Tōbu Isesaki Line

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Tōbu Isesaki Line
250 series EMU on a limited express service
250 series EMU on a limited express service
Line length: 114.5 km
Gauge: 1067 mm
Voltage: 1500 =
BHF legende
Station
HST legende
Through trains destination
HSTa
Tōkyū: Den-en-toshi Line Chūō-Rinkan
HST
Hanzōmon Line Shibuya
tSTR tSTR tSTRrg
Toei: UpDownAsakusa Line (till Oshiage)
tSTR tBHF tKBFe
Metro: Ginza LineRight
tSTR tSTR KBFa
0.0 Asakusa
tSTR tWASSER WBRÜCKE1
Sumida River
tSTR LUECKE BHF
1.1 Narihirabashi
tSTRlf tHBHF tBHF KRZt tSTRlg
(1.1) Oshiage Metro: UpLeftHanzōmon Line
TUNNELe STR tSTR
Keisei: DownOshiage Line
STRrg STRrf STR tSTR
KRZo ABZ3lg ABZlg TUNNELe
Tōbu: LeftKameido Line
BHF KBFe CPICl CPICr
2.4 Hikifune /LeftLeftKeisei Hikifune
STRrf ABZrg STRrf
Keisei: LeftOshiage Line
BHF
3.2 Higashi-Mukōjima
BHF
4.2 Kanegefuchi
STRrg HBHF HSTR STRrf
5.3 Horikiri
KRZo STRlg
Keisei: LeftMain LineRight
BHF BHF
6.0 Ushida RightKeisei Sekiya
STR STRlf
STR HST
Naka-Meguro
STR STRrg HSTR STRrf
Metro: Hibiya Line
STR STR STRrg TUNNELlu tHSTR
DownTsukuba ExpressRight
STR STR STR STRrg HSTR
JR-E: DownJōban LineRight
STR STR STR STR tSTRrg
Metro: DownChiyoda LineRight
BHF BHF BHF BHF tBHF
7.1 Kita-Senju
ABZrg STRrf STR STR TUNNELe
WBRÜCKE1 WASSER WBRÜCKE1 WBRÜCKE1 WBRÜCKE1
Ara River
BHF STR STR STR
8.2 Kosuge
KRZt TUNNELru STRrf STR STR
KRZ HSTR HSTR STRrf STR
KRZ HSTR HSTR HSTR STRrf
BS2lg BS2clu
BHF
9.3 Gotanno
BS2cro BS2lf
BHF
10.5 Umejima
BS2lg BS2clu
BHF
11.3 Nishiarai
ABZlf
Tōbu: Daishi Line
STR KDSa
Takenotsuka depot of Tokyo Metro
BS2lg BS2rg
BHF
13.4 Takenotsuka
BHF
15.9 Yatsuka
BHF
17.5 Sōka
BHF
19.2 Matsubara-danchi
BHF
20.5 Shinden
BHF
21.9 Gamō
BS2lg BS2clu
BHF
22.9 Shin-Koshigaya
HBHF KRZu
Minami-Koshigaya
BS2cro BS2lf
JR-E: LeftMusashino LineRight
BHF
24.4 Koshigaya
BHF
26.0 Kita-Koshigaya
BHF
28.5 Ōbukuro
BHF
29.8 Sengendai
BHF
31.1 Takesato
BHF
33.0 Ichinowari
KRZu STRlg
Tōbu: LeftNoda Line
ABZrg STRrf
BHF
35.3 Kasukabe
ABZlf
Tōbu: Noda LineRight
BHF
36.8 Kita-Kasukabe
KDSr ABZrf
Kita-Kasukabe depot
BHF
38.4 Himemiya
BHF
41.0 Tōbu Dōbutsu Kōen
STRrg ABZrf
Tōbu: LeftNikkō Line
HST STR
Minami-Kurihashi
HST STR
Shin-Tochigi
STRrg ABZrf STR
Tōbu: LeftUtsunomiya Line
HSTe STR STR
Tōbu Utsunomiya
STRrg ABZrf STR
Tōbu: LeftKinugawa Line
STR HSTe STR
Tōbu Nikkō
HST STR
Shin-Fujiwara
HST STR
Yagan Railway Aizu-kōgen Ozeguchi
HST STR
Aizu Railway Aizu Tajima
BHF
43.9 Wado
STR STRrg
STRrg KRZu KRZu
JR-E: LeftTōhoku ShinkansenRight
STRrf BHF BHF
47.7 Kuki
HSTR KRZo STRrf
JR-E: LeftTōhoku Main (Utsunomiya) LineUp
BHF
52.1 Washinomiya
BHF
54.8 Hanasaki
BHF
58.5 Kazo
BHF
63.1 Minami-Hanyū
BHF KBFa
66.2 Hanyū
STR STRlf
Chichibu Railway: Main LineRight
WBRÜCKE1
Tone River
BHF
70.5 Kawamata
BHF
72.4 Morinji-mae
BHF
74.6 Tatebayashi
STRrg ABZdf STRlg
Tōbu: LeftSano Line, Koizumi LineRight
HSTe STR LUECKE
Kuzuu
BHF
78.6 Tatara
BHF
81.8 Agata
BHF
83.9 Fukui
BHF
85.1 Tōbu-Izumi
BHF
86.8 Ashikagashi
BHF
88.5 Yashū-yamabe
BHF LUECKE
91.8 Niragawa
ABZrg STRrf
Tōbu: Koizumi LineRight
BHF
94.7 Ōta
STRrg ABZrf
Tōbu: LeftKiryū Line
HSTe STR
Akagi
BHF
97.8 Hosoya
BHF
101.2 Kizaki
BHF
104.1 Serada
BHF
106.3 Sakaimachi
BHF
110.0 Gōshi
BHF
113.3 Shin-Isesaki
BHF KBFe
114.5 Isesaki
JR-E: UpDownRyōmō Line

