Toden Arakawa Line

The Toden Arakawa Line (都電荒川線, Toden Arakawa-sen), branded as the Tokyo Sakura Tram (東京さくらトラム, Tōkyō Sakura Toramu),[1] is a hybrid light rail/tram line in Tokyo, Japan, operated by the Tokyo Metropolitan Bureau of Transportation (Toei). The Arakawa Line is the sole survivor of Tokyo's once-extensive Tokyo Toden streetcar system, but it is not the only tram line in Tokyo, as the privately owned Tokyu Setagaya Line is also classified as a streetcar (路面電車, romen densha).

Toden Arakawa Line
A Toei 8800 series tram at Arakawa-shakomae in September 2014
Overview
Other name(s)Tokyo Sakura Tram
Native name都電荒川線
OwnerTokyo Metropolitan Bureau of Transportation (Toei)
LocaleTokyo
TerminiWaseda
Minowabashi
Stations30
Service
TypeLight rail and streetcar
History
Opened1911 (Ōji Electric Tram Company, Otsuka-ekimae - Asukayama)
1974 (Arakawa Line)
Technical
Line length12.2 km (7.6 mi)
Track gauge1,372 mm (4 ft 6 in) Scotch Gauge
Electrification600 V DC overhead catenary

Station list

All stations are located in Tokyo.

No. Station Japanese Distance (km) Transfers Location
Between
stations		 Total
Minowabashi 三ノ輪橋 - 0.0 H Tokyo Metro Hibiya Line (Minowa: H-19) Arakawa
Arakawa-itchumae 荒川一中前 0.3 0.3  
Arakawa-kuyakushomae 荒川区役所前 0.3 0.6  
Arakawa-nichome 荒川二丁目 0.4 1.0  
Arakawa-nanachome 荒川七丁目 0.4 1.4  
Machiya-ekimae 町屋駅前 0.4 1.8
Machiya-nichome 町屋二丁目 0.4 2.2  
Higashi-ogu-sanchome 東尾久三丁目 0.3 2.5  
Kumanomae 熊野前 0.6 3.1 NT Nippori-Toneri Liner (NT04)
Miyanomae 宮ノ前 0.4 3.5  
Odai 小台 0.3 3.8  
Arakawa-yuenchimae 荒川遊園地前 0.3 4.1  
Arakawa-shakomae 荒川車庫前 0.5 4.6  
Kajiwara 梶原 0.4 5.0   Kita
Sakaecho 栄町 0.5 5.5  
Oji-ekimae 王子駅前 0.5 6.0
Asukayama 飛鳥山 0.5 6.5  
Takinogawa-itchome 滝野川一丁目 0.4 6.9  
Nishigahara-yonchome 西ヶ原四丁目 0.4 7.3  
Shin-koshinzuka 新庚申塚 0.4 7.7 I Toei Mita Line (Nishi-sugamo: I-16) Toshima
Koshinzuka 庚申塚 0.2 7.9  
Sugamoshinden 巣鴨新田 0.5 8.4  
Otsuka-ekimae 大塚駅前 0.5 8.9 JY Yamanote Line (Ōtsuka: JY12)
Mukohara 向原 0.5 9.4  
Higashi-ikebukuro-yonchome 東池袋四丁目 0.6 10.0 Y Tokyo Metro Yurakucho Line (Higashi-ikebukuro: Y-10)
Toden-zoshigaya 都電雑司ヶ谷 0.2 10.2  
Kishibojimmae 鬼子母神前 0.5 10.7 F Tokyo Metro Fukutoshin Line (Zoshigaya: F-10)
Gakushuinshita 学習院下 0.5 11.2  
Omokagebashi 面影橋 0.5 11.7   Shinjuku
Waseda 早稲田 0.5 12.2  

    Rolling stock
    • 7700 series tram 7701 in July 2016
    • 8500 series tram 8502 in June 2003
    • 8800 series tram 8804 in September 2010
    • 8900 series tram 8901 in September 2015
    • 9000 series trams 9001 and 9002 in February 2009

    Former rolling stock
    • 7000 series tram 7015 in June 2009
    • 7500 series tram 7520 in March 2011

    History
    A tram near Asukayama Station in 1985.

    The line was originally constructed by the Ōji Electric Tram Company (王子電気軌道, Ōji-denki-kidō) as a part of their extensive network, with the oldest section still operating today opened in 1913. The line was at threat of being shut down along with the rest of Tokyo's streetcar system in the 1960s, but concerted opposition from residents prevented this and parts of lines 27 (Minowabashi-Akabane) and 32 (Arakawa-Waseda) were merged to form the line as it is today. The line was sold to the Tokyo Metropolitan Bureau of Transportation in 1974, which renamed it the Toden Arakawa Line.

    The Toden Arakawa Line operates between the terminals at Minowabashi Station and Waseda Station. It runs along Meiji Street between Asuka-yama Station and Oji Eki-mae Station. Otherwise, it operates on its own tracks. Presently, single driver-operated cars make the 12.2 km trip in 50 minutes. The gauge is 1,372 mm (4 ft 6 in). The line is fully double-track, and draws 600 V electrical supply.

    Two Toden Arakawa trams (one in revenue service, the other undergoing brake testing) collided on June 13, 2006 near the Minowabashi terminus, injuring 27 people.

    Sights
    A Toden Arakawa line tram, near Kishibojinmae Station

    The Toden Arakawa Line operates in northern and eastern Tokyo outside the main tourist areas. The terminus at Minowabashi is near the historical site of Edo's red-light district Yoshiwara which features a completely covered shopping street, several blocks long, in the once common "Ameyoko" style (a shōtengai).

    In literature

    In Haruki Murakami's novel Norwegian Wood, protagonist Toru Watanabe takes the line to near Ōtsuka Station: "I sat in the last seat and watched the ancient houses passing close to the window. The tram almost touched the overhanging eaves.... The tram snaked its way through this private back-alley world." [5]

    References

    L.W. Demery, R. Forty, R. DeGroote and J.W. Higgins, Electric Railways of Japan (Interurbans- Tramways-Metros) Vol.1: Tokyo and Northern Japan. Light Rail Transit Association, 1983.

    1. 都電荒川線の愛称を決定しました！ (in Japanese). Japan: Tokyo Metropolitan Bureau of Transportation. Retrieved 30 April 2017.
    2. 都電荒川線で7701号車が営業運転を開始 [Car 7701 enters service on Toden Arakawa Line]. Japan Railfan Magazine Online (in Japanese). Japan: Koyusha Co., Ltd. 31 May 2016. Retrieved 31 May 2016.
    3. 都電荒川線で8900形が営業運転を開始 [8900 series enter service on Toden Arakawa Line]. Japan Railfan Magazine Online (in Japanese). Japan: Koyusha Co., Ltd. 19 September 2015. Retrieved 19 September 2015.
    4. さようなら都電荒川線7000形　60年余の運行の歴史に幕 [farewell to Toden Arakawa Line 7000 series - closing the curtain on 60 years of service]. Nifty News (in Japanese). Japan: Nifty Corporation. 12 June 2017. Archived from the original on 12 June 2017. Retrieved 12 June 2017.
    5. p. 84, Vintage Books edition.
    This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.