Osaka Metro Chūō Line

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Osaka Metro Chūō Line
A Chūō Line 400 series EMU
Overview
Other name(s)	Yumehanna
Owner	Osaka Municipal Transportation Bureau (Osakako — Nagata) Osaka Port Transport System Co., Ltd. (Cosmosquare — Osakako)
Line number	4
Locale	Osaka and Higashiosaka
Termini	Cosmosquare Nagata
Stations	14
Color on map	Green (#019A66)
Service
Type	Rapid transit
System	Osaka Metro
Operator(s)	Osaka Metro (2018–present) Osaka Municipal Transportation Bureau (1961–2018)
Depot(s)	Morinomiya
History
Opened	11 December 1961; 62 years ago (1961-12-11)
Last extension	18 December 1997; 26 years ago (1997-12-18)
Technical
Line length	17.9 km (11.1 mi)
Track length	17.9 km (11.1 mi)
Track gauge	1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) standard gauge
Electrification	750 V DC (Third rail)
Operating speed	70 km/h (43 mph)
Signalling	Automatic closed block
Train protection system	WS-ATC
Route map

v t e Chūō Line
Legend
km Nankō Port Town Line 0.0 Cosmosquare 2.4 Ōsakakō 3.9 Asashiobashi 5.5 Bentenchō Osaka Loop Line Hanshin Namba Line 6.8 Kujō Kizu River Sennichimae Line 8.3 Awaza connecting line connecting line (under construction) Yotsubashi Line 9.4 Hommachi Midōsuji Line Sakaisuji Line 10.1 Sakaisuji-Hommachi Higashi-Yokobori River Tanimachi Line 11.1 Tanimachi Yonchōme connecting line 12.4 Morinomiya Nagahori Tsurumi-ryokuchi Line Osaka Loop Line JR West Suita Inspection Depot Morinomiya Inspection Depot and Workshop Hirano River Imazatosuji Line 13.6 Midoribashi 14.7 Fukaebashi Takaida-Chūō Osaka Higashi Line 16.1 Takaida 17.9 Nagata ↑ Chūō Line ↓ Keihanna Line 36.7 Gakken Nara-Tomigaoka

The Osaka Metro Chūō Line (中央線, Chūō-sen) is a rapid transit system in Osaka, Japan, operated by Osaka Metro. The line runs east-westerly under Chūō Avenue (中央大通, Chūō Ōdōri). Its official name is Rapid Electric Tramway Line No. 4 (高速電気軌道第4号線), and in MLIT publications, it is written as Line No. 4 (Chūō Line) (4号線（中央線）). Station numbers are indicated by the letter C.

Together with the through operation to the Keihanna Line, the two lines have a unified nickname "Yumehanna" (ゆめはんな).

On 1 July 2005, Osaka City bought the Technoport Line (テクノポート線) from Cosmosquare to Osakakō of its subsidiary Osaka Port Transport System Co., Ltd. (大阪港トランスポートシステム), reducing fare to increase traffic. The section operationally became a part of the Chūō Line, but is however still owned by OTS.

The Chūō Line is the only line to connect to all other subway lines operated by the Osaka Metro, including the Nankō Port Town Line.

The line (initially known as Line No. 4) opened on December 11, 1961, initially running between Ōsakakō and Bentenchō (this was the first elevated portion of the Osaka subway system); trains were initially composed of single-car trainsets.^[1] Between 1964 and 1985, the line was expanded towards Nagata in four stages:

• 31 October 1964: Section between Bentenchō and Hommachi opens, with intermediate stations at Kujo and Awaza.
• 30 September 1967: The section between Tanimachi 4-chome and Morinomiya opens as a shuttle service with 2-car trains.
• 29 July 1968: The section of the shuttle service between Morinomiya and Fukaebashi opens.
• 6 December 1969: The section between Hommachi and Tanimachi 4-chome (including Sakaisuji-Hommachi) opens after construction delays; the shuttle service between Tanimachi 4-chome and Fukaebashi was absorbed into the line, which was now named the Chūō Line. 4-car trains begin operation.
• 5 April 1985: The section between Fukaebashi and Nagata opens. 6-car trains begin operation.
• 1 October 1986: Through service to Ikoma commences upon the opening of the Kintetsu Keihanna Line (then named the Higashiosaka Line).

