The Osaka Metro Chūō Line (中央線) is a rapid transit system in Osaka, Japan, operated by Osaka Metro. The line runs east-westerly under Chūō Avenue (中央大通). Its official name is Rapid Electric Tramway Line No. 4 (高速電気軌道第4号線), and in MLIT publications, it is written as Line No. 4 (Chūō Line) (4号線（中央線）). Station numbers are indicated by the letter C. Together with the through operation to the Keihanna Line, the two lines have a unified nickname "Yumehanna" (ゆめはんな). On 1 July 2005, Osaka City bought the Technoport Line (テクノポート線) from Cosmosquare to Osakakō of its subsidiary Osaka Port Transport System Co., Ltd. (大阪港トランスポートシステム), reducing fare to increase traffic. The section operationally became a part of the Chūō Line, but is however still owned by OTS. The Chūō Line is the only line to connect to all other subway lines operated by the Osaka Metro, including the Nankō Port Town Line.

History

The line (initially known as Line No. 4) opened on December 11, 1961, initially running between Ōsakakō and Bentenchō (this was the first elevated portion of the Osaka subway system); trains were initially composed of single-car trainsets. Between 1964 and 1985, the line was expanded towards Nagata in four stages: On 18 December 1997, the OTS Technoport Line opened between Ōsakakō and Cosmosquare. This line was absorbed into the Chūō Line on 1 July 2005. The Keihanna Line was extended further into Nara when the extension to Gakken Nara-Tomigaoka opened on 27 March 2006.

Future plans

The Osaka Port Transport System Hokkō Technoport Line is a planned extension of the Chūō Line from Cosmosquare on Sakishima (Osaka) to Yumeshima, Maishima, and Sakurajima (Osaka). Its first phase, consisting of a one-stop extension to Yumeshima Station, is currently under construction with a projected opening date of 19 January 2025, ahead of the opening of the Osaka 2025 Expo. Separately, a new station is planned to be built on the spur track to the Morinomiya depot facility as part of local revitalization efforts and also to serve the new Morinomiya campus of Osaka Metropolitan University, with a projected completion date of 2028.

Line data

Stations

Rolling stock

Osaka Metro

Kintetsu Railway

The Osaka Metro trains are based at Morinomiya Depot, while the Kintetsu Railway trains are based at Higashi-Hanazono and Tomigaoka Depots located on the Keihanna Line.

Former