View source for Hankyu

{{Short description|Japanese railway company}}
{{Other uses}}
{{More citations needed|date=September 2015}}
{{Infobox rail
| railroad_name     = Hankyu Railway
| logo_filename     = Hankyu with word.svg
| logo_size         = 230px
| system_map        =
| map_caption       =
| map_size          =
| marks             =
| image             = HankyuNakatsuSta.jpg
| image_size        =
| image_caption     = Six-track section near the [[Umeda Station]] terminal; [[Nakatsu Station (Hankyu)|Nakatsu Station]] in the center
| parent_company    = [[Hankyu Hanshin Holdings]]{{pb}}{{small|([[Hankyu Hanshin Toho Group]])}}
| locale            = [[Kansai region]], Japan
| start_year        = 1910 (established in 1907)
| end_year          =
| predecessor_line  =
| successor_line    =
| gauge             = {{RailGauge|sg}}
| length            = {{cvt|138.4|km}}
| hq_city           = [[Osaka]], Japan
| website           = https://www.hankyu.co.jp/en/
}}
{{Nihongo|'''Hankyu Corporation'''|阪急電鉄株式会社|Hankyū Dentetsu kabushiki gaisha|{{lit|Hankyu Electric Railway Stock Company}}}}, [[trade name|trading as]] {{nihongo|'''Hankyu Railway'''|阪急電鉄|Hankyū Dentetsu|{{lit|Hankyu Electric Railway}}}}, is a Japanese [[private railway]] company that provides commuter and interurban service to the northern [[Kansai region]]. It is one of the flagship properties of [[Hankyu Hanshin Holdings]] Inc., in turn part of the [[Hankyu Hanshin Toho Group]] (which includes [[H2O Retailing|H<sub>2</sub>O Retailing]] Corporation and [[Toho]] Co., the creator of ''[[Godzilla]]''). The railway's main terminal is at [[Umeda Station]] in Osaka. The signature color of Hankyu cars is [[Maroon (color)|maroon]].<ref>{{cite web | url = http://dentetsu.hankyu.co.jp/company/gaiyo.html | script-title = ja:会社概要 | year = 2002 | publisher = Hankyu Corporation | location = Osaka, Japan | language = ja | trans-title = Company Overview | access-date = Nov 9, 2012 | archive-date = March 16, 2014 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20140316151921/http://dentetsu.hankyu.co.jp/company/gaiyo.html | url-status = dead }}</ref>

The Hankyu network serves 1,950,000 people every weekday and offers several types of express service with no extra charge.

The head offices of [[Hankyu Hanshin Holdings]], Inc. and Hankyu Corporation are at 1-16-1, Shibata, [[Kita-ku, Osaka]]; both companies' registered headquarters are at [[Ikeda Station (Osaka)|Ikeda Station]], 1-1, Sakaemachi, [[Ikeda, Osaka|Ikeda]], [[Osaka Prefecture]].

The [[Takarazuka Revue]], an all-female musical theatre performance company, is well known as a division of the Hankyu railway company; all of its members are employed by Hankyu.

==History==
===Etymology===
The name {{transliteration|ja|Hankyu}} is an abbreviation of {{nihongo||京阪神急行|Keihanshin Kyūkō}}.

{{nihongo||京阪神|[[Keihanshin]]}} refers to the area served by Hankyu trains, comprising the cities of {{nihongo|[[Kyoto]]|京都}}, {{nihongo|[[Osaka]]|大阪}} and {{nihongo|[[Kobe]]|神戸}}, along with the suburbs that connect them to each other.

{{nihongo||急行|Kyūkō}} means "express train(s)".

===Foundation===
[[Image:Hankyu Umeda inauguration.jpg|thumb|left|Umeda Station on the day of inauguration]]
[[File:Mino-Arima.png|thumb|150px|Seal of the Minoo Arima Electric Tramway]]
In 1907, the {{nihongo|Minoo Arima Electric Tramway Company|箕面有馬電気軌道株式会社|Minoo Arima Denki Kidō Kabushiki-gaisha}}, a forerunner of [[Hankyu Hanshin Holdings]], Inc., was established by [[Ichizō Kobayashi]] (precisely, he was one of the "promoters" of the tramway).
On 10 March 1910, Minoo Arima Tramway opened the rail lines from Umeda to Takarazuka (the [[Hankyu Takarazuka Main Line|Takarazuka Main Line]]) and from Ishibashi to Minoo (the [[Hankyu Minoo Line|Minoo Line]]). The tramway was popular due to Kobayashi's pioneering act to develop housing around stations along the line (a first in Japan), a forerunner to [[transit-oriented development]]s.

