Kosei Line

The Kosei Line (湖西線, Kosei-sen) is a commuter rail line in Osaka-Kobe-Kyoto Metropolitan Area, operated by West Japan Railway Company (JR West). The line was completed in 1974 by the former Japanese National Railways (JNR) to provide faster access from the Kansai region to the Hokuriku region. It originates at Yamashina Station in Yamashina-ku, Kyoto and ends at Ōmi-Shiotsu Station in Nagahama, Shiga.

Its name means "the line to the west of the lake," indicating that it approximately parallels the western shore of Biwako. Trains continue from Yamashina to Kyoto Station on the Tōkaidō Main Line for convenient transfer to lines serving the Kansai as well as the Tōkaidō Shinkansen.

In addition to local, Rapid and Special Rapid services, limited express trains such as Raichō, Thunderbird and Nihonkai as well as freight trains are frequently operated on the line. Some of limited express trains stop at Ōtsukyō or Katata and others skip all stations on the line.

History

A direct Tsuruga - Kyoto line was included in the 1922 Railway Construction Act.

In the meantime, the Kowaka Railway Co. opened a line from Hamaotsu on the Keihan Ishiyama Sakamoto Line 51km to Omi-Imazu between 1923 and 1929. Between 1947 and 1965 there was a connection between Zeze on the Tokaido Main Line and Hamaotsu, allowing direct connection to the Tokaido Line.

The line was purchase by JNR and closed in 1969 so the Kosei line could be constructed over parts of the alignment, with the entire new line opening in 1974 as a dual track electrified line with CTC signalling.

The section from Nagahara to Ōmi-Shiotsu, originally electrified with 20 kV AC, was re-electrified to 1,500 V DC on September 24, 2006 enabling DC-only EMUs used in Osaka-Kyoto region to operate, and the Special Rapid through train service from JR Kyoto Line (Tokaido Main Line) was extended beyond Ōmi-Shiotsu to Tsuruga on the Hokuriku Main Line.

Stations

• S: trains stop
• s: Only extra trains stop

Rolling stock

Current

Passenger

Local

• 113 series
• 117 series
• 207 series
• 221 series
• 321 series
• 521 series

Special Rapid and Local

• 223-1000/2000 series
• 225-0 series

Limited Express

• 681 series (Thunderbird services)
• 683 series (Thunderbird services)

Freight

• EF81
• EF510

Former

EMU

• 125 series (until March 2009)
• 201 series
• 419 series (until October 2006)
• 475 series (until October 2006)
• 485 series (Raichō services, until March 2011)

DMU

• KiHa 20 series (until 1991)
• KiHa 26 series (until 1991)
• KiHa 48 (until 1991)

See also

• List of railway lines in Japan

References

This article incorporates material from the corresponding article in the Japanese Wikipedia

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Kosei Line.

