Osaka Higashi Line

F   Osaka Higashi Line
A 201 series EMU on a "Local" service, March 2008
Overview
Native name	おおさか東線
Type	Heavy rail
System	Urban Network
Locale	Osaka Prefecture
Termini	Kita-Umeda Kyūhōji
Stations	7 (In operation)
Operation
Opened	March 15, 1929 (as Katamachi Freight Branch Line) March 15, 2008 (as Osaka Higashi Line)
Owner	Osaka Soto-Kanjo Railway Co., Ltd.
Operator(s)	JR West JR Freight
Depot(s)	Aboshi
Rolling stock	103 series EMU 201 series EMU 207 series EMU 321 series EMU
Technical
Line length	(Total) 9.2 km (5.7 mi) (In operation)
Track gauge	1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in)
Electrification	1,500 V DC, overhead lines
Operating speed	120 km/h (75 mph)
Route map Legend Umeda Freight Line Tōkaidō Main Line (JR Kobe Line, JR Takarazuka Line) - - Kita-Umeda(planned) Umeda Signal Box (formerly JR Freight Umeda Freight Terminal) Hankyu Kobe Main Line, Hankyu Takarazuka Main Line (Nakatsu) Osaka Subway: Midōsuji Line Tōkaidō Main Line (JR Kyoto Line) Yodo River Old Tōkaidō Line Hankyu Kyoto Main Line Spur track to Miyahara Depot 0.0 - Shin-Osaka Sanyō Shinkansen Tōkaidō Shinkansen Osaka Subway: Midōsuji Line Higashi-Yodogawa Kanzaki River Suita Freight Line - - Nishi-Suita(planned) Jōtō Freight Line Hankyu Senri Line - 10.3 Senri Signal Box–1982 - 10.7 Suita Kanzaki River Tōkaidō Shinkansen Hankyu Kyoto Line - - Awaji(planned) Akagawa BridgeYodogawa River - 5.7 Miyakojima Signal Box–1982 - - Miyakojima(planned) - - Noe(planned) Osaka Subway: Tanimachi Line (Noe-Uchindai) Keihan Main Line Yodogawa Freight Line and Sakuranomiya Line - 2.9 Tatsumi Signal Box−1982 Jōtō Freight Line Katamachi Line (Gakkentoshi Line) Neya River - - ShiginoOsaka Subway: Imazatosuji Line 11.1 0.0 Hanaten Katamachi Line (Gakkentoshi Line) Daini Neya River Aboshi Depot Hanaten Branch 12.8 1.7 Takaida-ChūōOsaka Subway: Chūō Line (Takaida) 14.4 3.3 JR Kawachi-Eiwa Kintetsu Nara Line (Kawachi-Eiwa) 15.0 3.9 JR Shuntokumichi Kintetsu Osaka Line (Shuntokumichi) Shuntokumichi Signal Box2007–2008 16.0 4.9 JR Nagase Hebikusa Signal Box–2003 South Jōtō Freight Line(see inset below) Old Jōtō Freight Line(see inset below) 18.7 7.6 Shin-Kami Kansai Main Line (Yamatoji Line) Kami Hanwa Freight Line 20.3 9.2 Kyūhōji Ryūge Signal Box–1997 10.4 Yao Kansai Main Line (Yamatoji Line) Old Jōtō Freight Line 0.0 Shogakuji Signal Box Osaka Higashi Line Kansai Main Line (Yamatoji Line) Jōtō Freight–Yamatoji connection Kutara No. 1 Signal Box 1.5 Hirano Jōtō Freight–Yamatoji connexion Kudara Freight Terminal Kudarashijō –1984

The Osaka Higashi Line (おおさか東線, Ōsaka-Higashi-sen) is a railway line in Osaka, Japan, operated by the West Japan Railway Company (JR West). Before being named on August 23, 2007, the line was constructed with the tentative name "Osaka Outer Loop Line (大阪外環状線, Ōsaka-soto-kanjōsen)". The line will connect Shin-Osaka Station in northern Osaka with Kyūhōji Station in Yao, forming an arc around the eastern suburbs of the city, but currently only the southern half of the line, between Hanaten and Kyūhōji, is in operation as a connection between the Tōzai/Katamachi and Yamatoji lines.

