, referred to as and officially Kinki-Nippon Railway, is a Japanese passenger railway company, managing infrastructure and operating passenger train service. Its railway system is the largest in Japan, excluding Japan Railways Group. The railway network connects Osaka, Nara, Kyoto, Nagoya, Tsu, Ise, and Yoshino. Kintetsu Railway Co., Ltd. is a wholly owned subsidiary of Kintetsu Group Holdings Co., Ltd.
History
On 16 September 1910, was founded and renamed a month after. Osaka Electric Tramway completed Ikoma Tunnel and started operating a line between Osaka and Nara (present-day Nara Line) on 30 April 1914. The modern Kashihara, Osaka, and Shigi lines were completed in the 1920s, followed by the Kyoto Line (a cooperative venture with Keihan Electric Railway). Daiki founded in 1927, which consolidated on 15 September 1936.
In 1938, Daiki teamed up with its subsidiary to operate the first private railway service from Osaka to Nagoya. Another subsidiary Sankyū bought Kansai Express Electric Railway on 1 January 1940 and continued the service on its own. Then, Sankyū consolidated on 1 August. Daiki consolidated its largest subsidiary Sankyū on 15 March 1941 and was renamed . Kankyū consolidated on 1 February 1943 and moved its headquarters from Uehommachi to Osaka Abenobashi.
Kankyū was renamed after it consolidated Nankai Railway in June 1944: it maintained the name when Nankai regained its independence in 1947.
After World War II, Kintetsu branched out and became one of the world's largest travel agencies, Kinki Nippon Tourist Co., Ltd., opening offices in the United States of America (Kintetsu International Express, Inc.) and other countries.
The first charged limited express train service started between Uehommachi and Nagoya in 1947, and this is the start of the present Kintetsu limited express trains. The rail network was mostly completed by consolidating , , and other companies.
Kintetsu moved its headquarters again from Osaka Abenobashi to Osaka Uehommachi on 5 December 1969.
On 28 June 2003, Kinki Nippon Railway Co., Ltd. was renamed Kintetsu Corporation. The corporation was split on 1 April 2015. Its railway business division was succeeded by Kintetsu Split Preparatory Company, Ltd. (founded on 30 April 2014), while its real estate business division by Kintetsu Real Estate Co., Ltd., its hotel business division by Kintetsu Hotel Systems, Inc., and its retail business by Kintetsu Retail Service Corporation, respectively.
On the same day Kintetsu Corporation was split, it was renamed as Kintetsu Group Holdings Co., Ltd. as a holding company, while Kintetsu Split Preparatory Company, Ltd. was renamed as Kintetsu Railway Co., Ltd.
Abbreviations
From its founding to present 16 September 1910—14 April 1941: 15 April 1941—31 May 1944: 1 June 1944—1948: or Present: — used for the official corporate name in English since 2003. Acquired or merged companies Sangu Express Electric Railway Co., Ltd.: Ise Electric Railway Co., Ltd.: Osaka Railway Co., Ltd.: Nara Electric Railway Co., Ltd.: Mie Electric Railway Co., Ltd.:
Lines
Owned and operated lines (Type I Railway Business), funiculars, and aerial tramway Following lines belong to Kintetsu's and Business under the Railway Business Act. This means that Kintetsu is the owner and operator of the lines.
lines All lines operate with 1,500 V DC overhead catenary except for the Keihanna Line, which operates on 750 V DC third rail. Osaka Line and its branch Osaka Line (Osaka Uehommachi - Ise-Nakagawa) Shigi Line (Kawachi-Yamamoto - ShigiSangūchi) Nagoya Line and its branches Nagoya Line (Kintetsu Nagoya - Ise-Nakagawa) Yunoyama Line (Kintetsu Yokkaichi - Yunoyama-Onsen) Suzuka Line (Ise-Wakamatsu - Hiratacho) Yamada/Toba/Shima Line Yamada Line (Ise-Nakagawa - Ujiyamada) Toba Line (Ujiyamada - Toba) Shima Line (Toba - Kashikojima) Namba/Nara Line and its branch Namba Line (Ōsaka Namba - Ōsaka Uehommachi) Nara Line (Fuse - Kintetsu-Nara) Ikoma Line (Ikoma - Oji) Keihanna Line (Nagata - Gakken Nara-Tomigaoka)** Kyoto/Kashihara Line and its branches Kyoto Line (Kyoto - Yamato-Saidaiji) Kashihara Line (Yamato-Saidaiji - Kashiharajingu-mae) Tenri Line (Hirahata - Tenri) Tawaramoto Line (Shin-Oji - Nishi-Tawaramoto)
narrow-gauge lines Minami Osaka/Yoshino Line and its branches Minami Osaka Line (Osaka Abenobashi - Kashiharajingu-mae) Domyoji Line (Domyoji - Kashiwara) Nagano Line (Furuichi - Kawachi-Nagano) Gose Line (Shakudo - Kintetsu Gose) Yoshino Line (Kashiharajingu-mae - Yoshino)
Cable car (Funicular) lines Ikoma Line (Toriimae - Ikoma-Sanjo) Nishi-Shigi Line (ShigiSangūchi - Takayasuyama)
Ropeway (aerial tramway) Katsuragisan Ropeway (Katsuragi-tozanguchi - Katsuragi-sanjo)
Operated lines owned by other entities (Type II Railway Business) Following line belongs to Kintetsu's under the Railway Business Act. This means that Kintetsu operates trains on the line, but the owner of the railway trackage is a separate company. line Keihanna Line (Ikoma - Gakken-Nara-Tomigaoka, trackage owned by Nara Ikoma Rapid Transit Railway Co., Ltd.)
