Nankai Electric Railway has decided to introduce its next-generation airport limited express service, which will operate on the Naniwasuji Line. The company will collaborate with Italy’s Pininfarina as its vehicle design partner.
The Rapi:t airport limited express, which connects Namba in Osaka with Kansai International Airport, began operations on September 4, 1994. As of the end of June, it had carried a cumulative total of approximately 76 million passengers. Nankai Electric Railway will work to develop the new service with the aim of carrying on the value and spirit built by Rapi:t over more than 30 years, while making it the flagship of a new era for the NANKAI Group, coinciding with the opening of the Naniwasuji Line.
Since its founding in 1930, Pininfarina has designed vehicles for global brands including Ferrari, Maserati, Rolls-Royce, and Honda. This will be the company’s first time designing railway rolling stock in Japan, and its emblem is planned to be displayed on the vehicles.
Paolo Dellachà, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Pininfarina, commented: “This project will be the first railway vehicle we have designed for Japan. It is a valuable opportunity to bring the expertise in railway design that we have cultivated through projects across Europe—including Italy’s ETR500 high-speed train and the Eurostar e320 connecting London and Paris—to the new market of Japan.”
Tomoyuki Kajitani, President of Nankai Electric Railway, said: “We want to create a new airport limited express worthy of a gateway connecting Kansai with the world. While inheriting the value and spirit of Rapi:t, we aim for the next-generation airport limited express to be loved across generations and to become a railway vehicle representing Japan.”
Further details, including the vehicle design and concept, will be announced in stages.
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