The Beginnings of the Osaka Municipal Subway

Osaka saw rapid commercial and industrial development following the First World War, cementing its place as a leading industrial city. As a result, the existing transport infrastructure based on the city buses and streetcars ceased to be adequate. In 1925, the city laid out a plan for four different subway lines covering a total of 54.5km, and in May 1933, the 3.1km Midosuji Line from Umeda Station to Shinsaibashi Station began operation as Japan’s first publicly managed subway.

Rapid Growth of the Subway Network

Although work on the subway was suspended during World War II, progress quickly resumed in the postwar period. In 1955, along with improvements in socio-economic conditions, and ever greater demands for transport infrastructure, motorization rapidly took hold. As a result of the impressive pace of construction, the six lines of the Osaka subway system, which criss-cross the city’s urban center over a total length of 64.2km, were ready to unveil at the 1970 World Fair. Following this, expansion of the network continued into Osaka’s suburban districts, bringing the total coverage to 99.1km in 1987.

Maintenance in Recent Years

Coinciding with the 1990 International Garden and Greenery Exposition was the opening of Osaka’s seventh subway line –the Nagahori Tsurumi-ryokuchi Line – from Kyobashi to Tsurumi-ryokuchi Station. It was the first linear motor rapid transit line in Japan. The line has since been extended into Osaka’s suburban districts. In June 2005 the Osaka Port Transport System Line from Cosmo Square Station to Osaka Port Station was brought under Osaka Municipal Transport management.

Furthermore, in December 2006, Osaka’s eighth subway line, the linear motor powered Imazatosuji Line, commenced operation between Itakano Station and Imazato Station. This line connects with four existing municipal subway lines, as well as the Keihan Main Line and the Japan Rail Gakken-Toshi Line, expanding the subway network to a total coverage of 129.9km and 123 stations. As of 2015, roughly 2,350,000 passengers used the subway per day, making the subway the mainstay of Osaka’s public transport infrastructure.