Toei Asakusa Line

Asakusa Line
Asakusa Line
	Toei 5300 series and Toei 5500 series Asakusa Line EMUs
Overview
Owner	Tokyo Metropolitan Bureau of Transportation (Toei)
Locale	Tokyo
Termini	Nishi-magome; Oshiage
Stations	20
Service
Type	Heavy rail
Depot(s)	Magome
Daily ridership	718,855 (FY2016)
History
Opened	December 4, 1960
Technical
Line length	18.3 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)
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Toei Asakusa Line (through services)

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 line is named after the Asakusa district, a cultural center of Tokyo, under which it passes.

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 Domestic Terminal. The Keisei Electric Railway operates through trains on the Keisei Oshiage Line to Imba Nihon-idai and the Keisei Main Line to Narita Airport Terminal 1, and the Shibayama Railway runs trains via the Keisei Main Line and the Shibayama Railway Line to Shibayama-Chiyoda. Via its through services with Keisei and Keikyu, the Asakusa line is the only train line that offers a direct connection between Tokyo's two main airports.

The Asakusa Line is actually split into two routes: Oshiage–Sengakuji and Sengakuji–Nishi-magome; only 25% of the trains make all station stops on the line, as most trains travel on the Keikyu Main Line south of Sengakuji.

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

Services[]

Local (普通 futsū) trains operate between Nishi-Magome and Sengakuji approximately every ten minutes and are timed to connect to Keikyu through service trains at Sengakuji.
Rapid service (快速 kaisoku) trains operate between Nishi-Magome and Keisei Sakura Station approximately every twenty minutes. They make all station stops on the Asakusa Line.
Limited Express (快特 kaitoku) trains operate approximately every twenty minutes. They generally use Keikyu rolling stock and have a southern terminus at Misakiguchi Station or Keikyu Kurihama Station. They operate as Limited Express trains only on the Keikyu line, and provide local service on the Asakusa Line and Keisei Oshiage Line. Their northern terminus is generally either Aoto Station or Keisei Takasago Station, but select trains operate to Narita International Airport.
Limited Express (快特 kaitoku) trains operate approximately every twenty minutes and make all stops (local service) on the Asakusa Line, providing Limited Express service on the Keikyu line between Sengakuji and Haneda Airport Domestic Terminal. Their northern terminus is usually either Inzai-Makinohara Station or Inba-Nihon-Idai Station on the Hokuso Railway.
Airport Limited Express (エアポート快特 eapōto kaitoku) trains operate approximately every twenty minutes, and skip certain stations while operating on the Asakusa Line. Their northern terminus alternates between "Access Express" (アクセス特急 akusesu tokkyū) service to Narita International Airport and Limited Express service to either Aoto or Takasago. The total travel time from Haneda Airport to Narita Airport on this train is approximately one hour and 46 minutes.

Station list[]

All stations are located in Tokyo.
The Airport Limited Express/Access Express stops at stations marked "●", skips those marked "|". All other services stop at every station.