=== Expansion to Kobe ===
On February 4, 1918, Minoo Arima Tramway was renamed {{nihongo|Hanshin Kyūkō Railway Company|阪神急行電鉄株式会社|Hanshin Kyūkō Dentetsu Kabushiki-gaisha|referred to as "Hankyū", {{lang|ja|阪急}}}}.

On July 16, 1920, the [[Hankyū Kōbe Main Line|Kobe Main Line]] from Jūsō to Kobe (later, renamed Kamitsutsui) and the Itami Line from Tsukaguchi to Itami were opened.

On April 1, 1936, the Kobe Main Line was extended from Nishi-Nada (present-day Ōji-kōen) to the new terminal in Kobe (present-day [[Sannomiya Station|Kobe-Sannomiya Station]]), and the Kobe Main Line from Nishi-Nada to Kamitsutsui was named the Kamitsutsui Line, which was abandoned on May 20, 1940.

In 1936, Hankyu established a [[professional baseball]] team and in 1937 the [[Hankyu Nishinomiya Stadium|Nishinomiya Stadium]] as the team's home field was completed near [[Nishinomiya-Kitaguchi Station]]. The Hankyu Braves (named in 1947) played until the 1988 season and became the predecessors of the present-day [[Orix Buffaloes]].

=== Merger and separation with Keihan ===
On October 1, 1943, under the order of the government, Hanshin Kyūkō and [[Keihan Electric Railway]] were merged, and renamed {{nihongo|Keihanshin Kyūkō Railway Company|京阪神急行電鉄株式会社|Keihanshin Kyūkō Dentetsu Kabushiki-gaisha|referred to as "Keihanshin", {{lang|ja|京阪神}}}}. The merged lines included the [[Keihan Main Line]], the [[Keihan Uji Line|Uji Line]], the [[Hankyū Kyoto Main Line|Shinkeihan Line]] (present-day Kyoto Main Line), the [[Hankyū Senri Line|Senriyama Line]] (present-day Senri Line), the Jūsō Line (part of Kyoto Main Line), the [[Hankyū Arashiyama Line|Arashiyama Line]], the [[Keishin Line]] and the [[Ishiyama Sakamoto Line]]. The [[Keihan Katano Line|Katano Line]] was also added in 1945.

On December 1, 1949, the Keihan Main Line, the Katano Line, the Uji Line, the Keishin Line, and the Ishiyama-Sakamoto Line were split off to become part of the newly established [[Keihan Electric Railway]] Co., Ltd. Although this revived the former Keihan Electric Railway, Keihan was now smaller than before the 1943 merger, because the Shinkeihan Line and its branches were not given up by Keihanshin. The present structure of the Hankyu network with the three main lines was fixed by this transaction. The abbreviation of Keihanshin Kyūkō Railway was changed from "Keihanshin" to "Hankyū".

=== Postwar development ===
[[Image:Hankyu662.jpg|thumb|610 Series car, built 1953-56]]
On April 7, 1968, the Kobe Main Line started through service to the [[Kobe Rapid Transit Railway]] [[Tozai Line (Kobe)|Tozai Line]] and the [[Sanyo Electric Railway]] [[Sanyo Railway Main Line|Main Line]].

On December 6, 1969, the Kyoto Main Line and the Senri Line started through service to the [[Osaka Municipal Subway]] [[Sakaisuji Line]]. In 1970, the Senri Line was one of access routes to the [[Expo '70]] held in Senri area.

On April 1, 1973, Keihanshin Kyūkō Railway Company assumed its current name.

[[File:Keihanshin.rogo.png|thumb|150px|Former Hankyu logo used between 1943 and 1992. The 6-point ring stands for [[Kyoto]], and the symbols for [[Osaka|Osaka City]] and [[Kobe]] are incorporated.]]

On April 1, 2005, former Hankyu Corporation became a holding company and was renamed {{nihongo|'''Hankyu Holdings, Inc.'''|阪急ホールディングス株式会社|Hankyū Hōrudhingusu Kabushiki-gaisha}}. The railway business was ceded to a subsidiary, now named '''Hankyu Corporation''' (before the restructuring, the new company which reused a dormant company founded on December 7, 1989, was called {{nihongo|"Act Systems"|株式会社アクトシステムズ}} until March 28, 2004, then {{nihongo|"Hankyū Dentetsu Bunkatsu Junbi K.K."|阪急電鉄分割準備株式会社}} from the next day).

