Hankai Tramway
Hankai Tramway Co., Ltd. is a company which owns two tramway lines in the cities of Osaka and Sakai, Osaka, Japan. It was originally part of Nankai Electric Railway Co., Ltd. and it still uses the Nankai symbol as its logo.
Lines
Hankai Tramway operates two officially designated lines:The lines use standard gauge tracks and are electrified at 600 Volts via catenary.
Services
As is often the case with Japanese tramway operators, the services operated differ from the officially designated routes shown above.Two routes are in operation :
| Route | Major stations | Stops | Length |
| Hankai Line | Ebisucho — Sumiyoshi — Abikomichi | 16 | |
| Uemachi Line/ Hankai Line | Tennoji eki-mae — Sumiyoshi — Abikomichi — Hamadera eki-mae | 29 |
Services operate at the following approximate frequencies:
Rolling stock
Current
- 161 series
- 351 series
- 501 series
- 601 series
- 701 series
- 1001 series
- 1101 series
History
Hankai Tramway Co., Ltd. was founded in 1910. In 1915, the company merged with the Nankai Railway which runs both north and south in Osaka. The city's overall tram network was once extensive. As motorization developed as an alternative form of transportation along with the construction of subway lines underneath major routes, the trams lost their passengers, causing Osaka's once-extensive tram network to shrink, with only the Hankai and Uemachi tram lines remaining. By 1980, the company split from Nankai and became an independent company, with Nankai holding 100% of the Hankai stock. Therefore, Hankai still uses the Nankai symbol as its logo.On January 31, 2016, the stop at Sumiyoshikoen was removed and the Uemachi line terminus was moved to Sumiyoshi, reducing the Uemachi line's length by to.
On February 1, 2020, the stop at Ebisucho was relocated 100m south to provide 100% barrier-free access, reducing the Hankai line's length from to.