The Isesaki Line (伊勢崎線 Isesaki-sen) is one of the two main lines of Japanese private railway company Tōbu Railway, extending from Asakusa Station in Tokyo to Isesaki, Gunma Prefecture. It is the longest non-JR "private" railway line in Japan at 114.5 km. Some trains from the line continue to the Tokyo Metro's Hibiya and Hanzōmon lines.

Contents

[edit] Descriptions

Track
qudruple: Narihirabashi - Hikifune 1.3 km, Kita-Senju - Kita-Koshigaya 18.9 km
single: Tatebayashi - Isesaki 39.9 km
double: the rest
Length
114.5 km (Longest single Japanese non-JR "private" railway line)

N.B. Oshiage is officially an extension or part of Narihirabashi. Double tracks between Oshiage and Hikifune are thus the 3rd and 4th tracks of Narihirabashi - Hikifune.

[edit] History

The Isesaki Line was opened in 1899 between Kita-Senju and Kuki with steam motive power by the present company. In 1902 Tōbu extended south to have a maritime connection at present Narihirabashi (then Azumabashi (吾妻橋?), later renamed Asakusa) in downtown Tokyo, and north to Kazo. In the next year further north extension to Kawamata (then on the south bank of Tone River) was opened. Gradual extension northward was progressed, and in 1910 the line arrived Isesaki. In 1931, a bridge over Sumida River was built and present Asakusa Station (then Asakusa Kaminarimon (浅草雷門?)) opened in the upper floors of a department store building, the entire stretch completed.

Electrification was began in 1924 on the section of Asakusa and Nishiarai, and in 1927 completed til 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 Line.

After the World War 2, a great problem emerged that the Tōbu Lines had no connection to the Yamanote Line or other major lines of the then Japan National Railway (present JR) to offer efective 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 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 or Eidan, present Tokyo Metro) was built, connecting at Kitasenju.

Further growing traffic required Tōbu to make the second through line to Tokyo Metro in 1990s. The answer is the Hanzōmon Line which has longer, wider size carriage allowances. In 2003, the company built new tracks from Hikifune to connect at Oshiage, officially an annex station of Narihirabashi.

On March 3, 2006, current new timetable changed past operations greatly. Now only less than half trains originate or terminate at Asakusa, i.e. more trains are through to Tokyo Metro underground (subway) lines.

