Seishin-Yamate Line

Seishin-Yamate Line
Seishin-Yamate Line
	6000 series train
Overview
Other name(s)	Midori no U-Line
Native name	西にし神しん山手やまて線せん
Status	Operational
Owner	Kobe Municipal Transportation Bureau
Locale	Kobe
Termini	Shin-Kobe; Seishin-Chuo;
Stations	16
Color on map	Green (#00AE8F)
Service
Type	Rapid transit
System	Kobe Municipal Subway
Operator(s)	Kobe Municipal Transportation Bureau
History
Opened	13 March 1977; 47 years ago
Technical
Line length	22.7 km (14.1 mi)
Number of tracks	2
Track gauge	1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) standard gauge
Electrification	1,500 V DC overhead catenary
Operating speed	90 km/h (55 mph)
Route map
Route map
	Kobe subway lines

The Seishin-Yamate Line (西にし神しん山手やまて線せん, Seishin-Yamate-sen), also known by its nickname of "Midori no U-Line" (Japanese: みどりのUライン, lit. 'The green "U" line'), is one of the two lines of the Kobe Municipal Subway. It links the central districts to the east and western suburbs of Kobe. The line color is green.

Service pattern

The line has a reciprocal through service with the Hokushin Line (formerly the Hokushin Kyukuo Electric Railway); all trains run between either Tanigami or Shin-Kobe and Seishin-chūō, stopping at every station. During rush hours, additional trains run between Shin-Kobe and Myōdani.

History

On 15 October 1971, a railway license was issued to the Kobe Municipal Transportation Bureau to build a subway line linking the Myōdani district to the Shin-Kobe Shinkansen station; construction on the first segment of that line began on 25 November of that year. The first segment of the subway (between Shin-Nagata and Myodani, known as the Seishin Line) opened on 13 March 1977; a second segment of the line (between Shin-Nagata and Okurayama, known as the Yamate Line) opened on 17 February 1982. The line was extended to Shin-Kobe on 18 June 1985; a western extension to Gakuen-toshi (from Myodani) opened that same day. On 18 March 1987, the final segment of the subway line opened between Gakuen-toshi and Seishin-chūō.^{[citation needed]}

The Hokushin Kyuko Electric Railway opened on 2 April 1988, providing service between Tanigami and Shin-Kobe. An infill station (Seishin-minami) opened in between Seishin-chūō and Ikawadani stations on 20 March 1993, expanding the line to a total of 16 stations. On 17 January 1995, the subway line was shut down due to damage caused by the Great Hanshin earthquake; the line resumed operation with limited service between Seishin-chūō and Itayado the following day, along with the entirety of the Hokushin Kyuko line. Limited service was resumed across the entire line on 16 February, and full service was restored in March 1995 after repairs were completed, albeit with speed restrictions remaining in place until 21 July of that year.^{[citation needed]}

The subway began to accept the Surotto Kansai smart card in October 1999; it would start accepting PiTaPa in October 2006.

Women-only cars began to be used on the subway line from 16 December 2002. Currently, one car heading in the direction of Seishin-chūō (car number 4) is reserved for women only; the restriction applies throughout the entire day.

