| Osaka Metro Chūō Line | |
| Other Name: | Yumehanna |
| Mapcolor: | Green (#) |
| Type: | Rapid transit |
| System: | Osaka Metro |
| Locale: | Osaka and Higashiosaka |
| Stations: | 14 |
| Linenumber: | 4 |
| Owner: | Osaka Municipal Transportation Bureau (Osakako — Nagata) Osaka Port Transport System Co., Ltd. (Cosmosquare — Osakako) |
| Operator: | Osaka Metro (2018–present) Osaka Municipal Transportation Bureau (1961–2018) |
| Depot: | Morinomiya |
| Linelength Km: | 17.9 |
| Tracklength Km: | 17.9 |
| Electrification: | (Third rail) |
| Signalling: | Automatic closed block |
| Trainprotection: | WS-ATC |
| Speed Km/H: | 70 |
The is a rapid transit system in Osaka, Japan, operated by Osaka Metro. The line runs east-westerly under . Its official name is, and in MLIT publications, it is written as . Station numbers are indicated by the letter C.
Together with the through operation to the Keihanna Line, the two lines have a unified nickname .
On 1 July 2005, Osaka City bought the from Cosmosquare to Osakakō of its subsidiary, 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.
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.[1] 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.
The is a planned extension of the Chūō Line from Cosmosquare on to Yumeshima, Maishima, and . 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.[2] [3]
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.[4]
| No. | Station | Japanese | Distance (km) | Transfers | Location | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Japanese: コスモスクエア | 0.0 | (P09) | Suminoe-ku, Osaka | |||
(Tempozan) | Japanese: 大阪港<br /><small>（天保山）</small> | 2.4 | Minato-ku, Osaka | |||
| Japanese: 朝潮橋 | 3.9 | |||||
| Japanese: 弁天町 | 5.5 | |||||
| Japanese: 九条 | 6.8 | Hanshin Namba Line | Nishi-ku, Osaka | |||
| Japanese: 阿波座 | 8.3 | (S13) | ||||
(Semba-nishi) | Japanese: 本町<br /><small>（船場西）</small> | 9.4 | Chūō-ku, Osaka | |||
(Semba-higashi) | Japanese: 堺筋本町<br /><small>（船場東）</small> | 10.1 | (K15) | |||
| Japanese: 谷町四丁目 | 11.1 | (T23) | ||||
| Japanese: 森ノ宮 | 12.4 | |||||
| Japanese: 緑橋 | 13.6 | (I20) | Higashinari-ku, Osaka | |||
| Japanese: 深江橋 | 14.7 | |||||
| Japanese: 高井田 | 16.1 | Higashiosaka | ||||
| Japanese: 長田 | 17.9 | |||||
| ↓ Through services to/from Gakken Nara-Tomigaoka Station via the Keihanna Line ↓ | ||||||
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.