 During the 1960s, the Osaka Prefectural government planned a route link to Semboku New Town, one of many planned communities at the time of the post-war boom.The Nankai Electric Railway was to undertake the total planning, construction and operation of the new route, but because Nankai had a several large accidents in the later half of that decade, Japan's national railroad safety board forced Nankai to purchase new rolling stock and start restoration track and wayside equipment.Because of the required sudden investment, Nankai stalled on the Semboku line's construction timetable.