Tobu Isesaki Line

The Tobu Isesaki Line (東武伊勢崎線, Tōbu Isesaki-sen) is a Japanese railway line operated by the private railway company Tobu Railway, extending from Tōbu-Dōbutsu-Kōen Station in Saitama to Isesaki Station in Gunma Prefecture. Originally, the Isesaki Line refers to the entire section between Asakusa - Isesaki and Oshiage - Hikifune, but from March 2012, the 41.0 km section south of Tōbu-Dōbutsu-Kōen was rebranded as the Tobu Skytree Line in conjunction with the opening of the Tokyo Skytree tower.

Tobu Isesaki Line
TI
Tobu Railway 250 series
Overview
Native name東武伊勢崎線
OwnerTobu Railway
LocaleKantō
TerminiTōbu-Dōbutsu-Kōen
Isesaki
Stations26
Service
TypeCommuter rail
Depot(s)Tatebayashi
Daily ridership843,495 (2010)[1]
History
OpenedAugust 27, 1899
Technical
Line length75.1 km (46.7 mi)
Track gauge1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in)
Electrification1,500 V DC
Operating speed110 km/h (70 mph)
Route map
Station
Through trains destination
{{BSkm|-|0.0}} Asakusa
Tobu Skytree Line
Tokyu Den-en-toshi Line
41.0 Tōbu Dōbutsu Kōen
Tōbu Nikkō Line
43.9 Wado
Tohoku Shinkansen
47.7 Kuki
Tohoku Main Line (Utsunomiya Line)
52.1 Washinomiya
54.8 Hanasaki
58.5 Kazo
63.1 Minami-Hanyū
66.2 Hanyū
70.5 Kawamata
72.4 Morinji-mae
74.6 Tatebayashi
78.6 Tatara
81.8 Agata
83.9 Fukui
85.1 Tōbu-Izumi
86.8 Ashikagashi
88.5 Yashū-yamabe
91.8 Niragawa
Tōbu Koizumi Line
94.7 Ōta
97.8 Hosoya
101.2 Kizaki
104.1 Serada
106.3 Sakaimachi
110.0 Gōshi
113.3 Shin-Isesaki
114.5 Isesaki

Descriptions

Track
single: TatebayashiIsesaki 39.9 km
double: the rest

Operation

Service patterns

Stops and operated sections are as of 2017.

Local (普通, Futsū) (announced as Kakueki Teisha (各駅停車) or kakutei (各停) for short) (L)
  • Tōbu-Dōbutsu-Kōen − Ōta. Connection with Express. Three per hour, with one between Kuki and Tatebayashi.
  • Ōta − Isesaki. One per hour per direction, conductorless.
Section Semi-Express (区間準急, Kukan Junkyū) (SSE)
Between Asakusa and Tōbu-Dōbutsu Kōen, Kuki or Minami-Kurihashi on Nikkō Line.
Semi-Express (準急, Junkyū) (SmE)
Early morning and late night. Down to Tōbu-Dōbutsu-Kōen, Kuki or to Minami-Kurihashi on the Nikkō Line through from Chūō-Rinkan of Tokyu Den-en-toshi Line via Hanzōmon Line. 10 cars.
Section Express (区間急行, Kukan Kyūkō) (SE)
Between Asakusa and Tōbu-Dōbutsu-Kōen, Tatebayashi or Ōta.
Express (急行, Kyūkō) (Ex)
From morning to night. Down to Tōbu-Dōbutsu-Kōen, Kuki (nearly half to Minami-Kurihashi on the Nikkō Line), through from Chūō-Rinkan on the Tokyu Den-en-toshi Line via Hanzōmon Line. 10 cars.
Limited Express (特急, Tokkyū) (LE)
Stops not shown. Charged for seat reservation and rapid service. Mainly through to the Nikkō Line for the Nikko area named Kegon (けごん) and Kinu (きぬ). Some through to Isesaki from Asakusa, sole direct service named Ryōmō (りょうもう).

