Toden Arakawa Line
| Arakawa Line 荒川線 |
|
|---|---|
 8500 series trams crossing near Asukayama Station |
|
| Overview | |
| Type | Streetcar |
| Locale | Tokyo |
| Termini | Minowabashi Waseda |
| Stations | 30 |
| Operation | |
| Opened | 1974 |
| Owner | Tokyo Metropolitan Bureau of Transportation (Toei) |
| Technical | |
| Line length | 12.2 km (7.58 mi) |
| Track gauge | 1,372 mm (4 ft 6 in) |
| Electrification | 600 V DC overhead catenary |
The Toden Arakawa Line (都電荒川線 Toden Arakawa-sen) is a streetcar line in Tokyo, Japan. The Tokyo Metropolitan Bureau of Transportation operates this line. 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 Tōkyū Setagaya Line is also classified as a streetcar (路面電車 romen densha).
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[edit] History
The line was originally constructed by the Oji 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 (4'6"). 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.
As of 2006, there are no plans to replace or eliminate the tram line. However, the Tokyo Metro Fukutoshin Line and the Nippori-Toneri Liner, which both opened in 2008, provide alternative routes for some tram users and may impact the line's profitability.
[edit] Sights
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The Toden Arakawa Line operates in northern and eastern Tokyo outside the main tourist areas. Unlike the so-called surface train lines, which are actually elevated and whisk passengers over neighborhoods quickly, the Arakawa Line allows riders to have street-level views of older sections of Tokyo that differ dramatically from the busy and increasingly high-rise neighborhoods like Shibuya, Shinjuku, and Ikebukuro. For that reason, a ride on the Arakawa Lin can be considered a tourist attraction in itself. Of particular interest is the terminus at Minowabashi, 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). Those can nowadays only be seen in Tokyo's outlying neighborhoods.
[edit] Station list
All stations are located in Tokyo.
| Station | Japanese | Distance (km) | Transfers | Location | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Between Stations |
Total | ||||
| Minowabashi | 三ノ輪橋 | - | 0.0 | Tokyo Metro: Hibiya Line (Minowa: H-19) | Arakawa |
| Arakawa-Itchū-mae | 荒川一中前 | 0.3 | 0.3 | ||
| Arakawa-Kuyakusho-mae | 荒川区役所前 | 0.3 | 0.6 | ||
| Arakawa-Nichōme | 荒川二丁目 | 0.4 | 1.0 | ||
| Arakawa-Nanachōme | 荒川七丁目 | 0.4 | 1.4 | ||
| Machiya-Ekimae | 町屋駅前 | 0.4 | 1.8 | Keisei Electric Railway: Main Line (Machiya) Tokyo Metro: Chiyoda Line (Machiya: C-17) |
|
| Machiya-Nichōme | 町屋二丁目 | 0.4 | 2.2 | ||
| Higashi-Ogu-Sanchōme | 東尾久三丁目 | 0.3 | 2.5 | ||
| Kumanomae | 熊野前 | 0.6 | 3.1 | Tokyo Metropolitan Bureau of Transportation (Toei): Nippori-Toneri Liner (04) | |
| Miyanomae | 宮ノ前 | 0.4 | 3.5 | ||
| Odai | 小台 | 0.3 | 3.8 | ||
| Arakawa-Yūenchi-mae | 荒川遊園地前 | 0.3 | 4.1 | ||
| Arakawa-Shako-mae | 荒川車庫前 | 0.5 | 4.6 | ||
| Kajiwara | 梶原 | 0.4 | 5.0 | Kita | |
| Sakaechō | 栄町 | 0.5 | 5.5 | ||
| Ōji-Ekimae | 王子駅前 | 0.5 | 6.0 | East Japan Railway Company (JR East): Keihin-Tōhoku Line (Ōji) Tokyo Metro: Namboku Line (Ōji: N-16) |
|
| Asukayama | 飛鳥山 | 0.5 | 6.5 | ||
| Takinogawa-Itchōme | 滝野川一丁目 | 0.4 | 6.9 | ||
| Nishigahara-Yonchōme | 西ヶ原四丁目 | 0.4 | 7.3 | ||
| Shin-Kōshinzuka | 新庚申塚 | 0.4 | 7.7 | Toshima | |
| Kōshinzuka | 庚申塚 | 0.2 | 7.9 | ||
| Sugamo-Shinden | 巣鴨新田 | 0.5 | 8.4 | ||
| Ōtsuka-Ekimae | 大塚駅前 | 0.5 | 8.9 | JR East: Yamanote Line (Ōtsuka) | |
| Mukōhara | 向原 | 0.5 | 9.4 | ||
| Higashi-Ikebukuro-Yonchōme | 東池袋四丁目 | 0.6 | 10.0 | Tokyo Metro: Yūrakuchō Line (Higashi-Ikebukuro: Y-10) | |
| Toden-Zōshigaya | 都電雑司ヶ谷 | 0.2 | 10.2 | ||
| Kishibojinmae | 鬼子母神前 | 0.5 | 10.7 | Tokyo Metro: Fukutoshin Line (Zōshigaya: F-10) | |
| Gakushūinshita | 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 | Tokyo Metro: Tōzai Line (Waseda: T-04)[* 1] | |
- ^ Both the Tokyo Metro and Toei stations are displayed on station maps as being distant from one another, and they are not announced as transfer points for one another.
[edit] Rolling stock
- 7000 series
- 7500 series
- 8500 series
- 9000 series
- 8800 series
[edit] 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.
[edit] External links
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