner No Stop

Line name	No.	Station	Stop	Location
Nankai Main Line	NK01	Namba	Lo SE SB Ex RE    LE	Chūō-ku, Osaka	Osaka Prefecture
	NK02	Imamiyaebisu	Lo	Naniwa-ku, Osaka
	NK03	Shin-Imamiya	Lo SE SB Ex RE    LE	Nishinari-ku, Osaka
	NK04	Haginochaya	Lo
	NK05	Tengachaya	Lo SE SB Ex RE    LE
	NK06	Kishinosato-Tamade	Lo
Kōya Line
	NK51	Tezukayama	Lo	Sumiyoshi-ku, Osaka
	NK52	Sumiyoshihigashi	Lo
	NK53	Sawanochō	Lo
	NK54	Abikomae	Lo
	NK55	Asakayama	Lo	Sakai-ku, Sakai
	NK56	Sakaihigashi	Lo SE SB Ex RE    LE
	NK57	Mikunigaoka	Lo SE
	NK58	Mozuhachiman	Lo SE
	NK59	Nakamozu	Lo SE	Kita-ku, Sakai
	NK60	Shirasagi	Lo SE
	NK61	Hatsushiba	Lo SE	Higashi-ku, Sakai
	NK62	Hagiharatenjin	Lo SE
	NK63	Kitanoda	Lo SE SB Ex RE
	NK64	Sayama	Lo SE SB	Osakasayama
	NK65	Ōsakasayamashi	Lo SE SB
	NK66	Kongō	Lo SE SB Ex RE    LE
	NK67	Takidani	Lo SE SB	Tondabayashi
	NK68	Chiyoda	Lo SE SB	Kawachinagano
	NK69	Kawachinagano	Lo SE SB Ex RE    LE
	NK70	Mikkaichichō	Lo SE SB Ex RE
	NK71	Mikanodai	Lo    SB Ex RE
	NK72	Chihayaguchi	Lo    SB Ex
	NK73	Amami	Lo    SB Ex
	NK74	Kimitōge	Lo    SB Ex	Hashimoto	Wakayama Prefecture
	NK75	Rinkanden'entoshi	Lo    SB Ex RE    LE
	NK76	Miyukitsuji	Lo    SB Ex RE
	NK77	Hashimoto	Lo    SB Ex RE Tk LE
	NK78	Kii-Shimizu	Lo       Ex RE
	NK79	Kamuro	Lo       Ex RE Tk
	NK80	Kudoyama	Lo       Ex RE Tk	Kudoyama, Ito District
	NK81	Kōyashita	Lo       Ex RE
	NK82	Shimo-Kosawa	Lo       Ex RE
	NK83	Kami-Kosawa	Lo       Ex RE
	NK84	Kii-Hosokawa	Lo       Ex RE	Koya, Ito District
	NK85	Kii-Kamiya	Lo       Ex RE
	NK86	Gokurakubashi	Lo       Ex RE Tk LE

Shiomibashi - Kishinosato-Tamade

The section is known as the Shiomibashi Line (汐見橋線).

No.	Station	Location
NK06-5	Shiomibashi	Naniwa-ku, Osaka	Osaka Prefecture
NK06-4	Ashiharachō
NK06-3	Kizugawa	Nishinari-ku, Osaka
NK06-2	Tsumori
NK06-1	Nishi-Tengachaya
NK06	Kishinosato-Tamade

History

The Takano Railway opened the Shiomibashi to Sayama section between 1898 and 1900, and extended the line to Kawachinagano in 1902. That section was electrified at 600 V DC in 1912. All further extensions were electrified when opened.

The Kawachinagano - Mikkaichicho section opened in 1914, and the line was extended to Hashimoto the following year. In 1922, the company merged with Nankai, and the Hashimoto to Gokurakubashi section opened in 1929.

Double-tracking of the line commenced in 1924, reaching Kawachinagano in 1938. The line voltage was increased to 1,500 V DC in 1973, and the following year, double-tracking reached Mikkaichicho, and Hashimoto in 1995.

References

This article incorporates material from the corresponding article in the Japanese Wikipedia