Japan Railway Firms Display Remnants, Sites from 1970 Osaka Expo to Promote 2025 Osaka-Kansai Expo

The Yomiuri Shimbun

12:16 JST, March 11, 2025

Ahead of the 2025 Osaka-Kansai Expo, the remnants and former sites of the 1970 Osaka Expo are attracting attention.

In December, Kita-Osaka Kyuko Railway Co. showed to the media a tunnel that the railway used to transport visitors to the 1970 Osaka Expo venue, while Hankyu Corp. reproduced a station sign where a temporary platform existed. Both companies hope that people will imagine the excitement stirred by the 1970 Osaka Expo.

The site of the 1970 Osaka Expo is now Expo ’70 Commemorative Park in Suita, Osaka Prefecture.

Kita-Osaka Kyuko Railway operated a 3.6-kilometer access line from Feb. 24, 1970, just before the opening of the Expo, to Sept. 13, 1970, the last day. The line ran from near Momoyamadai Station to Expo Main Gate Station using the tunnel.

At times of peak demand, trains ran of 2 1/2-minute intervals. A total of approximately 41.5 million people used the station.

About 300 meters of the tunnel still exists, with part of it shown to the media. The tracks are gone but ballast and signs still remain. Members of the public have expressed curiosity about the current state of the tunnel.