Midōsuji Line

The Osaka Metro Midōsuji Line (御堂筋線, Midōsuji-sen) is a rapid transit line in Osaka, Japan, operated by Osaka Metro. Constructed under Midōsuji, a major north-south street, it is the oldest line in the Osaka subway system and the second oldest in Japan, following the Tokyo Metro Ginza Line. Its official name is Rapid Electric Tramway Line No. 1 (高速電気軌道第1号線), while the Osaka Municipal Transportation Bureau refers to it as Osaka City Rapid Railway Line No. 1 (大阪市高速鉄道第1号線), and in MLIT publications it is referred to as Line No. 1 (Midōsuji Line) (1号線（御堂筋線）). On line maps, stations on the Midōsuji Line are indicated with the letter "M".

Osaka Metro Midōsuji Line
A Midōsuji Line 21 series train in April 2015
Overview
OwnerOsaka Metro (2018–present)
Osaka Municipal Transportation Bureau (1933–2018)
Line number1
LocaleOsaka
TerminiEsaka
Nakamozu
Stations20
Service
TypeRapid transit
SystemOsaka Metro
Depot(s)Nagai, Nakamozu
Rolling stock10 series, 21 series, 30000 series
Daily ridership1,295,420 (daily 2015)[1]
History
OpenedMay 20, 1933
Technical
Line length24.5 km (15.2 mi)
Track length24.5 km (15.2 mi)
Track gauge1,435 mm (4 ft 8 1⁄2 in)
Electrification750 V DC, third rail
Operating speed70 km/h (43 mph)
Route map

North of Nakatsu it runs above ground in the median of Shin-midōsuji, an elevated freeway.

The section between Senri-Chūō and Esaka is owned and operated by Kita-Osaka Kyuko Railway (北大阪急行電鉄, Kita Osaka Dentetsu), but is seamless to the passengers except with respect to fare calculations.


In June 2018, according to https://www.mlit.go.jp/common/001299797.pdf, the Midosuji line is the most congested railway line in the Kansai region of Japan, at its peak running at 151% capacity between Umeda and Yodoyabashi stations.

Line data

Stations
No. Station Japanese Distance Transfers Location
↑ Through-service to/from Senri-Chūō via the Kita-Osaka Kyuko Railway ↑
 M11  Esaka 江坂 0.0 Kita-Osaka Kyuko Railway (through service) Suita
 M12  Higashi-Mikuni 東三国 2.0   Yodogawa-ku, Osaka
 M13  Shin-Ōsaka 新大阪 2.9
 M14  Nishinakajima-
Minamigata		 西中島南方 3.6 Hankyu Kyoto Main Line (HK-61: Minamikata)
 M15  Nakatsu 中津 5.4   Kita-ku, Osaka
 M16  Umeda 梅田 6.4
 M17  Yodoyabashi
(Osaka City Hall)		 淀屋橋
（市役所前）		 7.7
Chūō-ku, Osaka
 M18  Hommachi
(Semba-nishi)		 本町
（船場西）		 8.6
 M19  Shinsaibashi 心斎橋 9.6
 M20  Namba 難波・なんば 10.5
 M21  Daikokuchō 大国町 11.7 Yotsubashi Line (Y16) Naniwa-ku, Osaka
 M22  Dōbutsuen-mae
(Shinsekai)		 動物園前
（新世界）		 12.9
Nishinari-ku, Osaka
 M23  Tennōji 天王寺 13.9
Abeno-ku, Osaka
 M24  Shōwachō 昭和町 15.7  
 M25  Nishitanabe 西田辺 17.0  
 M26  Nagai 長居 18.3 JR West Hanwa Line (JR-R24) Sumiyoshi-ku, Osaka
 M27  Abiko あびこ 19.5  
 M28  Kitahanada 北花田 21.4   Kita-ku, Sakai
 M29  Shinkanaoka 新金岡 23.0  
 M30  Nakamozu なかもず 24.5

Rolling stock
  • Midōsuji Line 10 series EMU in February 2004
  • Midōsuji Line 30000 series set 31904 in May 2017
  • Kita-Osaka Kyuko 8000 series in August 2013
  • Kita-Osaka Kyuko 9000 series in May 2014