On October 1, 2006, Hankyu Holdings became the wholly owning parent company of [[Hanshin Electric Railway|Hanshin Electric Railway Co., Ltd.]] and the holdings were renamed '''[[Hankyu Hanshin Holdings]], Inc.'''.  Hankyu's stock purchase of Hanshin shares was completed on June 20, 2006.<ref>{{cite web| url=http://today.reuters.com/investing/FinanceArticle.aspx?type=mergersNews&storyID=2006-06-20T045411Z_01_T334035_RTRIDST_0_TRANSPORT-JAPAN-HANKYU-UPDATE-2.XML| title=UPDATE 2-Hankyu takes over fellow railway operator Hanshin| work=Reuters| date=2006-06-20| access-date=2006-06-20}}</ref>

== Rail lines ==
[[Image:Hankyu map.svg|thumb|375px|right|Schematic map of Hankyu lines]]
[[Image:Hankyu Linemap Romaji.svg|thumb|375px|right|Geographic map of Hankyu lines]]
Hankyu operates three main trunk lines, connecting Osaka with [[Kobe]], [[Takarazuka, Hyōgo|Takarazuka]] and [[Kyoto]] respectively, and their branches.

{{legend-line|#3388cf solid 3px|'''[[Hankyū Kōbe Main Line|Kōbe Main Line]]''' ({{lang|ja|神戸本線}}) (Category-1: [[Umeda Station|Umeda]] – [[Sannomiya Station|Kobe-sannomiya]])}}
:{{legend-line|#3388cf solid 3px|[[Hankyu Itami Line|Itami Line]] ({{lang|ja|伊丹線}}) (Category-1: [[Tsukaguchi Station (Hankyu)|Tsukaguchi]] – [[Itami Station (Hankyu)|Itami]])}}
:{{legend-line|#3388cf solid 3px|[[Hankyu Imazu Line|Imazu Line]] ({{lang|ja|今津線}}) (Category-1: [[Imazu Station (Hyōgo)|Imazu]] – [[Nishinomiya-kitaguchi Station|Nishinomiya-kitaguchi]] – Takarazuka)}}
:{{legend-line|#3388cf solid 3px|[[Hankyu Kōyō Line|Kōyō Line]] ({{lang|ja|甲陽線}}) (Category-1: [[Shukugawa Station|Shukugawa]] – [[Kōyōen Station|Kōyōen]])}}
:{{legend-line|#3388cf solid 3px|[[Tozai Line (Kobe)|Kōbe Kōsoku Line]] ({{lang|ja|神戸高速線}}) (Category-2: [[Sannomiya Station|Kobe-sannomiya]] – [[Shinkaichi Station|Shinkaichi]], Trains are operated between Kobe-sannomiya and Shinkaichi on the Kōbe Rapid Transit Railway Tōzai Line)}}<!--Hankyu as Category-2 operator calls this line the Kōbe Kōsoku Line, not the Tōzai Line.-->

{{legend-line|#ff8604 solid 3px|'''[[Hankyū Takarazuka Main Line|Takarazuka Main Line]]''' ({{lang|ja|宝塚本線}}) (Category-1: [[Umeda Station|Umeda]] – [[Hankyu Takarazuka Station|Takarazuka]])}}
:{{legend-line|#ff8604 solid 3px|[[Hankyu Minoo Line|Minoh Line]] ({{lang|ja|箕面線}}) (Category-1: [[Ishibashi Station (Osaka)|Ishibashi]] – [[Minoo Station|Minoo]])}}

{{legend-line|#41b76e solid 3px|'''[[Hankyū Kyoto Main Line|Kyoto Main Line]]''' ({{lang|ja|京都本線}}) (Category-1: [[Umeda Station|Umeda]] – [[Kawaramachi Station (Kyoto)|Kawaramachi]])}}
:{{legend-line|#41b76e solid 3px|[[Hankyu Senri Line|Senri Line]] ({{lang|ja|千里線}}) (Category-1: [[Tenjimbashisuji Roku-chome Station|Tenjimbashisuji Roku-chome]] – [[Awaji Station|Awaji]] – [[Kita-Senri Station|Kita-Senri]])}}
:{{legend-line|#41b76e solid 3px|[[Hankyu Arashiyama Line|Arashiyama Line]] ({{lang|ja|嵐山線}}) (Category-1: [[Katsura Station|Katsura]] – [[Arashiyama Station (Hankyu)|Arashiyama]])}}