No.	Station	Japanese	Distance (km)		Airport Ltd. Exp./Access Exp.	Transfers	Location
No.	Station	Japanese	Between stations	From Nishi-magome	Airport Ltd. Exp./Access Exp.	Transfers	Location
A01	Nishi-magome	西馬込	–	0.0	Keikyu Main Line Through to Keikyu Airport Line		Ōta
A02	Magome	馬込	1.2	1.2			Ōta
A03	Nakanobu	中延	0.9	2.1		OM Tokyu Ōimachi Line (OM04)	Shinagawa
A04	Togoshi	戸越	1.1	3.2		IK Tokyu Ikegami Line (Togoshi-ginza Station: IK03)
A05	Gotanda	五反田	1.6	4.8		JY Yamanote Line (JY23) IK Tokyu Ikegami Line (IK01)
A06	Takanawadai	高輪台	0.7	5.5			Minato
Keikyu through services:					Via the Keikyu Main Line & Airport Line to/from Haneda Airport Domestic Terminal Via the Keikyu Zushi Line from Shinzushi (northbound only) Via the Keikyu Main Line from Uraga (northbound only; southbound trains for Kurihama Line via Horinouchi) Via the Keikyu Main Line & Kurihama Line to/from Misakiguchi
A07	Sengakuji	泉岳寺^{[* 1]}	1.4	6.9	●	KK Keikyu Main Line (Through service to lines/stations listed above) JY Yamanote Line (Takanawa Gateway Station: JY26, TGW) JK Keihin-Tōhoku Line (Takanawa Gateway Station: JK21, TGW)	Minato
A08	Mita	三田	1.1	8.0	●	I Toei Mita Line (I-04) JY Yamanote Line (Tamachi Station: JY27) JK Keihin-Tōhoku Line (Tamachi Station: JK22)
A09	Daimon	大門	1.5	9.5	●	E Toei Oedo Line (E-20) JY Yamanote Line (Hamamatsuchō Station: JY28, HMC) JK Keihin-Tōhoku Line (Hamamatsuchō Station: JK23, HMC) MO Tokyo Monorail (Monorail Hamamatsuchō Station: MO01)
A10	Shimbashi	新橋	1.0	10.5	●	G Tokyo Metro Ginza Line (G-08) JT Tōkaidō Main Line (JT02, SMB) JY Yamanote Line (JY29, SMB) JK Keihin-Tōhoku Line (JK24, SMB) JO Yokosuka Line (JO18, SMB) Yurikamome (U-01)
A11	Higashi-ginza	東銀座	0.9	11.4	｜	H Tokyo Metro Hibiya Line (H-10) Underground passage to Ginza, Hibiya and Yūrakuchō stations	Chūō
A12	Takaracho	宝町	0.8	12.2	｜
A13	Nihombashi	日本橋	0.8	13.0	●	G Tokyo Metro Ginza Line (G-11) T Tokyo Metro Tozai Line (T-10)
A14	Ningyocho	人形町	0.8	13.8	｜	H Tokyo Metro Hibiya Line (H-14) Z Tokyo Metro Hanzomon Line (Suitengumae Station: Z-10)
A15	Higashi-nihombashi	東日本橋	0.7	14.5	●	S Toei Shinjuku Line (Bakuroyokoyama Station: S-09) JO Sōbu Line (Rapid) (Bakurochō Station: JO21)
A16	Asakusabashi	浅草橋	0.7	15.2	｜	JB Chūō-Sōbu Line (JB20)	Taitō
A17	Kuramae	蔵前	0.7	15.9	｜	E Toei Oedo Line (E-11)
A18	Asakusa	浅草	0.9	16.8	●	G Tokyo Metro Ginza Line (G-19) TS Tobu Skytree Line (TS-01)
A19	Honjo-azumabashi	本所吾妻橋	0.7	17.5	｜		Sumida
A20	Oshiage (SKYTREE)	押上 (スカイツリー前)^{[* 2]}	0.8	18.3	●	KS Keisei Oshiage Line (KS45) (through service to lines/stations listed below) Z Tokyo Metro Hanzomon Line (Z-14) TS Tobu Skytree Line (TS-03)	Sumida
Keisei through services:					Via the Keisei Main Line to/from Narita Airport Terminal 1 Via the Keisei Main Line and Keisei Narita Airport Line to/from Narita Airport Terminal 1 Via the Keisei Main Line & Hokusō Railway to/from Inba-Nihon-Idai Via the Keisei Main Line & Shibayama Railway to/from Shibayama-Chiyoda

^ Sengakuji is shared by both Keikyu Corporation and Toei; Toei manages the station.
^ Oshiage is shared by both Keisei Electric Railway and Toei; Keisei Electric Railway manages the station.

Rolling stock[]

A variety of rolling stock is in use due to the large number of through service operators on the line, all of which use standard gauge tracks and 1,500 V DC electrification via overhead lines. Currently, six operators run trains onto the Asakusa Line, the most of any Tokyo subway line, and the line is unique as the only subway line in Tokyo with through services onto standard gauge railways (all other through services are with narrow gauge lines).

