Kobe Electric Railway connects Kobe City and the famous Arima Onsen hot springs through dynamic mountain terrain.

The railway’s full network comprises five lines extending 69.6 km from Kobe in an approximate Y shape toward Sanda and Ao.

More than just a way across town, Kobe Electric Railway is an important intercity link with areas along the JR Kakogawa and Fukuchiyama lines and the Hojo Railway.

Perhaps the most famous destination on the Kobe Electric Railway is Arima Onsen, known and loved as one of the three oldest hot spring resorts in Japan.

What’s more, some sections feature 50‰ (permille) gradients and curves with a tight 200 m radius, which puts Kobe Electric Railway in an exclusive club among Japanese railways… no, seriously, there’s a club: the Japan Permille Mountain Railway Association!