Osaka Metro Chuo Line & Kintetsu Keihanna Line Timetable Revision (Oct 14, 2025): Service Reduction Post-Expo Return to Normal + Dream Island Departure/Arrival Daytime Intervals Reduced to 15 Minutes!
Table of Contents
- Service Reduction to Pre-Expo Levels Following the Osaka-Kansai Expo Closure!
- Dream Island Service to be Reduced to 15-Minute Intervals During Daytime!
- Return to 7-Minute 30-Second Daytime Intervals on the Kintetsu Keihanna Line!
- Will the Chuo Subway Line Finally Achieve Full One-Person Operation?
- Conclusion
1. Service Reduction to Pre-Expo Levels Following the Osaka-Kansai Expo Closure!
This timetable revision by Osaka Metro on October 14, 2025, marks the first revision for the Chuo Subway Line in approximately three months since the last revision on July 1, 2025.
This revision essentially restores service frequencies to those before the Osaka Expo. During the Osaka-Kansai Expo period, services were increased to handle high passenger volumes. Starting from the April 2, 2025 revision, peak morning and evening services were intensified to intervals as short as 2 minutes 30 seconds (24 trains per hour), and even daytime services, previously at 5-minute intervals (12 trains per hour), were increased to allow for potential 2-minute 30-second intervals.
However, this new revision reverts to the service levels prior to April 1, 2025. Consequently, besides shifting back from a uniform daily timetable to separate weekday and holiday timetables, services will be reduced as follows: weekday mornings to 3-minute 30-second intervals (17 trains per hour), weekday evenings to 5-minute intervals (12 trains per hour), and weekday daytime services will be reduced to 7-minute 30-second intervals (8 trains per hour).
As a result, the number of trains on the Chuo Subway Line will decrease:上行 (towards Dream Island) from 383 to 177 on weekdays and 151 on holidays; 下行 (towards Nagata, Gakken Nara Tomigaoka) from 386 to 181 on weekdays and 155 on holidays.
Accompanying this reduction, ten 6-car trains of the 30000A series will be transferred to the Tanimachi Line. This will unify the Chuo Line's Osaka Metro fleet to the 400 series. As the Tanimachi Line's entire fleet will then consist of one-person operation compatible trains, it is expected to gradually transition to one-person operation.
2. Dream Island Service to be Reduced to 15-Minute Intervals During Daytime!
In this October 14, 2025 revision, Osaka Metro will significantly reduce the number of trains serving Dream Island, the station closest to the Expo, with remaining services terminating at Cosmosquare.
Consequently, only 4 out of the 8 daytime trains per hour on the Chuo Subway Line – meaning a 15-minute interval – will continue to Dream Island. While the global standard for subways is typically full-line operation, and the segment is only 3.3 km long (making round trips feasible even considering potential low ridership), the desire to reduce service so drastically likely stems from an incident on January 11, 2025. A timetable revision that increased the maximum speed from 70 km/h to 95 km/h on the Osaka Port - Dream Island section led to a service suspension due to issues with iron dust, prompting a desire to shorten the distance traveled at 95 km/h.
3. Return to 7-Minute 30-Second Daytime Intervals on the Kintetsu Keihanna Line!
This October 14, 2025 timetable revision by Kintetsu Railway will implement changes on the Keihanna Line, which has through services with the Osaka Metro Chuo Line.
Similar to the Chuo Subway Line, the Kintetsu Keihanna Line will revert to its pre-April 2, 2025 schedule. This will increase daytime service between Nagata and Ikoma from 10-minute intervals (6 trains per hour) to 7-minute 30-second intervals (8 trains per hour). Furthermore, virtually all Chuo Line trains will now run through to Ikoma on the Keihanna Line. The section between Ikoma and Gakken Nara Tomigaoka will also be improved from uneven 12-18 minute intervals (which sometimes meant waiting for up to 4 trains or 20 minutes within the subway section) to a uniform 15-minute interval.
As a result, service on the Keihanna Line will be reduced: westbound trains (towards Honmachi, Dream Island) from 166 to 160 on weekdays and 145 on holidays; eastbound trains (towards Gakken Nara Tomigaoka) from 164 to 159 on weekdays and 144 on holidays.
4. Will the Chuo Subway Line Finally Achieve Full One-Person Operation?
In addition, to coincide with the Osaka Metro timetable revision on July 1, 2025, travel from Yumeshima Station to the West Gate will be improved.
Osaka Metro has announced that it will begin single-man operation on the entire Chuo Line from February 11, 2025. However, it is believed that single-man operation would not be sufficient for Expo transportation, so Osaka Metro employees are riding in the rear crew compartment as part of a planned operation.
Once the Osaka-Kansai Expo is over, this level of congestion will no longer be necessary, so single-man operation will effectively be implemented.
5. Conclusion
This October 14, 2025 timetable revision for the Osaka Metro Chuo Line and Kintetsu Keihanna Line changes the operating schedule back to its pre-Expo state following the closure of the Osaka-Kansai Expo.
We look forward to seeing what future timetable revisions Osaka Metro will implement.