The three groups of the lines, the Kobe Lines, the Takarazuka Lines and the Kyoto Lines, can be further grouped into two, the Kobe-Takarazuka Lines and the Kyoto Lines from a historical reason. Hankyu has two groups of rolling stock, one for the Kobe-Takarazuka Lines and the other for the Kyoto Lines.

{{legend-line|#dc431b solid 3px|[[Nose Electric Railway]] (Category-1: [[Kawanishi-Noseguchi Station|Kawanishi-Noseguchi]] – {{STN|Myōkenguchi|x}}/{{STN|Nissei-Chūō|x}}) works as a feeder of the Takarazuka Main Line although it is a separate railway company under control of Hankyu.}}

=== Former lines ===
====Abandoned lines====
*Kitano Line (Umeda – Kitano)
*Kamitsutsui Line (Nishi-Nada (Ōji-kōen) – Kamitsutsui)

====Transferred lines====
*Keihan Line
**[[Keihan Main Line]] ({{STN|Temmabashi|x}} – {{STN|Sanjō|x|Kyoto}})
**[[Keihan Katano Line|Katano Line]] ({{STN|Hirakatashi|x}} – {{STN|Kisaichi|x}})
**[[Keihan Uji Line|Uji Line]] ({{STN|Chūshojima|x}} – {{STN|Uji|x|Keihan}})
*Ōtsu Line
**[[Keihan Keishin Line|Keishin Line]] (Sanjō – {{STN|Hamaōtsu|x}})
**[[Ishiyama Sakamoto Line]] ({{STN|Ishiyamadera|x}} – {{STN|Sakamoto|x|Shiga}})
The Keihan and Ōtsu Lines were transferred to [[Keihan Electric Railway]] Co., Ltd. which separated from Keihanshin Kyūkō (now Hankyu) on December 1, 1949.

==Rolling stock==
[[File:HK-3100series-3158F.jpg|thumb|3100 series]]
[[File:Hankyu Railway Type 5100.JPG|thumb|5100 series]]
[[File:HK-9000series-momiji.jpg|thumb|9000 series]]
[[File:Hankyu9300Series.jpg|thumb|9300 series]] 
{{As of|2010|3|31|df=US}}, Hankyu had 1,319 cars for passenger service.<ref>{{cite journal
| author      = Hankyu Corporation Toshikōtsū-jigyō-honbu Gijutsu-bu
| script-title=ja:車両総説
|trans-title=General information on rolling stock
| journal     = The Railway Pictorial
| volume      = 837
| issue       = August 2010 Extra
|page=50
| language    = ja
}}</ref> Standard cars have three pairs of doors per side and bench seating facing the center of the train (exceptions are noted below). The [[Hankyu Kobe Line|Kobe Line]] and [[Hankyu Takarazuka Line|Takarazuka Line]] use the same fleet.

Some former Hankyu trains, such as the [[Hankyu 2000 series (1960)|2000 series]] and [[Hankyu 3100 series|3100 series]], have been transferred to the [[Nose Electric Railway]].

===Kobe Line/Takarazuka Line===
* [[Hankyu 1000 series|1000 series]]
* [[Hankyu 3000 series|3000 series]]
* [[Hankyu 3100 series|3100 series]]
* [[Hankyu 5000 series|5000 series]]
* [[Hankyu 5100 series|5100 series]]
* [[Hankyu 6000 series|6000 series]]
* [[Hankyu 7000 series|7000 series]]
* [[Hankyu 8000 series|8000 series]] (includes small number of transverse seating cars)
* [[Hankyu 8200 series|8200 series]]
* [[Hankyu 9000 series|9000 series]]

===Kyoto Line===
* [[Hankyu 1300 series|1300 series]] (from spring 2014)
* [[Hankyu 2300 series (2024)|2300 series]]
* [[Hankyu 3300 series|3300 series]]
* [[Hankyu 5300 series|5300 series]]
* [[Hankyu 6300 series|6300 series]] (two doors per side, transverse seating)
* [[Hankyu 7300 series|7300 series]]
* [[Hankyu 8300 series|8300 series]]
* [[Hankyu 9300 series|9300 series]] (transverse seating)

