Hanshin Electric Railway is a non-JR, private railway company in Kansai region, which operates 4 lines in Osaka and Hyogo prefectures. Hanshin main line which connects Osaka and Kobe and three other lines are the feeder lines which are connected with the main line.
One of the line, Kobe Kosoku line is actually owned by Kobe Rapid Transit Railway as the Tozai line. Kobe Rapid Railway is one of the railway companies in Japan which owns track but does not have its own rolling stock. These railway companies are called third category. First category is company which has both track and rolling stock(also has to operate the train) and the second is the company which has the rolling stock but does not own the track. Therefore Hanshin is the second category for Kobe Kosoku line.
Osaka and Kobe is connected by three railway companies. JR West, Hankyu and Hanshin. All three companies connect Umeda/Osaka station in Osaka and Sannomiya station in Kobe. Osaka and Kyoto is also connected by three companies but each company use different terminal in either in Osaka or Kyoto, therefore the competitions are low.
Hanshin is a owner of a NPB baseball club called Hanshin Tigers and its stadium Hanshin Koshien stadium. The club is a biggest rival of Tokyo Yomiuri Giants. Then, Koshien stadium is the venue for High school baseball championships which held each year.