For nearly a century, the line served as a primary competitor to the Hankyū Kobe Line. However, in 2006, Hanshin and Hankyū were subsidiarized under a single share holding company, Hankyu Hanshin Holdings.
History
Mikage Station in 1910 (above) and today (below). Note the longer platforms and grade separation. These improvements were typical evolutions of early interurbans in Japan.
The Main Line started operation on April 12, 1905, by the company. The company found a solution to construct a competing line to the then JNR owned Kobe Line using a loophole in the Tram Act, allowing large portions of the line to be built using street running. It became the first interurban in Japan. This inspired other railways such as Keihan Electric Railway, Minoo Arima Electric Tramway (present Hankyu Hanshin Holdings, Inc.), Osaka Electric Tramway (present Kintetsu), Keihin Electric Railway (present Keihin Electric Express Railway) to build their first lines in a similar fashion.
Then another competing railway company, Hankyū (then Hanshin Kyuko Railway), opened the Kobe Main Line in 1920. The Kobe Main Line was designed as a faster electric mainline railway, and in response Hanshin began upgrading its interurban mainline to become more railway like. Operations included realigning and grade separating street running portions, using high platforms, and introducing express trains.
Through limited express trains to Sanyo Himeji were introduced in 2001. Then, the Hanshin Namba Line was extended to Namba, a major junction in southern Osaka. The company announced through trains from Kobe-Sannomiya to Kintetsu Nara in Nara on KintetsuNara Line would be operated.
The Main Line operates eight types of trains, one of the most types among Japanese railways. This is in some part to equalize the load of each train especially in the morning for Osaka (Umeda station) with short length of EMU length and with few (only double) tracks. For the extension of the Hanshin Namba Line, from Nishikujo to Osaka Namba, on March 20, 2009, the diagrams of the Hanshin Railway were revised.[1]
Abbreviations are tentative for this article.
Local (普通, Futsū)
Trains stop all stations, farthest down to Shinkaichi in the rush hour, and Kosoku Kobe in the off-peak hour.
Express (急行, Kyūkō)
Trains are operated between Osaka-Umeda and Nishinomiya or between Osaka Umeda and Amagasaki. In addition, 1 midnight train is operated to Mikage with limited express stops.
Regional Express (区間急行, Kukan Kyūkō)
Trains are operated between Kōshien and Osaka-Umeda in weekdaymorning rush hours. In addition, 2 trains are operated from Ogi to Osaka-Umeda. In official route maps Hanshin shortens the name to "Express".
Rapid Express (快速急行, Kaisoku Kyūkō)
Trains are through trains to and from the Hanshin Namba Line and the Kintetsu Nara Line. They also stop at Mukogawa and Imazu Stations in the off-peak hour on weekdays, all day on weekends and holidays, but pass Ashiya Station on weekends and holidays. In addition to trains returning at Kobe-Sannomiya every day, there are also 3 trains from Shinkaichi on the Kobe Kosoku Line to Kintetsu Nara on weekends and Holidays.
Hanshin Limited Express (阪神特急, Hanshin Tokkyū)
Trains are operated down to Sumaura-kōen in the day and late night on weekdays and after day hours on holidays. In official route maps Hanshin shortens the name to "Limited Express".
Direct Limited Express (直通特急, Chokutsū Tokkyū)
Trains are operated between Osaka-Umeda and Sanyō Himeji. Trains marking in yellow in the destination sign stop at Nishi-Motomachi, Daikai and Nishidai Stations on the Kobe Kosoku Line. 7 eastbound trains pass Koshien in the morning on weekdays. In official route maps Hanshin shortens the name to "Limited Express".
Regional Limited Express (区間特急, Kukan Tokkyū)
Trains are operated only from Mikage to Osaka-Umeda in weekdaymorning rush hours with connections from Osaka-Umeda-bound local trains at Mikage. In official route maps Hanshin shortens the name to "Limited Express".
Stations
The Main Line, having 39 stations (including the Kobe Kosoku Line), is noted for its "high density" of stations. In comparison, Kobe-Sannomiya Station is the 16th station on the Hankyū Kobe Main Line from Umeda Station and Motomachi Station is the 15th station on the JR Kobe Line from Osaka Station.
For connections and distances, see the route diagram.
● : All trains stop
▲ : Some trains stop, depending on time of day and the particular service
◆ : Served by weekend eastbound rapid express services only
△ : Extra services stop
｜ ↓ ↑: All trains pass (Arrows indicate directions)
^Hanshin Electric Railway Co., Ltd. (January 16, 2009). "阪神なんば線【３月２０日（金・祝）】の開通に伴うダイヤ改正の実施！" [Implementation of timetable revision due to the opening of the Hanshin Namba Line [March 20 (Friday / holiday)]!] (PDF) (Press release). Archived(PDF) from the original on January 26, 2012.
.svg){kind=logo}