==Fares==
Single fare (adult) in Japanese Yen by travel distance is as follows. Fares for children (6–11 years old) are half the adult fare, rounded up to the nearest 10 yen. 
{|class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|+Current and historical Hankyu Railway fares
!rowspan=2|Distance
!colspan="3" |Fare (in JPY), effective
|-
!{{date|2019-10-01}}
!{{date|2014-04-01}}<ref name=Fare2014>{{cite web|url=http://www.hankyu.co.jp/company/news/pdf/ER201403046N1.pdf|title=消費税率・地方消費税率の引き上げに伴う鉄道旅客運賃の改定について|author=Hankyu Corporation|date=March 4, 2014|access-date=June 8, 2014}}</ref>
!{{date|1997-04-01}}
|-
|{{cvt|1–4|km|mi|0}}
|160||150||150
|-
|{{cvt|5–9|km|mi|0}}
|190||190||180
|-
|{{cvt|10–14|km|mi|0}}
|230||220||220
|-
|{{cvt|15–19|km|mi|0}}
|270||270||260
|-
|{{cvt|20–26|km}}
|280||280||270
|-
|{{cvt|27–33|km}}
|320||320||310
|-
|{{cvt|34–42|km}}
|380||370||360
|-
|{{cvt|43–51|km}}
|400||400||390
|-
|{{cvt|52–60|km}}
|470||470||450
|-
|{{cvt|61–70|km}}
|530||530||510
|-
|{{cvt|71–76|km}}
|630||620||600
|}
For fare collection, IC cards ([[PiTaPa]], [[ICOCA]] and others) are accepted.

The fare rate was changed on April 1, 2014, to reflect the change in the rate of [[consumption tax#Japan|consumption tax]] from 5% to 8%, and again on October 1, 2019, from 8% to 10%.<ref name=Fare2014 />

== In popular culture ==
A 2-car Hankyu train was featured in the 1988 Japanese animated war drama ''[[Grave of the Fireflies]]''.<ref>http://my.opera.com/opera%20kanta/blog/2008/08/13/grave-of-the-fireflies-hankyu-train. 2008-08-13. Retrieved 2010-12-25.</ref>

Hankyu trains appear in the Japanese animated series ''[[The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya]]''.

In the 1999 film, ''[[10 Things I Hate About You]]'', the character Bianca Stratford, played by [[Larisa Oleynik]], is seen wearing a shirt reading “阪急 電車” translating to Hankyu Railway. This can be seen at 1:27:23 in the film.

One 2008 book by the Japanese writer [[Hiro Arikawa]], {{transliteration|ja|Hankyu Densha}}, occurs entirely on the Hankyu–Imazu line, in the north-west suburbs of Osaka, where various characters meet and interact in the trains and at the various stations of the line. It was made into a film in 2011, titled ''[[Hankyu Densha|Hankyu Railway: A 15-Minute Miracle]]''.

The Hankyu 2000 is the locomotive of choice for Takumi Fujiwara, the main character in Densha de D, a parody of [[Initial D]] where the main characters race with trains instead of cars.

==See also==
*[[Transport in Keihanshin]]
*[[Hankyu Hanshin Toho Group]]
*[[Hankyu Hanshin Holdings]]

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

== External links ==
{{Commons category|Hankyu Railway}}
*{{Official website|https://www.hankyu.co.jp/en/}} {{In lang|en}}
*{{Official website|https://www.hankyu.co.jp/}} {{In lang|ja}}
*{{Official website|https://www.hankyu-hanshin.co.jp/en/|Hankyu Hanshin Holdings Group official website}} {{In lang|en}}
*{{Official website|https://www.hankyu-hanshin.co.jp/|Hankyu Hanshin Holdings Group official website}} {{In lang|ja}}

{{Japan private rail16}}
{{Osaka transit}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Railway companies of Japan]]
[[Category:Companies based in Osaka Prefecture]]
[[Category:Standard-gauge railways in Japan]]
[[Category:Hankyu Railway|*]]
[[Category:Railway lines opened in 1910]]
[[Category:Midori-kai]]
[[Category:Japanese companies established in 1910]]
[[Category:Hankyu Hanshin Holdings]]
[[Category:Railway companies established in 1910]]