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Keikyū Daishi Line

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Keikyu Daishi Line
KK
A 600 series 4-car set in July 2023
Overview
Native name京急大師線
OwnerKeikyu
LocaleKawasaki, Kanagawa
Termini
Stations7
Service
TypeCommuter rail
History
Opened21 January 1899; 126 years ago (21 January 1899)
Technical
Line length4.5 km (2.8 mi)
Number of tracks2
Track gauge1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) standard gauge
Electrification1,500 V DC (overhead catenary)
Operating speed60 km/h (35 mph)
SignallingAutomatic closed block signalling
Train protection systemC-ATS

The Keikyu Daishi Line (京急大師線, Keikyū Daishi-sen) is a 4.5 km (2.8 mi) railway line[1] in Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan, operated by the private railway operator Keikyu. It connects Keikyu Kawasaki Station and Kojimashinden Station, both located in Kawasaki-ku, Kawasaki.

History

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A 1500 series train passing the abandoned Rokugōbashi Station in July 2011

The line was opened on 21 January 1899 by the Daishi Electric Railway (大師電気鉄道) between Kawasaki Station and Daishi Station, to transport people to the Kawasaki Daishi. Electrified at 600 V DC, it is the third electric railway in Japan.[2][3][4] The Kawasaki Station at the time of opening was located about 800 meters away from the modern Kawasaki Station. It is said that this was due to opposition from the rickshaw operators. Later, the initial Kawasaki Station was renamed to Rokugōbashi Station in 1902.[3][4] The company was renamed Keihin Electric Railway (京浜電気鉄道) on 25 April 1899. The line was double-tracked over its entire length from 29 November the same year, and extended from Rokugōbashi Station to the present-day Kawasaki Station on 1 September 1902.[2] In 1904, the track gauge of the line was changed to 1,372 mm from the 1,435 mm standard gauge in order to allow through service with the Tokyo streetcar. This change was reverted in the 1930s to allow through service with the Shōnan Electric Railway (湘南電気鉄道). While the area around the line used to be filled with farmlands and villages, it became an industrial zone by the Pacific War.[4]

After the outbreak of the Pacific War, the line was operated by Dai-Tokyu [ja]. Due to increasing demand from the military factories in the region, both the city of Kawasaki and the Dai-Tokyu applied for construction permits to extend the line. It was decided that the two parties each build half of the extension, with Dai-Tokyu extending the line clockwards from Kawasaki Daishi Station and the city extending the line anti-clockwise from Kawasaki Station. Both sections connected at Sakuramoto Station [ja], forming a loop-like line. The construction work by Dai-Tokyu was completed on 7 January 1945, and the work by the city was completed on 6 December of the same year. After the dissolution of the Dai-Tokyu, Keikyu took over the line in 1948.[3] The overhead line voltage was raised from the original 600 V DC to 1,500 V DC on 16 March 1951 except for the Shiohama to Sakuramoto section.[2] In 1952, Keikyu transferred the section between Shiohama Station [ja] and Sakuramoto Station to the Kawasaki City Tram. The service for the section from Kojimashinden Station to Shiohama was suspended in 1964, and officially abolished in 1970.[3] Works to remove level crossing between Higashimonzen Station and Kojimashinden by moving the line underground was completed in 2019. The same was planned for the section from Suzukichō Station, but the plan was placed on hold in 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[4]



Operations

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Services

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Keikyu Daishi Line services are operated only by four-car electric multiple unit (EMU) trains[5], stopping at all stations between Keikyu Kawasaki and Kojimashinden. During the weekday off-peak, trains run at 10-minute intervals, increased to 5-minute intervals during the morning and evening peaks.[6] During the weekends and holidays, trains run at 10-minute intervals, with decreased frequency during the first two hours and the last three hours.[7]

Infrastructure

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Stations

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No. Station name Japanese Distance (km) Transfers
KK20 Keikyu Kawasaki 京急川崎 0.0 KK Keikyu Main Line
KK21 Minatochō 港町 1.2  
KK22 Suzukichō 鈴木町 2.0  
KK23 Kawasaki-Daishi 川崎大師 2.5  
KK24 Higashi-Monzen 東門前 3.2  
KK25 Daishibashi (Formerly: Sangyo Doro) 大師橋 (Formerly: 産業道路) 3.8  
KK26 Kojimashinden 小島新田 4.5  

Rolling stock

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Services on the line are operated using four-car Keikyu N1000 series formations and Keikyu 600 series formations.[5][8]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "川崎大師駅 | 路線図・各駅情報 | 京浜急行電鉄(KEIKYU)". 京浜急行電鉄 (in Japanese). Retrieved 26 August 2025.
  2. ^ a b c Terada, Hirokazu (19 January 2013). データブック日本の私鉄 [Databook: Japan's Private Railways]. Japan: Neko Publishing. p. 232. ISBN 978-4-7770-1336-4.
  3. ^ a b c d "初詣でにぎわう｢京急大師線｣､波瀾万丈の歴史". 東洋経済オンライン (in Japanese). 2 January 2020. Retrieved 25 August 2025.
  4. ^ a b c d "19世紀生まれ「京急"始まりの路線"」今後さらに変わる？ 空から見える「4.5km支線」の過去と未来". 乗りものニュース (in Japanese). 25 August 2025. Retrieved 25 August 2025.
  5. ^ a b 京急 新1000形が大師線運用に [Keikyu New 1000 series operated on Daishi Line]. Japan Railfan Magazine Online (in Japanese). Japan: Koyusha Co., Ltd. 9 January 2008. Archived from the original on 25 October 2017. Retrieved 25 October 2017.
  6. ^ "各駅時刻表 | 京浜急行電鉄(KEIKYU)". 京浜急行電鉄 (in Japanese). Retrieved 26 August 2025.
  7. ^ "各駅時刻表 | 京浜急行電鉄(KEIKYU)". 京浜急行電鉄 (in Japanese). Retrieved 26 August 2025.
  8. ^ 鉄道チャンネル. "京急大師線の地下化で "川崎大師" 周辺の渋滞が大幅に解消に！? 連続立体交差事業の推進を川崎市が表明（鉄道チャンネル）｜ｄメニューニュース". topics.smt.docomo.ne.jp (in Japanese). Retrieved 25 August 2025.
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