Toei[]

A Toei 5300 series EMU
A Toei 5500 series EMU

Toei 5300 series 8-car EMUs
Toei 5500 series 8-car EMUs (from 30 June 2018)^[2]

Keisei Electric Railway[]

A Keisei 3000 series EMU
A Keisei 3100 series EMU

Keisei 3000 series
Keisei 3050 series
Keisei 3100 series (since 26 October 2019)
Keisei 3400 series
Keisei 3600 series
Keisei 3700 series

Keikyu[]

A Keikyu N1000 series EMU

Keikyu 600 series
Keikyu N1000 series
Keikyu 1500 series

Hokuso Railway[]

Hokuso 7300 series
Hokuso 7500 series

Hokuso 7300 series

Chiba New Town Railway[]

Chiba New Town Railway 9100 series
Chiba New Town Railway 9800 series

Shibayama Railway[]

Shibayama 3600 series

Former rolling stock[]

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

Toei 5000 series
Toei 5200 series
Keikyu 1000 series
Keisei 3000 series (original type)
Keisei 3050 series (original type)
Keisei 3100 series
Keisei 3150 series
Keisei 3200 series
Keisei 3300 series
Keisei 3500 series (original type)
Keisei 3500 series
Hokuso 7000 series
Hokuso 7050 series
Hokuso 7150 series
Hokuso 7250 series
Hokuso 7260 series
Chiba New Town Railway 9000 series

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 Tobu Isesaki Line (section now named as the Tobu Skytree 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:

May 1962: Asakusabashi to Higashi-Nihombashi
September 1962: Higashi-Nihombashi to Ningyōchō
February 1963: Ningyōchō to Higashi-Ginza
December 1963: Higashi-Ginza to Shimbashi
October 1964: Shimbashi to Daimon
June 1968: Daimon to Sengakuji (Through service with Keikyū begins)
November 15, 1968: Sengakuji to Nishi-Magome

The line was named Asakusa Line on July 1, 1978.^{[citation needed]}

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, 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).^[3] This plan has yet to be finalized or formally adopted.

When Keikyu N1000 series that use SiC-VVVF system entered service, Toei banned those trains running through service due to unknown reasons. But it seems like this ban has cleared, when Keikyu N1000 set 1225F was first seen at Keisei-Takasago Station. ^[4]

References[]

^ 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.
^ Ueshin, Daisuke (6 December 2016). 東京都交通局、都営浅草線の新型車両5500形は"歌舞伎の隈取り"風デザインに [New 5500 series trains for Toei Asakusa Line with kabuki makeup style design]. Mynavi News (in Japanese). Japan: Mynavi Corporation. Archived from the original on 6 December 2016. Retrieved 6 December 2016.
^ 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 Archived 2007-08-24 at the Wayback Machine, May 2003.
^ "【直通解禁】京急1225編成都営・京成線直通運転開始初日" – via www.youtube.com.

External links[]

Bureau of Transportation, Tokyo Metropolitan Government (in English)

[2] Sengakuji is shared by both Keikyu Corporation and Toei; Toei manages the station.

[3] Oshiage is shared by both Keisei Electric Railway and Toei; Keisei Electric Railway manages the station.

[ridership-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.

[mynavi20161206-4] Ueshin, Daisuke (6 December 2016). 東京都交通局、都営浅草線の新型車両5500形は"歌舞伎の隈取り"風デザインに [New 5500 series trains for Toei Asakusa Line with kabuki makeup style design]. Mynavi News (in Japanese). Japan: Mynavi Corporation. Archived from the original on 6 December 2016. Retrieved 6 December 2016.

[5] 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 Archived 2007-08-24 at the Wayback Machine, May 2003.

[6] "【直通解禁】京急1225編成都営・京成線直通運転開始初日" – via www.youtube.com.

[1]

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[2]

[3]

[4]

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