The station opened as Minatomachi Station (湊町駅) on March 1, 1899. It was renamed JR Namba on September 4, 1994, in collaboration with the opening of Kansai International Airport. New underground facilities opened on March 22, 1996, and replaced the former above-ground station.[1]
The tracks from the Kansai Main Line are expected to be extended north from this station by 2031 with the completion of the Naniwasuji Line.[2] The new line is to be routed through central Osaka and will terminate at new underground platforms at Osaka Station.
^Ishino, Tetsu; et al., eds. (1998). 停車場変遷大事典 国鉄・JR編 [Station Transition Directory – JNR/JR] (in Japanese). Vol. II. Tokyo: JTB Corporation. p. 344. ISBN4-533-02980-9.
^"なにわ筋線「北梅田~JR難波・南海新今宮」の鉄道事業許可" [Railway business license for Naniwasuji Line "Kita Umeda-JR Namba / Nankai Shin-Imamiya"] (PDF). Japan Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, and Transport (MLIT) (in Japanese). 9 July 2019. Archived(PDF) from the original on 3 July 2021. Retrieved 7 February 2021.