The 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 , while the Osaka Municipal Transportation Bureau refers to it as , and in MLIT publications it is referred to as . On line maps, stations on the Midōsuji Line are indicated with the letter "M".

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

The section between and is owned and operated by , but is seamless to the passengers except with respect to fare calculations.

In June 2018, the Midōsuji 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.

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, as well as the Umeda depot, were constructed entirely by hand and 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 Government 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). Trains started running in single car formation on a single track. October 6, 1935 – Umeda Station (present station) opened. Trains started running on two tracks. 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. 1963 – Highest-ever crush load capacity on the Midōsuji Line recorded at 264% on the Namba – Shinsaibashi section. 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). Automatic Train Control and cab signalling replaced the previous mechanical Automatic Train Stop train protection system. 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 EMUs entered service. February 14, 2015 – First half-height platform screen doors installed at Tennōji Station. March 27, 2020 – First three sets of 30000 series EMUs equipped with on-board Wi-Fi. 2021 – TASC implemented on the Midōsuji Line. March 5, 2022 – Platform screen doors retrofit work completed on the Midōsuji Line. July 4, 2022 – Last 10 series EMU retired from service.

Line data Above-ground section: north of Nakatsu to Esaka; Esaka to south of Senri-Chūō; (Kita-Osaka Kyuko Railway) Block signalling: Automatic Train protection system: WS-ATC Cars per train: 10 (1996 – present) Stations equipped with platform screen doors: all

Stations All stations are located within Osaka Prefecture. No.StationJapaneseDistanceTransfersLocation ↑ Through services to/from via the Kita-Osaka Kyuko Railway ↑ 0.0 Kita-Osaka Kyuko Railway (through service)Suita 2.0  Yodogawa-ku, Osaka 2.9 3.6 Hankyu Kyoto Main Line (HK-61) 5.4  Kita-ku, Osaka 6.4 (Osaka City Hall) 7.7 Chūō-ku, OsakaHommachi(Semba-nishi) 8.6 9.6 (N15) 10.5 11.7 (Y16)Naniwa-ku, Osaka(Shinsekai) 12.9Nishinari-ku, Osaka 13.9 Abeno-ku, Osaka 15.7   17.0   18.3 Hanwa Line (JR-R24)Sumiyoshi-ku, Osaka 19.5   21.4  Kita-ku, Sakai 23.0  なかもず 24.5

Fares and ticketing Fares vary according to travel distance, ranging from 190 to 390 yen for adults and from 100 to 200 yen for children. As the distance increases, the fare rises in stages. Passengers also have the added option of using IC e-cards. +DistanceAdultChildrenLess than 3km190 yen100 yen3km - 7km240 yen120 yen7km - 13km290 yen150 yen13km - 19km340 yen170 yenOver 19km390 yen200 yen Commuter passes come in the form of IC e-cards and can be purchased at Umeda station, Namba station, or Tennoji station at their respective sales counters or at the pink self-service machines in any station. Passes are available for 1-month, 3-month, and 6-month durations. Commuter pass prices vary depending on the duration and distance traveled in a designated route. Discounts are also available for students and children. +Standard commuter passDurationTypeLess than 3km3km - 7km7km - 13km13km - 19kmOver 19km1 monthAdult7,930 yen9,480 yen11,030 yen11,830 yen12,770 yenChildren3,970 yen4,740 yen5,520 yen5,920 yen6,390 yen3 monthAdult22,610 yen27,020 yen31,440 yen33,720 yen36,400 yenChildren11,310 yen13,510 yen15,720 yen16,860 yen18,200 yen6 monthAdult42,830 yen51,200 yen59,570 yen63,890 yen68,960 yenChildren21,420 yen25,600 yen29,790 yen31,950 yen34,480 yen +Student commuter passDurationTypeLess than 3km3km - 7km7km - 13km13km - 19kmOver 19km1 monthAdult3,430 yen4,200 yen4,880 yen4,980 yen5,410 yenChildren1,720 yen2,100 yen2,440 yen2,490 yen2,710 yen3 monthAdult9,780 yen11,970 yen13,910 yen14,200 yen15,420 yenChildren4,890 yen5,990 yen6,960 yen7,100 yen7,710 yen6 monthAdult18,530 yen22,680 yen26,360 yen26,900 yen29,220 yenChildren9,270 yen11,340 yen13,180 yen13,450 yen14,610 yen

Passenger statistics Reference: +StationNumber of passengers (persons/day)Umeda376,997Tennōji230,570Yodoyabashi189,507Honmachi187,469Shinsaibashi128,279Shin-Ōsaka 125,819Esaka93,022Nishinakajima-Minamigata56,702Nakatsu37,190Higashi-Mikuni32,031Nagai31,853Daikokuchō 30,126Dōbutsuen-mae27,808Shōwachō23,891Kitahanada22,900Nakamozu21,343Nishitanabe21,264Shinkanaoka19,736

Rolling stock

Since 1987, all Midōsuji Line rolling stock operated by Osaka Metro are stored and maintained at Nakamozu Depot, the first underground depot in the Osaka Metro system. The first depot for the Midōsuji Line was located near Umeda station, which was replaced by Abeno Depot in 1950, Nagai Depot in 1954 (now used mainly for maintenance-of-way vehicles), and Abiko Depot in 1960 (closed in 1987). Since 2016, it is also possible for Midōsuji Line rolling stock to access Midorigi Depot on the Yotsubashi Line via pointworks before Daikokuchō station, after heavier repairs and maintenance of all third-rail-powered Osaka Metro rolling stock were consolidated there.

21 series (since 1991) 30000 series (since December 10, 2011) Kita-Osaka Kyuko 8000 series (since 1987) Kita-Osaka Kyuko 9000 series (since April 28, 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) 10/10A series (1973–2022) Kitakyū 7000/8000 series (1969–1970) Kitakyū 2000 series (1969–1993)

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/Minoh-kayano→ 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

References

External links