Former
  • 100 series (1933–1969)
  • 200 series (1935–1969)
  • 300 series (1938–1969)
  • 400 series (1943–1969)
  • 500 series (1949–1969)
  • 600 series (1951–1969)
  • 1000 series (1953–1969)
  • 1100 series (1957–1969)
  • 1200 series (1958–1969)
  • 50 series (1960–1969)
  • 30 series (1968–1993)
  • Kitakyū 7000/8000 series (1969–1970)
  • Kitakyū 2000 series (1969–1993)
  • A preserved 100 series car, November 2006
  • 30 series on the Midōsuji Line, c.1987

History

The Midōsuji Line was the first subway line in Osaka and the first government-operated subway line in Japan. Its construction was partly an effort to give work to the many unemployed people in Osaka during the early 1930s. The initial tunnel from Umeda to Shinsaibashi, dug entirely by hand, opened in 1933 after being initially plagued by cave-ins and water leakage caused by the poor composition of the earth below northern Osaka and the equally poor engineering skills of the work crew. The first cars were hauled onto the line by manpower and pack animals from the National Railway tracks near Umeda.

Although the line only operated with single cars at first, its stations were designed from the outset to handle trains of up to eight cars. The line was gradually extended over the next few decades, completing its current length in 1987, making it the second-longest subway line in Osaka after the Tanimachi Line (excluding the Kita-Osaka Kyūkō Railway extension of the Midōsuji Line).

  • May 20, 1933 – Umeda (temporary station) – Shinsaibashi (opening).[2] Trains started running in single car formation.
  • October 6, 1935 – Umeda Station (present station) opened.
  • October 30, 1935 – Shinsaibashi – Namba (opening). Trains started running in 2-car formation.
  • April 21, 1938 – Namba – Tennōji (opening). Trains started running in 3-car formation.
  • Construction stopped during World War II.
  • December 20, 1951 – Tennōji – Shōwachō (opening)
  • October 5, 1952 – Shōwachō – Nishitanabe (opening)
  • August 1, 1953 – Trains started running in 4-car formation.
  • April 1, 1957 – Trains started running in 5-car formation.
  • May 1, 1958 – Trains started running in 6-car formation.
  • July 1, 1960 – Nishitanabe – Abiko (opening)
  • June 1, 1963 – Trains started running in 8-car formation.
  • September 1, 1964 – Umeda – Shin-Osaka (opening)
  • August 29, 1968 – 30 series EMUs began operation.
  • February 24, 1970 – Shin-Osaka – Esaka together with Kita-Osaka Kyuko Railway (Kitakyu) (opening). This section of track was the first in the Midōsuji Line to utilize Automatic Train Control instead of Automatic Train Stop.
  • April 1, 1971 – Centralized traffic control introduced.
  • February 16, 1976 – 10 series EMUs begin operation.
  • April 18, 1987 – Abiko – Nakamozu (opening). Refurbishment of stations to accommodate 9-car trainsets began.
  • August 24, 1987, Refurbishment of stations complete, hence all trains were regrouped into 9-car formation.
  • May 14, 1991 – 21 series EMUs begin operation.
  • 1993 – All trains on the Midōsuji Line are fully air-conditioned after the withdrawal of the 30 series and the Kitakyū 2000 series the same year.
  • December 9, 1995 – Refurbishment of stations to accommodate 10-car trainsets began.
  • September 1, 1996 – Refurbishment of stations completed, hence all trains were regrouped into 10-car formation.
  • November 11, 2002 – Women-only cars were introduced.
  • December 2011 – 30000 series trains entered service.

Women-only passenger cars

Women-only cars were introduced on the line from November 11, 2002. There is one such designated car in each train (Car No. 6), the use of which is restricted all day on weekdays.

Women-only car
←NakamozuEsaka/Senri-Chūō→
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

References
  1. "平成27年 大都市交通センサス 近畿圈報告書" (PDF). P:84. 国土交通省.
  2. "公営地下鉄在籍車数ビッグ３　大阪市交通局 (One of the big three public subway operators: Osaka Municipal Subway)". Japan Railfan Magazine. Vol. 49 no. 576. April 2009. pp. 88–99.
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