Women-only car

←Seishin-chūō

Shin-Kobe
Tanigami→

1	2	3	4	5	6

Stations

Name	No.	Name	Japanese	Distance (km) from Shin-Kobe	Transfers	Location
Hokushin Line	S01	Tanigami	谷上やがみ	–7.5	Hokushin Line Shintetsu Arima Line	Kita-ku
Seishin-Yamate Line	S02	Shin-Kobe	新しん神戸こうべ	0.0	San'yō Shinkansen Hokushin Line	Chuo-ku
	S03	Sannomiya	三宮さんのみや	1.3	Kaigan Line (K01: Sannomiya-Hanadokeimae Station) JR Kobe Line (Tokaido Main Line) (Sannomiya (JR West)) Hankyu Kobe Line Hanshin Main Line Port Liner
	S04	Kenchōmae	県庁けんちょう前まえ	2.2
	S05	Ōkurayama	大倉山おおくらやま（湊川みなとがわ神社じんじゃ前まえ）	3.3
	S06	Minatogawa-Kōen	湊川公園みなとがわこうえん（川崎かわさき病院びょういん前まえ）	4.3	Shintetsu Arima Line Kobe Kosoku Line (Minatogawa Station)	Hyōgo-ku
	S07	Kamisawa	上沢うわさわ	5.3		Hyōgo-ku
	S08	Nagata (Nagatajinjamae)	長田ながた（長田ながた神社じんじゃ前まえ）	6.1	Kobe Kosoku Line (Kosoku-Nagata Station)	Nagata-ku
	S09	Shin-Nagata	新長田しんながた（鉄人てつじん28号ごう前まえ）	7.6	Kaigan Line (K10) JR Kobe Line (Sanyo Main Line)
	S10	Itayado	板宿いたやど（滝川たきがわ中学ちゅうがく・高等こうとう学校がっこう前まえ）	8.8	Sanyo Railway Main Line
	S11	Myōhōji	妙法寺みょうほうじ	11.7		Suma-ku
	S12	Myōdani	名谷みょうだに	13.3
	S13	Sōgō Undō Kōen	総合そうごう運動公園うんどうこうえん	15.1
	S14	Gakuen-Toshi	学園がくえん都市とし	16.8		Nishi-ku
	S15	Ikawadani	伊川谷いかわだに	18.4
	S16	Seishin-Minami	西にし神南じんなん	20.1
	S17	Seishin-Chuo	西神中央せいしんちゅうおう	22.7

Rolling stock

A 1000 series train in January 2008

A 2000 series train in 2015

A 3000 series train in 2015

1000 series (since 1977) (18 sets)
2000 series (1988–2022) (4 sets)
3000 series (1992–2021) (6 sets)
6000 series (since 2019) (25 sets)
Hokushin Kyuko Railway 7000 series (since 1988) (5 sets)

All trains are based at Tanigami and Myōdani Depots.

A fleet of new trains (known as the 6000 series) is to be introduced on the line between fiscal 2018 and 2022; these trains will replace all existing trains on the line. Built by Kawasaki, the design of the new trains will be overseen by Ken Okuyama Design.^[2]

The last of the 2000 series sets were retired in March 2021.^[3]

References

^ Terada, Hirokazu (19 January 2013). データブック日本にっぽんの私鉄してつ [Databook: Japan's Private Railways] (in Japanese). Japan: Neko Publishing. p. 154. ISBN 978-4-7770-1336-4.
^ 神戸こうべ市し交通こうつう局きょく，新形しんがた車両しゃりょうデザインのデザイン案あんを公開こうかい [Kobe Municipal Transportation Bureau publishes proposed designs for new trains]. Japan Railfan Magazine Online (in Japanese). Japan: Koyusha Co., Ltd. 17 October 2016. Archived from the original on 17 October 2016. Retrieved 17 October 2016.
^ "神戸こうべ市営しえい地下鉄ちかてつ2000形かたちが引退いんたい、1000形かたちを基本きほんにデザイン性せい高たかめた車両しゃりょう". MyNavi Corporation (in Japanese). 12 April 2022. Retrieved 22 November 2022.

External links

Seishin-Yamate Line

[terada2013-1] Terada, Hirokazu (19 January 2013). データブック日本にっぽんの私鉄してつ [Databook: Japan's Private Railways] (in Japanese). Japan: Neko Publishing. p. 154. ISBN 978-4-7770-1336-4.

[railfan20161017-2] 神戸こうべ市し交通こうつう局きょく，新形しんがた車両しゃりょうデザインのデザイン案あんを公開こうかい [Kobe Municipal Transportation Bureau publishes proposed designs for new trains]. Japan Railfan Magazine Online (in Japanese). Japan: Koyusha Co., Ltd. 17 October 2016. Archived from the original on 17 October 2016. Retrieved 17 October 2016.

[3] "神戸こうべ市営しえい地下鉄ちかてつ2000形かたちが引退いんたい、1000形かたちを基本きほんにデザイン性せい高たかめた車両しゃりょう". MyNavi Corporation (in Japanese). 12 April 2022. Retrieved 22 November 2022.

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