Hokushin Line

The Hokushin Line (北神線) is a line of Kobe Municipal Subway connecting Tanigami in Kita-ku, Kobe and Shin-Kobe in Chūō-ku, Kobe. The 7.5 km line has only these two stations.

Formerly operated by the third-sector Hokushin Kyuko Electric Railway ( ja:北神急行電鉄; a subsidiary of Hankyu Hanshin Toho Group), in 2020 the company was absorbed into the Kobe Municipal Transportation Bureau, and the Hokushin Line became part of the subway network.

Operations
All trains of the line operate through services to the Seishin-Yamate Line beyond Shin-Kobe Station.

History
The Hokushin Line opened on 2 April 1988, including the 7179 m Hokushin Tunnel.

The line was built by Hokushin Kyuko Railway Co., Ltd. (北神急行電鉄株式会社), a private railway company in Kobe, Japan. It was headquartered in Kita-ku, Kobe. Investors in the company included Hankyu Railway and Kobe Electric Railway, and it was a subsidiary of Hankyu Hanshin Holdings. On 4 March 2020, the Kobe Municipal Transportation Bureau announced that it would acquire Hokushin Kyuko Railway Co., Ltd. due to the heavy debt burden that had been incurred by Hokushin Kyuko; the transaction was completed on 31 May, after which operation of the Hokushin Line was transferred to the transportation bureau.