The southern part opened on March 15, 2008. But because of problems with the illegal occupation of a site, the northern part has not started construction yet. The optimistic opening date of the said extension is in fiscal 2018.

The line is constructed and owned by the Osaka Soto-Kanjo Railway Co., Ltd. (大阪外環状鉄道株式会社, Ōsaka Sotokanjō Tetsudō Kabushiki Kaisha) as a Category-3 railway business under the Railway Business Act of Japan. JR West and JR Freight operate trains as Category-2 railway business.

Stations

• S: Direct Rapid service stop
• |: Direct Rapid service non-stop

Status	Station	Japanese	Distance (km)	Direct Rapid	Transfers	Location
Planned	Kita-Umeda	北梅田		through to Amagasaki via the Gakkentoshi Line and the JR Tozai Line	Tōkaidō Main Line (JR Kyoto Line, JR Kobe Line, JR Takarazuka Line), Osaka Loop Line (Osaka Station), Osaka Municipal Subway Yotsubashi Line	Kita-ku, Osaka
Planned (existing line)	Shin-Osaka	新大阪			Tōkaidō Main Line (JR Kyoto Line), Sanyō Shinkansen, Tōkaidō Shinkansen, Osaka Municipal Subway Midosuji Line	Yodogawa-ku, Osaka
Planned	Nishi-Suita	西吹田				Suita
	Awaji	淡路			Hankyu Kyoto Line, Hankyu Senri Line	Higashiyodogawa-ku, Osaka
	Miyakojima	都島				Miyakojima-ku, Osaka
	Noe	野江			Keihan Main Line, Osaka Municipal Subway Tanimachi Line (Noe-Uchindai Station)	Joto-ku, Osaka
Planned (existing on other line)	Shigino	鴫野		|	Katamachi Line (Gakkentoshi Line), Osaka Municipal Subway Imazatosuji Line
In operation	Hanaten	放出	0.0	S	Katamachi Line (Gakkentoshi Line)	Tsurumi-ku, Osaka
	Takaida-Chūō	高井田中央	1.7	|	Osaka Municipal Subway Chuo Line (Takaida Station)	Higashiosaka, Osaka
	JR Kawachi-Eiwa	JR河内永和	3.3	|	Kintetsu Nara Line (Kawachi-Eiwa Station)
	JR Shuntokumichi	JR俊徳道	3.9	|	Kintetsu Osaka Line (Shuntokumichi Station)
	JR Nagase	JR長瀬	4.9	|
	Shin-Kami	新加美	7.6			Hirano-ku, Osaka
	Kyūhōji	久宝寺	9.2	S	Kansai Main Line (Yamatoji Line)	Yao, Osaka
Rapid service through to Nara via the Yamatoji Line

Rolling stock

Passenger

• 103 series
• 201 series
• 207 series (used for rapid services since March 12, 2011)
• 321 series (used for rapid services)

Former

• 223-6000 series (used for rapid services from March 15, 2008 until March 11, 2011)

The 103 and 201 series trains are based at Nara Depot, the 207 series trains are based at Aboshi Depot, while the 223-6000 series trains were based at Miyahara Depot.

Freight

Locomotives seen hauling freight trains include the DD51, DE10, EF66, EF81 and EF210.

• 

  A DD51 locomotive on the Osaka Higashi Line, November 2001

• 

  An EF81 locomotive on the Akagawa Bridge, August 2013

See also

• Musashino Line, in the Tokyo area
• Aichi Loop Line

External links

• Osaka Soto-Kanjo Railway Co., Ltd. (Japanese)