On September 6, 2003, with the timetable revision, there was an increase in the number of stations at which the Keihan Limited Express stopped, but it was decided that some limited express services should continue the conventional operation only on weekdays (not in operation during the daytime), so these services had to be categorized as a new type of train, which is why the K-Limited Express was introduced.
2003年9月6日のダイヤ改正で京阪特急停車駅を追加した際、平日（昼間時を除く）に限り従来の特急停車駅で運転する特急も残すことになり、この列車には新種別を設定する必要が出て来たことから設定されたものである。