Stations

No. Station L SSE SmE SE Ex Transfers Location
TS-30 Tōbu-Dōbutsu-Kōen O O
*1
O
*2
O
*1
O
*2
Miyashiro Saitama
TI-01 Wado O O O O O
TI-02 Kuki O O O O O JU Utsunomiya Line Kuki
TI-03 Washinomiya O O   O  
TI-04 Hanasaki O O O Kazo
TI-05 Kazo O O O
TI-06 Minami-Hanyū O O O Hanyū
TI-07 Hanyū O O O Chichibu Main Line
TI-08 Kawamata O O O Meiwa Gunma
TI-09 Morinji-mae O O O Tatebayashi
TI-10 Tatebayashi O O O
  • TI Tobu Sano Line
  • TI Tobu Koizumi Line
TI-11 Tatara O    
TI-12 Agata O Ashikaga Tochigi
TI-13 Fukui O
TI-14 Tōbu-Izumi O
TI-15 Ashikagashi O
TI-16 Yashū-yamabe O
TI-17 Niragawa O Ōta Gunma
TI-18 Ōta O
  • TI Tobu Kiryu Line
  • TI Tobu Koizumi Line
TI-19 Hosoya O
TI-20 Kizaki O
TI-21 Serada O
TI-22 Sakaimachi O Isesaki
TI-23 Gōshi O
TI-24 Shin-Isesaki O
TI-25 Isesaki O Ryomo Line

Rolling stock

History

Overview of the original Asakusa Station terminus (present-day Tokyo Skytree Station) in 1927
An up express service on the Tobu Isesaki Line formed of a 4-car EMU in March 1940

The first section of the Isesaki Line was opened by the present company in 1899 between Kita-Senju and Kuki utilising steam motive power. In 1902, Tobu extended the line south to have a maritime connection at present Tokyo Skytree (then Azumabashi (吾妻橋), later renamed Asakusa) in downtown Tokyo, and north to Kazo. The following year a further northern extension to Kawamata (then on the south bank of Tone River) was opened. Further northward extension progressed, and in 1910 the line arrived at Isesaki. In 1931, a bridge over the Sumida River was built and present Asakusa Station (then Asakusa Kaminarimon (浅草雷門)) opened as part of the department store building, the entire line being completed.

The Asakusa to Nishiarai section was double-tracked in 1912, and the rest of the line was double-tracked between 1920 and 1927, except for the Hanyu to Kawamata section, which was double-tracked when a second bridge was built over the Tonegawa in 1992.

Electrification was begun in 1924 on the section of Asakusa and Nishiarai, and in 1927 completed as far as Isesaki. The distance of over 100 km was then one of the longest electrified railway lines together with the present Kintetsu Osaka Line and Yamada Lines.

After World War II, the Tobu Lines had no connection to the Yamanote Line or other major lines of the then Japanese National Railways (JNR) to offer efficient transfers to central Tokyo. The sole connection was with the Jōban Line at Kitasenju, which offered poor access to central Tokyo. To solve the inefficiencies of transfers at Kitasenju and notoriously narrow Asakusa, in 1962, the Hibiya Line of the then Teito Rapid Transport Authority (帝都高速度交通営団, Teito Kōsokudo Kōtsū Eidan), known as TRTA, present Tokyo Metro) was built, connecting at Kitasenju.

Further growing traffic required Tobu to build a second through line to Tokyo Metro Hanzomon Line in the 1990s. In 2003, the company built new tracks from Hikifune to connect at Oshiage, officially an annex station of Tokyo Skytree.

From the 3 March 2006, timetable revision, less than half of trains originated or terminated at Asakusa, with more trains operating through to Tokyo Metro subway lines.

From 17 March 2012, the section south of Tōbu-Dōbutsu-Kōen was rebranded as the Tobu Skytree Line.

References

This article incorporates material from the corresponding article in the Japanese Wikipedia

  1. Tobu ridership in 2010 Train Media (sourced from Tobu) Retrieved May 28, 2012.
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