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Keihan Electric Railway

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Keihan Electric Railway
Overview
HeadquartersOsaka, Japan
(Registered in Hirakata, Osaka Prefecture, Japan)
LocaleKansai region, Japan
Dates of operation1910–
Technical
Track gauge1,435 mm (4 ft 8+12 in)
Length91.1 km (56.6 mi)
Other
WebsiteKeihan Electric Railway

The Keihan Electric Railway Company, Ltd. (京阪電気鉄道株式会社, Keihan Denki Tetsudō Kabushiki-gaisha), known colloquially as the "Keihan Dentetsu" (京阪電鉄), "Keihan Densha" (京阪電車), or simply "Keihan" (京阪), is a major Japanese private railway operator in Osaka, Kyoto, and Shiga Prefectures. The transit network includes seven lines; four main lines with heavy rolling stock, two interurban lines, and a funicular railway.

It is a subsidiary of Keihan Holdings, Ltd. (TYO: 9045).

History

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Keihan started its operation between Osaka and Kyoto in 1910. It was the first electric railway to connect these two cities, and the first line on the left bank of Yodo River. Keihan later purchased the lines in the Ōtsu area (Ōtsu Lines).

In the 1920s, Keihan built another Osaka-Kyoto line through its subsidiary Shinkeihan Railway (新京阪鉄道, Shin-keihan-tetsudō), which merged into Keihan in 1930. This line is now known as the Hankyu Kyoto Line.

In 1943, with the power given by the Land Transport Business Coordination Act (陸上交通事業調整法, rikujō-kōtsū-jigyō-chōsei-hō) (Act No. 71 of 1938), the wartime government of Japan forced Keihan to merge with Hanshin Kyūkō Railway to form Keihanshin Kyūkō Railway (京阪神急行電鉄, Keihanshin Kyūkō Dentetsu). In 1949, the pre-war Keihan operations, except for Shinkeihan lines, were restored to independence under the original corporate name. Keihanshin Kyūkō Railway later changed their name to the present Hankyu Railway.

Lines

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The lines operated by Keihan are grouped into Keihan Lines and Ōtsu Lines. The Keihan Lines consist of the Keihan Main Line and four branch lines that operate between Kyoto and Osaka; these use long formations of heavy rolling stock. The two Ōtsu Lines are interurbans, featuring street running sections and tram-like rolling stock; these operate between Kyoto and Ōtsu and are otherwise disconnected from the Keihan lines. The entire network is built in 1,435 mm (4 ft 8+12 in) standard gauge double track.

Additionally, Keihan Electric Railway operates a funicular railway in Yawata which provides access to Iwashimizu Shrine.

Current lines

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Keihan Lines

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Ōtsu Lines

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Other lines

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  • Cable Line (鋼索線), also called Iwashimizu-Hachimangū Cable (石清水八幡宮参道ケーブル)

Closed lines

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Unbuilt line

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  • Umeda Line

Rolling stock

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As of 1 April 2016, Keihan owns a fleet of 693 vehicles (including two funicular cars), as follows.[1]

Keihan Lines

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Ōtsu Lines

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Former rolling stock

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Fares

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Yawatashi Station
Keihan Bus

Train fare varies based on travel distance. As of January 1, 2009, IC cards (PiTaPa and ICOCA) are accepted on the Keihan Lines and the Otsu Lines, but not on the Cable Line. The fare rate was changed on April 1, 2014 to reflect the change in the rate of consumption tax from 5% to 8%.[2]

Keihan Lines (Keihan Main Line, Oto Line, Nakanoshima Line, Katano Line, Uji Line)

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Current and Historical Fare of Keihan Lines
Distance
(km)
Fare (JPY)
effective
April 1, 2014[2]
effective
October 19, 2008
1-3 150 150
4-7 210 200
8-12 270 260
13-17 310 300
18-22 330 320
23-28 350 340
29-34 370 360
35-40 390 380
41-46 400 390
47-52 410 400
53-54 420 410
  • Additional fare when taking or passing the following lines
Oto Line: 60 yen
Nakanoshima Line (Nakanoshima - Oebashi): 60 yen
  • When using commutation tickets, Naniwabashi Station is treated as the same station as Kitahama Station, and Oebashi Station as that as Yodoyabashi Station.

Otsu Lines (Keishin Line, Ishiyama Sakamoto Line)

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Current and Historical Fare of Otsu Lines
Distance
(km)
Fare (JPY)
effective
April 1, 2014[2]
effective
October 19, 2008
1-5 170 160
6-10 240 230
11-15 320 310

Cable line

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200 yen

Etymology

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The name Keihan, which is also used for the Kyoto-Osaka region, is derived from the words Kyoto and Osaka in Japanese, and is a clipped compound of the names, with the reading of the characters changed: Kyōto (京都) and Ōsaka (大阪) are combined to Keihan (京阪), replacing the go-on reading kyō () and kun'yomi saka () with the kan-on readings kei () and han (). This is commonly done in names for regions or train lines, with kan-on readings (the most common readings in kanji compounds) being used for the compounds, while place names use other readings. The larger region, including Kobe (神戸, Kōbe), is similarly called Keihanshin (京阪神, Keihanshin), the go-on reading shin () replacing the kun'yomi (), and the corresponding Kyoto-Kobe line is the Keishin (京神, Keishin) line.

Other businesses

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Keihan also operates (through the subsidiaries) other businesses such as bus, taxi, water bus, hotel, department store and amusement park, mainly in the area along its railway system.

References

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  1. ^ 私鉄車両編成表 2016 [Private Railway Rolling Stock Formations - 2016] (in Japanese). Japan: Kotsu Shimbunsha. 25 July 2016. pp. 134–137. ISBN 978-4-330-70116-5.
  2. ^ a b c Keihan Electric Railway Co., Ltd. (March 4, 2014). "平成26年4月1日(火)からの消費税率引上げに伴う旅客運賃の認可および改定について" (PDF). Retrieved October 19, 2014.
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