The Keishin Line (京津線, Keishin-sen) is an interurban railway line of Keihan Electric Railway. The 7.5 km line starts from Misasagi Station in Kyoto and ends at Hamaōtsu Station in neighbouring city of Ōtsu.
History
The line was built in 1912 to connect directly between the city centers of Kyoto and Ōtsu by electric streetcars because the steam-powered Tōkaidō Main Line made a great detour between the two cities before its reroute in 1921.
The busiest section of the line, between Keishin-Sanjō Station and Misasagi Station, was replaced in 1997 by the Kyoto Subway Tōzai Line. One of the aims of the substitution was to move the tracks underground, in order to give more lanes to road vehicles. Consequently trains go direct to the Tōzai Line. The line still operates on street tracks in Ōtsu.
Technical data
- Distance: 7.5 km (4.7 mi)
- Gauge: 1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in)
- Number of stations: 7 (including start and end)
- Track: Dual
- Electricity: DC 1500 V, overhead lines
- Maximum gradient: 61/1000
Train service
Except trains between Shinomiya Station and Hamaōtsu Station in early morning and late night, all trains go directly from Hamaōtsu Station to Kyoto Shiyakusho-mae Station or Uzumasa Tenjingawa Station on the Kyoto Subway Tōzai Line. During off peak hours, the line operates four services an hour.
Stations and connecting lines
Active section
| Station | Connection | Location |
|---|---|---|
| Misasagi | Kyoto Subway Tozai Line | Yamashina-ku, Kyoto |
| Keihan Yamashina | JR West Tōkaidō Line (Biwako Line) and Kosei Line Kyoto Subway Tozai Line | |
| Shinomiya | ||
| Shiga | Ōtsu, Shiga | |
| Shiga | ||
| Kamisakaemachi | ||
| Hamaōtsu | Ishiyama Sakamoto Line |
- Abandoned stations on the active section
- Midorigaoka Undōjō-mae: Shinomiya - Oiwake (extra station, abandoned in 1942)
- Kamisekidera: Ōtani - Kamisakaemachi (abandoned on August 15, 1971)
- Fudanotsuji: Kamisakaemachi - Hamaōtsu (abandoned on October 1, 1946)
- Past connections
- Otani: JNR Tokaido Line
- Hamaotsu: Kōjak Railway
Abandoned section
The station list is as of 1997 when the section was abandoned due to replacement by the Tōzai Line subway. It also lists the corresponding subway stations that replaced the Keishin Line stations.
| Station | Connection / note | Replaced by | Location |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kyoto | Keihan Main Line, Ōtō Line | Sanjō-Keihan | Higashiyama-ku, Kyoto |
| Higashiyama-Sanjō | Kyoto | ||
| Abandoned in 1944 | |||
| Abandoned in 1931 | |||
| Keage | Keage | ||
| Kujōyama | Yamashina-ku, Kyoto | ||
| Hinooka | Misasagi | ||
| Misasagi |
Rolling stock
Series 800, four-car EMU serves exclusively this line.