Nankai Railway
The Nankai Electric Railway (南海電気鉄道 Nankai denki tetsudō) is a private railway in Japan. Founded in 1895, Nankai was one of the companies that merge to form Kintetsu in 1944, but separated again in 1947.
The Nankai network branches out in a generally southern direction from Osaka's Namba Station. The Nankai Main Line connects Osaka to Wakayama, with an important spur branching to Kansai International Airport. The rapi:t α express connects KIX to Namba in 29 minutes, with the rapi:t β taking 35 minutes with two additional stops. The Koya Line connects Osaka to Mt. Koya, headquarters of the Buddhist Shingon sect and a popular pilgrimage site.
The name Nankai (lit. South Sea) comes from the company's routes along the Nankaido, the old highway that ran south from the capital along the seacoast.
