Editing Kansai Main Line (section)

==History==
The Osaka Railway Co. opened the Minatomachi (now [[JR Namba Station|JR Namba]]) to Nara section between 1889 and 1892. The company merged with the Kansai Railway Co. in 1900.

The Nara Railway Co. opened the Nara to Kizu section in 1896. It merged with the Kansai Railway Co. in 1905.

The Kansai Railway Co. opened the Nagoya to Kizu section between 1890 and 1897, completing the line. The company was nationalised in 1907.

===Duplication===
The Minatomachi to Tennoji section was duplicated in 1903 and extended to Kashiwara in 1908. The Nara to Kizu section was duplicated in 1914, and the Kashiwara to Nara section between 1923 and 1926. In 1944 the Oji to Nara section was returned to single track and the materials recycled for the Japanese war effort. The section was re-duplicated in 1961.

The Tomita to Kuwana section (except for the bridge over the Inabe River) was duplicated in 1973, and the Kuwana to Yatomi section between 1977 and 1980. The Yokkaichi to Tomidahama section was duplicated in 1993.

===Electrification===
The Minatomachi to Nara section was electrified in 1973, extended to Kizu in 1984, and to Kamo in 1988.

The Nagoya - Hatta section was electrified in 1979, and extended to Kameyama in 1982.

===Other matters of note===
CTC signalling was commissioned between Kizu and Kameyama in 1983, and extended to Nagoya in 2001.

In 1994 Minatomachi Station was renamed {{STN|JR Namba|x}} to coincide with the opening of the  [[Kansai Airport Line]] to Kansai Airport. In 1996 Namba Station and the approach line were relocated underground to eliminate a number of level crossings. There are plans to extend the line from Namba to [[Osaka Station]], with construction to begin within the next few years. (See [[Naniwasuji Line]] for information.)

===Former connecting lines===
* Kamo Station - In 1898 the Kansai Railway Co. opened an {{Cvt|8|km}} branch to a station beside the Daibutsu (Great Buddha), and in 1899 extended the line {{Cvt|2|km}} to Nara. Following the nationalisation of the Kansai Railway Co. in 1907, the {{Cvt|10|km}} line was closed.
* Horyuji Station - The {{Cvt|4|km}} {{Track gauge|1435 mm|al=on}} Kintetsu line to Hirahata operated between 1915 and 1945.
* Kyuhoji Station - A branchline to serve the [[Yao Airport|Taisho airfield]] opened in 1942, and was extended to [[Sugimotocho Station]] on the [[Hanwa Line]] in 1952 to provide an electrified (1500 V DC) freight bypass between Wakayama and Nagoya. Passenger services were introduced in 1965 but ceased two years later, and the line closed in 2009 after being out of service for five years.
* Tennoji Station - The {{Cvt|2.4|km}} Nankai line to Tengachaya, electrified at 1500 V DC, operated between 1901 and 1993.