Toei Asakusa Line

Asakusa Line

Toei 5300 series EMU bound for Nishi-Magome Station
Overview
Type Heavy rail
Locale Tokyo
Termini Nishi-Magome
Oshiage
Stations 20
Daily ridership 669,603 (FY2014)[1]
Operation
Opened December 4, 1960
Owner Tokyo Metropolitan Bureau of Transportation (Toei)
Depot(s) Magome
Technical
Line length 18.4 km (11.4 mi)
Track gauge 1,435 mm (4 ft 8 1⁄2 in)
Electrification 1,500 V DC overhead catenary
Operating speed 70 km/h (43 mph)
Route map

The Toei Asakusa Line (都営地下鉄浅草線 Toei Chikatetsu Asakusa-sen) is a subway line in Tokyo, Japan, operated by the Tokyo subway operator Toei Subway. The line runs between Nishi-Magome in Ōta and Oshiage in Sumida. The Asakusa Line was the first subway line in Japan to offer through services with a private railway. Today, it has more through services to other lines than any other subway line in Tokyo. Keikyu operates through trains on the Keikyu Main Line to Misakiguchi and the Keikyu Airport Line to Haneda Airport. The Keisei Electric Railway operates through trains on the Keisei Oshiage Line to Inba-Nihon-Idai and the Keisei Main Line to Narita Airport, and the Shibayama Railway runs trains via the Keisei Main Line and the Shibayama Railway Line to Shibayama-Chiyoda.

The Asakusa Line is actually split in two sub-lines, (Narita -) Oshiage - Sengakuji (- Haneda) and Sengakuji - Nishi-Magome, only 25% of the trains make all station stops on the Asakusa Line.

On maps and signboards, the line is shown in "rose" (O). Stations carry the letter "A" followed by a two-digit number.

History

The Toei Asakusa Line was the first subway line constructed by the Tokyo Metropolitan Government. The line number is Line 1, because it was technically the first subway line in Tokyo to be planned in the 1920s as an underground route connecting the Keikyu and Keisei Electric Railway via Shinagawa, eventually allowing for through trains between these two railways. In its original plan form, the line would have actually bypassed Asakusa Station entirely. However, the plan was changed to take advantage of the existing Tōbu Isesaki Line and Tokyo Metro Ginza Line connections at Asakusa.

Construction of this line began on August 27, 1956 after years of delays, and the initial 3.2 km segment between Oshiage and Asakusabashi opened on December 4, 1960. The line then opened in stages from north to south:

The line was named Asakusa Line on July 1, 1978.

From 1998 to 2002, the Asakusa Line was used as part of a rail connection between Tokyo's two major airports, Haneda and Narita. While a few trains still run between the airports (see below), the service has greatly diminished in frequency since 2002.

In 2005, a research group of government, metropolitan and railway company officials proposed that the Asakusa Line be connected to Tokyo Station via a spur to the north of Takarachō Station. This would provide Tokyo Station's first direct connection to the Toei subway network. It would also make it possible to reach Haneda Airport in 25 minutes (versus 35 minutes today) and Narita Airport in 40 minutes (versus 57 minutes today).[2] This plan has yet to be finalized or formally adopted.

Services

Station list

Station
No.		 Station Japanese Distance (km) Airport Ltd. Exp. Transfers Location
Between
stations		 From A-01
A-01 Nishi-magome 西馬込 - 0.0 Keikyū Main Line
Through to Airport Line		   Ōta
A-02 Magome 馬込 1.2 1.2  
A-03 Nakanobu 中延 0.9 2.1 Tōkyū Ōimachi Line Shinagawa
A-04 Togoshi 戸越 1.1 3.2  
A-05 Gotanda 五反田 1.6 4.8 Yamanote Line
Tōkyū Ikegami Line
A-06 Takanawadai 高輪台 0.7 5.5   Minato
Keikyu through services: Via the Main Line & Airport Line to/from Haneda Airport
Via the Zushi Line from Shin-Zushi (northbound only)
Via the Main Line from Uraga (northbound only; southbound trains for Kurihama Line via Horinouchi)
Via the Main Line & Kurihama Line to/from Misakiguchi
A-07 Sengakuji 泉岳寺 1.4 6.9 ● Keikyū Main Line (Through service to lines/stations listed above) Minato
A-08 Mita 三田 1.1 8.0 ● Toei Mita Line (I-04)
Yamanote Line, Keihin-Tōhoku Line (Tamachi)
A-09 Daimon 大門 1.5 9.5 ● Toei Ōedo Line (E-20)
Yamanote Line, Keihin-Tōhoku Line (Hamamatsuchō)
Tokyo Monorail (Hamamatsuchō)
A-10 Shimbashi 新橋 1.0 10.5 ● Tokyo Metro Ginza Line (G-08)
Tōkaidō Main Line, Yamanote Line, Keihin-Tōhoku Line, Yokosuka Line
Yurikamome (U-01)
A-11 Higashi-ginza 東銀座 0.9 11.4 ｜ Tokyo Metro Hibiya Line (H-09)
Underground passage to Ginza, Hibiya and Yūrakuchō stations		 Chūō
A-12 Takaracho 宝町 0.8 12.2 ｜  
A-13 Nihombashi 日本橋 0.8 13.0 ● Tokyo Metro Ginza Line (G-11), Tokyo Metro Tōzai Line (T-10)
A-14 Ningyocho 人形町 0.8 13.8 ｜ Tokyo Metro Hibiya Line (H-13)
A-15 Higashi-nihombashi 東日本橋 0.7 14.5 ● Toei Shinjuku Line (Bakuro-Yokoyama: S-09)
Sōbu Line (Rapid) (Bakurochō)
A-16 Asakusabashi 浅草橋 0.7 15.2 ｜ Chūō-Sōbu Line Taitō
A-17 Kuramae 蔵前 0.7 15.9 ｜ Toei Ōedo Line (E-11)
A-18 Asakusa 浅草 0.9 16.8 ● Tokyo Metro Ginza Line (G-19)
Tobu Skytree Line
Tsukuba Express1
A-19 Honjo-azumabashi 本所吾妻橋 0.7 17.5 ｜   Sumida
A-20 Oshiage 押上 0.8 18.3 ● Keisei Oshiage Line (through service to lines/stations listed below)
Tokyo Metro Hanzōmon Line (Z-14)
Tobu Skytree Line
Keisei through services: Via the Main Line to/from Narita Airport
Via the Main Line & Hokusō Railway to/from Inba-Nihon-Idai
Via the Main Line & Shibayama Railway to/from Shibayama-Chiyoda

1The Tsukuba Express station is located 600 metres (2,000 ft) to the west of this station.

Rolling stock

Toei 5300 series EMU between Shin-Baba and Kita-Shinagawa

A variety of rolling stock is in use due to the large number of through service operators on the line.

Toei

Keisei Electric Railway

Keikyu

Hokuso Railway

Chiba New Town Railway

Shibayama Railway

Former rolling stock

5200 series trains introduced to the line in 1976 and withdrawn in 2006

References

  1. ↑ 東京都交通局ホーム - 経営情報 - 交通局の概要 - 都営地下鉄 [Tokyo Metropolitan Bureau of Transportation Home - Management Information - Overview of the Department of Transportation - Toei Subway] (in Japanese). 東京都交通局 [Tokyo Metropolitan Bureau of Transportation]. April 1, 2015. Retrieved 2016-01-17.
  2. ↑ 都営浅草線東京駅接着等の事業化推進に関する検討 調査結果のとりまとめ, May 2003.

External links

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