Kintetsu Corporation (近畿日本鉄道株式会社 Kinki Nippon Tetsudō Kabushiki Gaisha), better known as Kintetsu (近鉄), is Japanese largest private railway company. The railway network means "Kinki Nippon Railway". Kintetsu operates a complex network of lines in the Kinki region, connecting Osaka, Kyoto, Nara, Nagoya, Tsu, Ise, and Gifu.

History

Kintetsu began life in 1914 as the Osaka Electric Tramway Company, operating a line between Osaka and Nara (now the Kintetsu Nara Line). The modern Kashihara, Osaka, and Shigi lines were completed in the 1920's, followed by the Kyoto Line (a cooperative venture with the Keihan Electric Railway).

In 1938, Kintetsu teamed up with the Kansai Kyuko Railway to operate the first private railway service from Osaka to Nagoya. Kintetsu bought Kansai Kyuko in 1940 and continued the service on its own.

Most of the network's smaller lines were merged into Kintetsu during World War II, and maintained after the end of the war.

The company was renamed to Kinki Nippon after it merged with the Nankai Railway in 1944: it maintained the name when Nankai regained its independence in 1947.

After the war, Kintetsu branched out and became one of the world's largest travel agencies, opening offices in the United States of America and other countries.

Lines

• Nara and Kyoto Lines
  • Namba Line (Namba - Uehommachi)
  • Nara Line (Uehommachi - Nara)
  • Ikoma Line (Ikoma - Oji)
  • Kyoto Line (Kyoto - Yamato-Saidaiji)
  • Kashihara Line (Yamato-Saidaiji - Kashihara-Jingu-mae)
  • Tenri Line (Hirahata - Tenri)
  • Tawaramoto Line (Shin-Oji - Nishi-Tawaramoto)
  • Ikoma Cable Line (Torii-mae - Ikoma-Sanjo)
• Osaka and Nagoya Lines
  • Osaka Line (Uehommachi - Ise-Nakagawa)
  • Shigi Line (Kawachi-Yamamoto - Shigisanguchi)
    • Nishi-Shigi Cable Line (Shigisanguchi - Takayasuyama)
  • Iga Line (Iga-Kambe - Iga-Ueno)
  • Nagoya Line (Nagoya - Ise-Nakagawa)
  • Yunoyama Line (Yokkaichi - Yunoyama Onsen)
  • Suzuka Line (Ise-Wakamatsu - Hiratacho)
  • Yamada Line (Ise-Nakagawa - Ujiyamada)
  • Toba Line (Ujiyamada - Toba)
  • Shima Line (Toba - Kashikojima)
• Minami-Osaka Line
  • Minami-Osaka Line (Osaka Abenobashi - Kashihara-Jingu-mae)
  • Domyoji Line (Domyoji - Kashiwara)
  • Nagano Line (Furuichi - Kawachi-Nagano)
  • Gose Line (Shakudo - Gose)
  • Yoshino Line (Kashihara-Jingu-mae - Yoshino)
• Higashi-Osaka Line (Nagata - Ikoma)
• Keihanna Line (Ikoma - Gakken Nara-Tomigaoka)
• Utsube and Hachioji Lines
  • Utsube Line (Yokkaichi - Utsube)
  • Hachioji Line (Yokkaichi - Nishi-Hino)
• Yoro Line (Kuwana - Ogaki - Ibi)

Kintetsu trains also use the Osaka Municipal Subway Chuo Line and the Kyoto Municipal Subway Karasuma Line.

Other major businesses

• am/pm Japan
• Kinki Nippon Rent-A-Car
• Kinki Nippon Tourist Travel Agency
• Kintetsu Bus
• Kintetsu Department Stores
• Kintetsu World Express (Air Freight)
• Miyako Hotels and Resorts
• Osaka Kintetsu Buffaloes (baseball team)
• Shima Spain Village theme park

External links

• http://www.kintetsu.com/ - Travel agency web site in English
• http://www.kintetsu.co.jp/ - Railway web site in Japanese
• http://www.kintetsu.co.jp/english/ - Corporate web site in English