On 18 December 1997, the OTS Technoport Line opened between Ōsakakō and Cosmosquare. This line was absorbed into the Chūō Line on 1 July 2005. The Keihanna Line was extended further into Nara when the extension to Gakken Nara-Tomigaoka opened on 27 March 2006.

The OTS Hokkō Technoport Line [ja] is a planned extension of the Chūō Line from Cosmosquare on Sakishima [ja] to Yumeshima, Maishima, and Sakurajima [ja]. Its first phase, consisting of a one-stop extension to Yumeshima Station, is currently under construction with a projected opening date of 19 January 2025, ahead of the opening of the Osaka 2025 Expo.^[2][3]

Separately, a new station is planned to be built on the spur track to the Morinomiya depot facility as part of local revitalization efforts and also to serve the new Morinomiya campus of Osaka Metropolitan University, with a projected completion date of 2028.^[4]

• Above-ground section: west of Ōsakakō to west of Awaza; east of Aramoto (Keihanna Line)
• Block signalling: Automatic
• Train protection system: WS-ATC
• Cars per train: 6 (1984 – present)
• Maximum possible cars per train (platform length): 8

No.	Station	Japanese	Distance (km)	Transfers	Location
C 10	Cosmosquare	コスモスクエア	0.0	Nankō Port Town Line (P09)	Suminoe-ku, Osaka
C 11	Ōsakakō (Tempozan)	大阪港 （天保山）	2.4		Minato-ku, Osaka
C 12	Asashiobashi	朝潮橋	3.9
C 13	Bentenchō	弁天町	5.5	O Osaka Loop Line
C 14	Kujō	九条	6.8	Hanshin Namba Line	Nishi-ku, Osaka
C 15	Awaza	阿波座	8.3	Sennichimae Line (S13)
C 16	Hommachi (Semba-nishi)	本町 （船場西）	9.4	Midōsuji Line (M18) Yotsubashi Line (Y13)	Chūō-ku, Osaka
C 17	Sakaisuji-Hommachi (Semba-higashi)	堺筋本町 （船場東）	10.1	Sakaisuji Line (K15)
C 18	Tanimachi Yonchōme	谷町四丁目	11.1	Tanimachi Line (T23)
C 19	Morinomiya	森ノ宮	12.4	Nagahori Tsurumi-ryokuchi Line (N20) O Osaka Loop Line
C 20	Midoribashi	緑橋	13.6	Imazatosuji Line (I20)	Higashinari-ku, Osaka
C 21	Fukaebashi	深江橋	14.7
C 22	Takaida	高井田	16.1	F Osaka Higashi Line	Higashiosaka
C 23	Nagata	長田	17.9	C Keihanna Line
↓ Through services to/from Gakken Nara-Tomigaoka Station via the C Keihanna Line ↓

• 24 series (from 1991)
• 30000A series (from July 2022)^[5]
• 400 series (from 25 June 2023)^[6]

• 7000 series (from 1986)
• 7020 series (from 2004)

The Osaka Metro trains are based at Morinomiya Depot, while the Kintetsu Railway trains are based at Higashi-Hanazono and Tomigaoka Depots located on the Keihanna Line.

• 
  24 series (in green livery)
• 
  30000A series
• 
  400 series
• 
  Kintetsu 7000/7020 series

• 800 series (1961–1978)
• 900 series (1964–1978)
• 30 series (1967–1969, 1983–1995)
• 50 series (1969–1991)
• 20 series (1984–2024)

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Chūō Line (Osaka).