[edit] Operation

[edit] Through trains

The Isesaki Line has trains through to two lines of Tokyo Metro. One is the Hibiya Line connected at Kitasenju, with Local trains alone. Cars are narrower and shorter, exclusively used for this operation. The other is Hanzōmon Line at Oshiage, with rapid trains of Tōbu. Beyond Shibuya, the terminus of Hanzōmon Line, nearly all trains go through to Tokyu Corporation's Den-en-toshi Line, down to the terminus Chūō-Rinkan. Cars are of standard dimensions of Tōbu.

To the north it has trains through the Yagan Railway to the Aizu Railway's Aizutajima Station.

[edit] Rapid service

Tōbu operates several types of rapid service on this line.

Stops and operated sections are as of 2006.

Local (普通 Futsū?) (announced as 各駅停車 (Kakueki Teisha?) or 各停 (kakutei?) for short) (L)
Operated in separate three sections.
  • Asakusa - Kitasenju to complement Section Semi Express and Section Express
  • Nakameguro of Hibiya Line - Kitasenju - Tōbu Dōbutsu Kōen. One service per direction per 10 minutes.
  • Kuki - 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 Kuki or Minami-Kurihashi of Nikkō Line.
Semi-Express (準急 Junkyū?) (SmE)
Early morning and late night. Down to Kuki or to Minami-Kurihashi of Nikkō Line halfly through from Chūō-Rinkan of Tōkyū Den-en-toshi Line via Hanzōmon Line. 10 cars.
Section Express (区間急行 Kukan Kyūkō?) (SE)
Between Asakusa and Tatebayashi, Ōta or Shin-Tochigi of Nikkō Line.
Express (急行 Kyūkō?) (Ex)
From morning to night. Down to Kuki (nearly half to Minami-Kurihashi of Nikkō Line), through from Chūō-Rinkan of Tōkyū Den-en-toshi Line via Hanzōmon Line. 10 cars.
Rapid (快速 Kaisoku?), Section Rapid (区間快速 Kukan Kaisoku?) (R)
Non-charged rapid train through to Nikkō Line, Kinugawa Line of Tōbu and Yagan Railway, terminates at Aizu Tajima of Aizu Railway.
Limited Express (特急 Tokkyū?)
Stops not shown. Charged for seat reservation and rapid service. Mainly through to Nikkō Line for touristic Nikkō 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?). See Tōbu Limited Express for detail.

[edit] Stations

Station L SSE SmE SE E R, SR Location
Asakusa S S *1 S *2 S *2 S Taitō Tokyo
Narihirabashi S S S S   Sumida
(Oshiage)       S   S  
Hikifune S S S S S S  
Higashi-Mukōjima S S S   S    
Kanegefuchi S S S   S    
Horikiri S S S   S     Adachi
Ushida S S S   S    
Kita-Senju S S S S S S S S
Kosuge S   S          
Gotanno S S          
Umejima S S          
Nishiarai S S S S S S  
Takenotsuka S S          
Yatsuka S S           Sōka Saitama
Sōka S S S S S S  
Matsubara-danchi S S          
Shinden S S          
Gamō S S           Koshigaya
Shin-Koshigaya S S S S S S  
Koshigaya S S S S S S  
Kita-Koshigaya S S S S      
Ōbukuro S S S S      
Sengendai S S S S S S  
Takesato S S S S       Kasukabe
Ichinowari S S S S      
Kasukabe S S S S S S S
Kita-Kasukabe S S S S *3    
Himemiya S S S S       Miyashiro
Tōbu Dōbutsu Kōen S S S
*4
S
*4
S
*4
S
*4
S
*4
Wado S   S S S S  
Kuki S S S S S S Kuki
Washinomiya S S S*   S   Washimiya
Hanasaki S S S* S Kazo
Kazo S S S* S
Minami-Hanyū S S S* S Hanyū
Hanyū S S S* S
Kawamata S S S* S Meiwa Gunma
Morinji-mae S S S* S Tatebayashi
Tatebayashi S S S* S
Tatara S S S* S
Agata S S S* S Ashikaga Tochigi
Fukui S S S* S
Tōbu-Izumi S S S* S
Ashikagashi S S S* S
Yashū-yamabe S S S* S
Niragawa S S S* S Ōta Gunma
Ōta S S S S* S
Hosoya     S    
Kizaki S
Serada S
Sakaimachi S Isesaki
Gōshi S
Shin-Isesaki S
Isesaki S

[edit] Gallery