The is a commuter rail line in the Osaka-Kobe-Kyoto Metropolitan Area, owned and operated by West Japan Railway Company (JR West). The 61.3 km (38.1 mi) line runs between Osaka and Wakayama, Japan and has a 1.7 km branchline in a southern Osaka suburb. The name is taken from the second syllable of Osaka and the first syllable of Wakayama.
Services
The terminus of the line in Osaka is TennÃ
Âji Station in TennÃ
Âji-ku where most of the commuter trains on the line originate and terminate. However, many intercity limited express and rapid trains extend to the Osaka Loop Line beyond TennÃ
Âji.
The terminus in Wakayama is Wakayama Station. Some trains from Osaka terminate before Wakayama and some spur off to Kansai Airport Station on the Kansai Airport Line from Hineno Station. Tracks are connected to the Kisei Main Line and some trains continue on from there.
The , also called the or the , between Ã
Âtori Station and Higashi-Hagoromo Station, is officially a part of the Hanwa Line. On the 1.7 km branch, only local shuttle trains operate.
Limited express services
Hanwa Line segment in bold. Stations in brackets are only served by some services.
Commuter services
Trains stop at every station on the line, and they are operated between Tennoji and Otori in the non-rush hour.
- Kishuji Rapid Service: Osaka Loop Line/Tennoji - Wakayama
Trains run on the Osaka Loop Line before entering Hanwa Line at Tennoji with stopping at every station between Tennoji and Fukushima via Tsuruhashi, Kyobashi, and Osaka, then Nishikujo, Bentencho, Taisho and Shin-Imamiya stations (part of trains originate and terminate at Kyobashi). They make rapid service stops throughout the Hanwa Line and stop at every station between Hineno and Wakayama except in the morning and night.
- Kansai Airport Rapid Service: Osaka Loop Line/Tennoji - Hineno - Kansai Airport
Trains usually run in tandem with Kishuji Rapid between the Osaka Loop Line and Hineno before splitting off and making every stop on the Kansai Airport Line. They go loop with stops at every station between Tennoji and Fukushima via Tsuruhashi, Kyobashi, and Osaka, then Nishikujo, Bentencho, Taisho and Shin-Imamiya (part of trains originate and terminate at Kyobashi).
- Direct Rapid Service: Osaka Loop Line â Tennoji â Wakayama/Kansai Airport
Trains run on weekday mornings, and make rapid service stops throughout its route and every stop on the Osaka Loop Line.
- Rapid Service: Tennoji - Wakayama
Trains run entirely on the Hanwa Line with extended service to the Kisei Main Line except the non-rush hour.
Stations on the Hanwa Line where trains stop: at TennÃ
Âji, Sakaishi, Mikunigaoka, Ã
Âtori, Izumi-FuchÃ
«, Higashi-Kishiwada, Kumatori, Hineno, Izumi-Sunagawa, Kii, Musota and Wakayama
- Regional Rapid Service: Tennoji - Hineno/Wakayama
Trains make rapid service stops from Tennoji to , then local stops to Wakayama. They mainly run between Tennoji and Hineno in the non-rush hour, and also in the morning and as the last train for Hineno.
- B-Rapid Service (Discontinued): Tennoji - Wakayama
Trains ran in early mornings and between the mornings and non-rush hours, with rapid service stops from Tennoji to , then local stops to Wakayama.
The first train of the service from Wakayama ran to Shin-Osaka via the Osaka Loop Line and the Umeda Freight Line.
Stations
Hanwa Line
Legend:
- â : All trains stop
- ï½Â: All trains pass
- â : Some trains stop
- â : Pass, northbound services only
- â²: Stop, northbound services only
- â¼: Stop, southbound services only
Local trains stop at all stations.
For limited expresses Haruka and Kuroshio, please see their respective articles.
Higashi-Hagoromo Branch Line (Hagoromo Line)
Rolling stock
All trains are based at Hineno and Suita Depots.
Commuter
Limited Express
Former
Passenger
JNR, JR West
Hanwa Electric Railway, Nankai Railway
- MoYo 100
- MoTa 300
- KuYo 500
- KuTa 600
- KuTe 700
- KuTa 750
- KuTa 3000
- KuTa 7000
Freight
JNR
Hanwa Electric Railway, Nankai Railway
- RoKo 1000 (now ED38)
- RoKo 1100
- MoKa 2000
- ED1151 (now Nankai ED5151)
History
The line was opened as a double-track electrified line by the Hanwa Electric Railway in 1929. In 1940, the company was merged with Nankai Railway (predecessor of Nankai Electric Railway) and became the Yamanote Line of Nankai. The Yamanote Line was then nationalized in 1944 and renamed the Hanwa Line.
When Kansai International Airport opened in 1994, the Hanwa Line became one of the main railway links between the city and the airport (along with the Nankai Main Line).
Station numbering was introduced in March 2018 with the Hanwa line being assigned station numbers between JR-R20 and JR-R54.
References