The Kyoto Line was inaugurated by Shinkeihan Railway, a subsidiary established by what was then Keihan Electric Railway, during the early Showa period as a new line connecting Osaka with Kyoto at high velocities.
京都本線はもともと、昭和初期に大阪～京都間を高速で結ぶ新線として、当時の京阪電気鉄道が設立した子会社の新京阪鉄道によって開業した。