Mass Transport in Keihanshin (Greater Osaka-Kyoto-Kobe)
JR West lines ("Kinki Area")	A   Hokuriku/Tokaido/Sanyo Biwako JR Kyoto JR Kobe   A   Ako   B   Kosei   C   Kusatsu  D  Nara   E   Sagano Sanin   F   Osaka Higashi   G   JR Takarazuka (Fukuchiyama)   H   Gakkentoshi (Katamachi)   H   JR Tozai   I   Kakogawa   J   Bantan   K   Kishin   L   Maizuru   O   Osaka Loop   P  JR Yumesaki (Sakurajima)   Q   Yamatoji Kansai   R   Hanwa   S   Kansai Airport   T   Wakayama   U   Man-yo Mahoroba (Sakurai)   V   Kansai   W   Kisei Hagoromo Wadamisaki
Municipal Railway	Osaka Municipal Subway (list of stations) Midosuji Tanimachi Yotsubashi Chuo Sennichimae Sakaisuji Nagahori Tsurumi-ryokuchi Imazatosuji APM: New Tram Kobe Municipal Subway Seishin-Yamate Kaigan Kyoto Municipal Subway Karasuma Tozai Kobe New Transit (semipublic) Port Island Line Rokko Island Line
5 Major Private rail operators	Hankyu ■ Hankyu Kobe Main ■ Itami ■ Imazu ■ Koyo ■ Hankyu Takarazuka Main ■ Minoo ■ Hankyu Kyoto Main ■ Senri ■ Arashiyama Hanshin Hanshin Main Namba Mukogawa Keihan Keihan Main Oto Nakanoshima Katano Otsu Lines Keishin Ishiyama Sakamoto Nankai Nankai Main Takashinohama Airport Tanagawa Kada Wakayamako Koya Shiomibashi Kintetsu  A  Namba/Nara  G  Ikoma  B  Kyoto/Kashihara  H  Tenri  I  Tawaramoto  C  Keihanna  D  Osaka  J  Shigi  F  Minami Osaka/Yoshino  N  Domyoji  O  Nagano  P  Gose
4 Semi-Major Private rail operators	Semboku Rapid Semboku Rapid Railway Kitakyu Namboku Line Kobe Rapid Tōzai Line Namboku Line Hokushin Line Sanyo Sanyo Main Line Aboshi Line
Other railways	Shintetsu Arima Line Sanda Line Koen-Toshi Line Ao Line Shintetsu Namboku Line Wakayama Railway Kishigawa Line Hankai Tram Osaka Monorail Hokushin Kyuko Noseden Myoken Line Nissei Line Randen (Keifuku) Arashiyama Tram Kitano Tram Eizan Electric Railway Eizan Main Line Kurama Line
Cable car and aerial tramways	Keihan Cable Car Ikoma Cable Car Nishi-Shigi Cable Car Katsuragisan Ropeway Kōyasan Cable Car Eizan Cable Car Eizan Ropeway
Terminals	Rail Osaka/Umeda/Nishi-Umeda/Higashi-Umeda/Kitashinchi Tennoji/Osaka Abenobashi Namba/Osaka Namba/JR Namba Kyobashi Shin-Osaka Osaka Uehommachi Kyoto Kawaramachi/Gion-Shijo Sanjo Sannomiya JR West others Sakaihigashi Kintetsu Nara Airports Itami Kansai/Wing Shuttle Kobe Tokushima Airport Ports Port of Kobe Port of Osaka Sakai Himeji
Miscellaneous	Shinkansen Ferry Operators Kanko Kisen Hankyu Ferry Nankai Ferry Akashi-Awaji Ferry Cards ICOCA PiTaPa Rail transport in Japan
Japan transit: Tokyo Osaka Nagoya Fukuoka Hakone Fuji Izu Hokkaido Sendai Niigata Toyama Nagano Okayama Hiroshima Shikoku Metro systems Shinkansen trams (list) aerial lifts (list)

JR West lines
Shinkansen	Sanyō (Hakata-Minami) Hokuriku
Main	Hokuriku Kansai Kisei Sanin Sanyō Takayama Tōkaidō
Local	Akō Bantan Etsumi-Hoku Fukuchiyama Fukuen Gantoku Geibi Hakubi Hanwa Himi Honshi-Bisan Inbi Jōhana JR Tōzai Kabe Kakogawa Kansai Airport Katamachi Kibi Kishin Kisuki Kosei Kure Kusatsu Maizuru Mine Nanao Nara Obama Ōito Onoda Osaka Higashi Osaka Loop Sakai Sakurai Sakurajima Sankō Tsuyama Ube Uno Wakayama Yamaguchi
Other	Biwako JR Kyoto JR Kobe Sagano
Past	Gannichi Hokuriku Main Ishikawa Ainokaze Toyama Echigo Tokimeki Nihonkai Hisui Kajiya Miki Miyazu Noto Shigaraki Taisha Toyamakō Wakasa