Began operation March 13, 1977 Number of stations 28 | System length 38.1 km (23.67 mi) Number of lines 2 | |
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Native name 神戸市営地下鉄Kōbe-shiei chikatetsu Track gauge 1,435 mm (4 ft 8 ⁄2 in) Operator Kobe Municipal Transportation Bureau | ||
Kobe Municipal Subway (神戸市営地下鉄, Kōbe-shiei chikatetsu) is a subway system in Kobe, Hyogo Prefecture, Japan. Like other large Japanese cities, Kobe's subway system is heavily complemented by suburban rail. In addition, two people mover lines also serve the Kobe area: the Port Island Line and the Rokko Island Line.
History
Construction of the first line of the subway system, the Seishin Line, began on November 25, 1971. The line opened on March 13, 1977, running for 5.7 km (3.5 mi) between Myōdani and Shin-Nagata stations. A second line, the Yamate Line, opened on June 17, 1983, running for 4.3 km (2.7 mi) between Shin-Nagata and Ōkurayama stations. On June 18, 1985, the Yamate Line was extended to Shin-Kobe and the Seishin Line was extended to Gakuen-toshi. When the final stage of the Seishin Line, an extension to Seishin-Chuo, opened on March 18, 1987, the Seishin Line and the Yamate Line were merged into the Seishin-Yamate Line.
The Hokushin Kyūkō Electric Railway opened the 7.5 km (4.7 mi) Hokushin Line extension between Shin-Kobe and Tanigami on April 2, 1988; services on the Hokushin Line have through service onto the Seishin-Yamate Line.
On January 17, 1995, the Seishin-Yamate Line was damaged in the Great Hanshin earthquake. The day after the earthquake, limited services resumed between Seishin-Chuo and Itayado; full service was restored to the entire line in March 1995 after repairs were completed.
On July 7, 2001, the 7.9 km (4.9 mi) long Kaigan Line opened between Sannomiya-hanadokeimae and Shin-Nagata.