Other name(s) U-Line Status Operational | Native name 西神山手線 Line length 22.7 km (14.1 mi) | |
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Terminis Shin-Kobe Station, Seishin-chūō Station | ||
The Seishin-Yamate Line (西神山手線, Seishin-Yamate-sen) is one of two lines of Kobe Municipal Subway that links the central district and suburbs of Kobe. It is sometimes called U-Line after its shape on maps.
Contents
Rolling stock
All trains are based at Tanigami and Myōdani Depots.
A fleet of new trains is to be introduced on the line between fiscal 2018 and 2022. Built by Kawasaki Heavy Industries, the design of the new trains will be overseen by Ken Okuyama Design.
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.