Kintetsu-Tanbabashi Station (近鉄丹波橋駅)

Kintetsu-Tanbabashi Station, located in Momoyama Tsutsui Iga Higashi-machi, Fushimi Ward, Kyoto City, Kyoto Prefecture, is a stop on the Kintetsu Kyoto Line, which is operated by Kinki Nippon Railway Co., Ltd. (Kintetsu Corporation).

Kintetsu-Tanbabashi Station is a stop at which passenger can change over to Tanbabashi Station on the Keihan Electric Railway (KER) or vice versa. In 2002, Kintetsu-Tanbabashi Station became a stop for the Kintetsu limited express train, but before that only the Special Limited Express service made stops at this station at the beginning and the end of the year. During the period from 1998 to 2003, the rapid express made stops at this station.

This section also describes Horiuchi Station, which preceded Kintetsu-Tanbabashi Station.

Connected Railway
Keihan Electric Railway (KER): Tanbabashi Station
Keihan Main Line

Station layout
Kintetsu-Tanbabashi Station has with two separate platforms that face each other with two sets of tracks running between, and the station building centers its functions on the second floor. The effective length of the platform is equivalent to six train cars.

An elevator is located between the platform and the concourse, but the station building has merely the stairs at its exits, so disabled persons (including those in wheelchairs) will use either the ramp at the southern end of the platform or the elevator provided in KER Tanbabashi Station. There is only one ticket gate. A passageway interconnects this station and KER Tanbabashi Station.

The manufacturer of the automatic ticket gate is Toshiba. The red-colored ticket gates (EG-2000) can handle two IC cards at a time when a passenger is exiting, and PiTaPa Card and ICOCA, both of which are IC cards, are available for payment of railway fares at this ticket gate.

Characteristics
All trains on the Kintetsu Kyoto Line stop at this station.

Limited express and commuter tickets can be purchased here.

Passenger use
According to a survey conducted on November 8, 2005, the number of passengers at the station was 52,365.
This figure ranked the station as follows:

Of all Kintetsu Corporation stations researched (which amounted to 323 at that time), Kintetsu-Tanbabashi Station ranked eleventh.

Of all stations on the Kintetsu Kyoto Line (which amounted to 26 at that time, including Yamato-Saidaiji Station), Kintetsu-Tanbabashi Station ranked third.

Of all Kintetsu Corporation stations within Kyoto Prefecture (which amounted to 23 at the time), Kintetsu-Tanbabashi Station was second only to Kyoto Station.

Station surroundings
Fushimi Momoyama-jo Castle
The Kanmu Mausoleum
The kindergarten attached to Kyoto University of Education
Momoyama Elementary School, attached to Kyoto University of Education
Momoyama Junior High School, attached to Kyoto University of Education
Kyoto Prefectural Momoyama Senior High School
The Fushimi Kyomachi-Kita post office

Bus stop

The nearest bus stop to Kintetsu-Tanbabashi Station is "Tanbabashi-dori," which is a five-minute walk from the station and faces National Highway No. 24.

Kyoto City Bus Route South No. 8: For Takeda Station (Kyoto Prefecture) Higashi-guchi (east exit)/Yokooji Shako-depot

History
From 1945 to 1968, the train of the Kintetsu Kyoto Line directly connected with KER Tanbabashi Station, and the mutual extension operation was conducted. In consideration of the 1969 boost in trolley voltage to 1500V, the Kintetsu Kyoto Line ended its communal use of Tanbabashi Station with KER because the grade crossing on the station premises became the obstacle to the increasing of its train service, and instead Kintetsu-Tanbabashi Station was set up independently on the site of the former Horiuchi Station, so the Kintetsu Kyoto Line and Keihan Main Line were separated and the mutual extension operation was ended. For about ten years after the end of the mutual extension operation, both stations were equipped with devices for mutual guidance regarding their respective train services.

November 15, 1928: Nara Electric Railway began operating in the section between Kyoto Station and Momoyamagoryomae Station, and concurrently Horiuchi Station opened.

December 21, 1945: The train of the Kintetsu Kyoto Line began the direct connection with KER Tanbabashi Station. Horiuchi Station was closed.

October 1, 1963: Nara Electric Railway Co., Ltd., was absorbed into Kinki Nippon Railway Co., Ltd. (Kintetsu Corporation).

March 29, 1967: On the site of Horiuchi Station, the platform and track for the Kintetsu Kyoto Line only were established; for about a year after that, KER Tanbabashi Station and the present Kintetsu-Tanbabashi Station were both used by the train of the Kinki Nippon Railway. Moreover, the passageway between these two stations was established.

December 20, 1968: The train of the Kinki Nippon Railway ended its direct connection with KER Tanbabashi Station. Additionally, the present Kintetsu-Tanbabashi Station, which was also called "Tanbabashi Station" until then, was renamed as "Kinki Nippon Tanbabashi Station."

March 1, 1970: "Kinki Nippon Tanbabashi Station" was renamed as "Kintetsu-Tanbabashi Station."

March 17, 1998: With the timetable revision implemented on this date, the newly introduced rapid express of the Kintetsu Kyoto Line began stopping at Kintetsu-Tanbabashi Station.

March 20, 2002: Kintetsu-Tanbabashi Station was upgraded to the status of a facility at which the limited express would stop.

March 6, 2003: With the timetable revision implemented on this date, the operation of the rapid express of the Kintetsu Kyoto Line ceased.

April 1, 2007: PiTaPa Card became usable at Kintetsu-Tanbabashi Station.

Adjacent stations

Kinki Nippon Railway
Kyoto Line
Kintetsu Limited Express
Express/Semi-express: The semi-express service makes a stop at every station from Kintetsu-Tanbabashi Station southward.
Takeda Station (Kyoto Prefecture) - Kintetsu-Tanbabashi Station - Momoyamagoryomae Station
Local
Fushimi Station (Kyoto Prefecture) - Kintetsu-Tanbabashi Station - Momoyamagoryomae Station

[Original Japanese]