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Kosei Line
Special Rapid Service train (right) and Thunderbird limited express (left) at Hira Station
Overview
Native name	湖西線
Owner	JR West
Locale	Kyoto Prefecture and Shiga Prefecture
Termini	Yamashina Ōmi-Shiotsu
Stations	21
Service
Type	Heavy rail
System	Urban Network (Yamashina – Nagahara)
Operator(s)	JR West JR Freight
History
Opened	July 20, 1974 (1974-07-20)
Technical
Line length	74.1 km (46.0 mi)
Track gauge	1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in)
Electrification	1,500 V DC, overhead catenary
Operating speed	130 km/h (81 mph)
Train protection system	ATS-P and ATS-SW

The Kosei Line (湖西線, Kosei-sen, lit. 'lake west line') 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 Omi-Shiotsu Station to Tsuruga Station on the Hokuriku Main Line 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 the Thunderbird, as well as freight trains are frequently operated on the line. Only few of limited express trains stop at Katata or Omi-Imazu and others skip all stations on the line.

History

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

In the meantime, the Kojaku Railway Co. opened a line from Hamaotsu on the Keihan Ishiyama Sakamoto Line 51 km (32 mi) 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 purchased 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.

Services and stations

Legends:

• ● : All trains stop
• ○ : Only "Kosei Leisure (湖西レジャー)" extra seasonal service (in winter) makes stop at Shiga
• | : All trains skip

Local (普通) trains stop at all stations, but they do not operate through services to the JR Kyoto Line.

Rapid (快速) trains operate only in the mornings, which heads south to the JR Kyoto Line. 2 services are operated every weekday morning and 1 service is operated every weekend morning. ^[1]

Special Rapid (新快速) trains operate one train per hour for both directions, throughout daytime. ^[1]

Official line name	No.	Name	Japanese	Distance (km)		Rapid	Special Rapid	Transfers	Location
				between stations	from Yamashina
Special Rapid & Rapid: Through service to/from JR Kyoto Line
Tōkaidō Main Line	JR-B31	Kyoto	京都	5.5	5.5	●	●	Tōkaidō Shinkansen Tōkaidō Main Line ( JR Kyoto Line) (JR-A31) Nara Line (JR-D01) San'in Main Line ( Sagano Line) (JR-E01)  B  Kintetsu Kyoto Line (B01) Kyoto Municipal Subway Karasuma Line (K11)	Shimogyō-ku, Kyoto	Kyoto
	JR-B30	Yamashina	山科	–	0.0	●	●	Tōkaidō Main Line ( Biwako Line) (JR-A30) Kyoto Municipal Subway Tōzai Line (T07) Keihan Keishin Line (OT31: Keihan Yamashina)	Yamashina-ku, Kyoto
Kosei Line
	JR-B29	Ōtsukyō	大津京	5.4	5.4	●	●	Keihan Ishiyama Sakamoto Line (OT15: Keihan-otsukyo)	Ōtsu	Shiga
	JR-B28	Karasaki	唐崎	3.1	8.5	|	|
	JR-B27	Hieizan Sakamoto	比叡山坂本	2.6	11.1	●	●
	JR-B26	Ogoto-onsen	おごと温泉	3.4	14.5	●	|
	JR-B25	Katata	堅田	3.2	17.7	●	●
	JR-B24	Ono	小野	2.1	19.8	|	|
	JR-B23	Wani	和邇	2.7	22.5	|	|
	JR-B22	Hōrai	蓬莱	2.4	24.9	|	|
	JR-B21	Shiga	志賀	2.4	27.3	|	○
	JR-B20	Hira	比良	2.7	30.0	|	|
	JR-B19	Ōmi-Maiko	近江舞子	2.2	32.2	●	●
	JR-B18	Kita Komatsu	北小松	2.3	34.5	●	●
	JR-B17	Ōmi-Takashima	近江高島	6.4	40.9	●	●		Takashima
	JR-B16	Adogawa	安曇川	4.1	45.0	●	●
	JR-B15	Shin-Asahi	新旭	3.3	48.3	●	●
	JR-B14	Ōmi-Imazu	近江今津	4.9	53.2	●	●
	JR-B13	Ōmi-Nakashō	近江中庄	4.8	58.0	●	●
	JR-B12	Makino	マキノ	3.2	61.2	●	●
	JR-B11	Nagahara	永原	7.1	68.3	●	●		Nagahama
	JR-B10	Ōmi-Shiotsu	近江塩津	5.8	74.1	●	●	Hokuriku Main Line (JR-A03)
Hokuriku Main Line
	JR-B09	Shin-Hikida	新疋田	7.8	81.9	●	●		Tsuruga	Fukui
	JR-B08	Tsuruga	敦賀	6.7	88.6	●	●	Hokuriku Main Line (JR-A01) Obama Line Hapi-Line Fukui Line

Only 4-car trains are capable of going as far as Tsuruga at the moment, and the rear eight cars in a 12-car set are uncoupled at Omi-Imazu Station.

Rolling stock

Current

Passenger

Local and Rapid

• 113 series (within the line and to Kyoto only)
• 117 series (same as above)
• 207 series
• 221 series (mostly through rapid services to the Tokaido Main Line and the Sanyo Main Line, also some operate as local)
• 223-2500 series (same as above)
• 223-6000 series (same as above)
• 321 series
• 521-0 series (only through services continuing to the Hokuriku Main Line)

Special Rapid and Local

• 223-1000/2000 series
• 225-0/100 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