Owned lines operated by other entities (Type III Railway Business) Following lines belong to Kintetsu's under the Railway Business Act. This means that Kintetsu is the owner of the railway facility, but the trains are operated by separate companies. narrow-gauge lines Iga Line (Iga-Ueno - Iga-Kambe, trains operated by Iga Railway Co., Ltd.) Yōrō Line (Kuwana - Ogaki - Ibi, trains operated by Yōrō Railway Co., Ltd.)
Until 30 September 2007, those lines were part of the Category 1 railway business.
Through-train services Kintetsu trains also operate through service onto the Osaka Metro Chūō Line (all Keihanna Line trains), the Kyoto Municipal Subway Karasuma Line, and the Hanshin Railway Hanshin Namba Line, but such lines are not Kintetsu lines.
Abandoned lines and transferred lines Hase Line (長谷線) (Sakurai - Hase, abandoned ) Sanjo Line (山上線) (Takayasuyama - Shigizammon, discontinued on 7 January 1944 and abandoned on ) Horyuji Line (法隆寺線) (Shin-Horyuji - Hirahata, discontinued on 11 February 1945 and abandoned on ) Obusa Line (小房線) (Unebi - Kashiharajingu-eki, discontinued on 1 June 1950 and abandoned on ) Ise Line (伊勢線) (Edobashi - Shin-Matsusaka - Daijingu-mae) Shin-Matsusaka - Daijingu-mae: abandoned on Edobashi - Shin-Matsusaka: abandoned on Iga Line (伊賀線) (Nishi-Nabari - Iga-Kambe, abandoned on ) Shima Line (志摩線) (Kashikojima - Shinjuko, abandoned on ) Hachioji Line (八王子線) (Nishihino - Ise-Hachioji, discontinued on 25 July 1974 and abandoned on ) Higashi-Shigi Cable Line (東信貴鋼索線) (Shigisanshita - Shigisan, abandoned on ) Hokusei Line (Nishi-Kuwana - Ageki, transferred to Sangi Railway Co. on 1 April 2003) Utsube Line (Kintetsu Yokkaichi - Utsube, transferred to Yokkaichi Asunaro Railway Company on 1 April 2015) Hachioji Line (Hinaga - Nishi-Hino, transferred to Yokkaichi Asunaro Railway Company on 1 April 2015)
Lines transferred to Nankai Electric Railway To separate both former Kankyū lines and Nankai Railway lines, on 1 June 1947, the following lines were transferred to Nankai Electric Railway Co. Ltd. that was renamed from Kōyasan Electric Railway Co., Ltd. Nankai Main Line (Namba - Wakayamashi) Tennoji Branch Line (天王寺支線) (Tengachaya - Tennoji) Tengachaya - Imaikecho: abandoned on Imaikecho - Tennoji: abandoned on Takashinohama Line (Hagoromo - Takashinohama) Tanagawa Line (Misakikoen - Tanagawa) Kada Line (Kinokawa - Kada) Kitajima Branch Line (北島支線) (Wakayamashi - Higashi-Matsue, abandoned on ) Koya Line (Shiomibashi - Koyashita) Hankai Line (Ebisucho - Hamadera-eki-mae) (transferred to Hankai Tramway Co., Ltd. on 1 December 1980) Ohama Branch Line (大浜支線) (Shukuin - Ohama-kitaguchi - Ohamakaigan) Ohama-kitaguchi - Ohamakaigan: abandoned on Shukuin - Ohama-kitaguchi: closed on 10 July 1945, abandoned on Uemachi Line (Tennoji-eki-mae - Sumiyoshikoen) (transferred to Hankai Tramway Co., Ltd. on 1 December 1980) Hirano Line (平野線) (Imaike - Hirano) (abandoned on )
Unbuilt lines Gifu Line (岐阜線) (Ogaki - Gifu or Hashima), planned by Yoro Electric Railway Co. Shijonawate Line (四条畷線) (Sakuranomiya - Nukata), planned by Osaka Electric Railway Co.
Rolling stock , Kintetsu operates a fleet of 1,905 electric multiple unit (EMU) vehicles, the second largest fleet for a private railway operator in Japan after Tokyo Metro (2,766 vehicles). The newest Hinotori 80000 series EMU trainsets entered revenue service on limited express services between Osaka Namba and Kintetsu Nagoya in spring 2020. Eight six-car sets and three eight-car sets, 72 vehicles in total, will enter service by 2021. The end cars in each set will be designated "High Grade cars" with 1+2 abreast seating and a seat pitch of . The intermediate "Regular" cars will have 2+2 abreast seating and a seat pitch of . Seating in both types of accommodation will consist of fixed-back shell seats.
A new generation of rolling stock for the commuter fleet, designated as the 8A series, entered service in October 2024. Another type of new generation rolling stock, designated as the 1A series, entered service in January 2026.
Future Additional rolling stock types were announced in June 2025:
1B series (Osaka Line, Yamada Line, Toba Line, Nagoya Line, Yamada Line, Toba Line) 6A series (Minami-osaka Line, Nagano Line, Gose Line, Yoshino Line)
Fare cards
Kintetsu accepts ICOCA, PiTaPa, and other compatible nation-wide IC cards throughout their network except on the Ikoma cable car and Katsuragi ropeway. Various discount tickets are also available from their website or ticket machines, with varying valid areas and usage periods. Surutto Kansai passes can be used in the Keihanshin area, west of Aoyamachō and north of Tsubosakayama stations.
Offices of Kintetsu Headquarters and Osaka Transportation Department, Railway Headquarters, Railway Headquarters: 1-55, Uehommachi Rokuchome, Tennoji-ku, Osaka Nagoya Transportation Department, Railway Headquarters: 16-11, Unomori Itchome, Yokkaichi, Mie
See also Yamato Bunkakan
References
External links
about Kintetsu