TJ Liner


TJ Liner

A 50090 series EMU approaching Kawagoe Station on an early-evening TJ Liner service from Ikebukuro, June 2008
Overview
Service type Home Liner
Status Operational
Locale Kanto region, Japan
First service 14 June 2008
Current operator(s) Tobu Railway
Ridership 1,057,662 (FY2012)
Route
Start Ikebukuro
End Ogawamachi
Distance travelled 64.1 km (39.8 mi)
Average journey time 1 hour
Service frequency 10 (weekdays), 6 (weekends)
Line used Tobu Tojo Line
On-board services
Class(es) Monoclass
Seating arrangements Forward facing 2+2
Catering facilities None
Other facilities No toilets
Technical
Rolling stock 50090 series EMUs
Track gauge 1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in)
Electrification 1,500 V DC overhead
Operating speed 100 km/h (60 mph)

The TJ Liner (TJライナー) is a limited-stop evening "Home Liner" service from Ikebukuro Station in Tokyo on the Tobu Tojo Line operated by the private railway operator Tobu Railway in Japan since June 2008.

Service outline

TJ Liner services operate in the evenings in the "down" direction from Ikebukuro only, with ten trains on weekdays, and six trains at weekends and holidays.[1] A supplement of 310 yen is required for travel from Ikebukuro.[2] Seats are not reserved, but the supplementary tickets indicate whether passengers should ride in the front or rear five cars of the train. A supplementary ticket is not required for passengers boarding at other stations along the line.[3] At Ikebukuro Station, passengers board from platform 5, which is normally used only for passengers alighting from other services.[4]

Weekdays

Weekends

Station stops

TJ Liner services stop at the following stations.[1]

Rolling stock

A 50090 series EMU on a Shinrinkoen-bound TJ Liner service in June 2008

TJ Liner services are operated by a fleet of six 50090 series 10-car electric multiple units (EMUs).[5] These sets are unusual in having rotating pairs of seats allowing them to be used with longitudinal seating on regular daytime services, and with transverse seating on evening TJ Liner services. When configured in transverse mode, the rows have a seat pitch of 1,000 mm (39 in).[6] Some trains are sent to Ikebukuro from Shinrinkōen as limited-stop Rapid Express services, which also operate with seats in the forward-facing configuration.[4]

Formations

TJ Liner trains are formed as shown below, with car 10 at the Ikebukuro end.[5]

Car No. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Numbering 50090 59090 58090 57090 56090 55090 54090 53090 52090 51090

Cars 2 and 9 have a wheelchair space.[5] Car 9 is designated as a mildly-air-conditioned car.[5]

History

A TJ Liner ticket in June 2008 before the introduction of QR Codes

2008

The name "TJ Liner" was formally announced by Tobu on 28 January 2008 based on the results of a public poll conducted between December 2007 and January 2008. The votes for the three choices of possible names were as follows.[7]

  1. TJ Liner (ＴＪライナー) (4,313 votes)
  2. Okaeri Liner (おかえりライナー) (3,148 votes)
  3. Assist Liner (1,726 votes)
The proposed Okaeri Liner logo 
The proposed Assist Liner logo 

Services commenced from the start of the Tobu Tojo Line timetable revision on 14 June 2008, with six trains on weekdays, and four trains at weekends and holidays.[3][8] The original timetable was as shown below.[8]

Weekdays
Weekends

2009

A ticket for the TJ Liner 3 service with QR Code, September 2014

From 15 September 2009, a new QR Code ticketing system was introduced for TJ Liner services. From this date, TJ Liner supplementary fare tickets were printed with a QR Code enabling them to be read by special ticket readers at Ikebukuro Station platform gates, replacing the previous manual ticket inspection by staff.[9]

On 5 November 2009, a ceremony was held at Ikebukuro Station to celebrate the one millionth passenger to travel on the TJ Liner service.[10]

2011

From the start of the revised timetable on 5 March 2011, the number of TJ Liner services operating on weekday evenings was increased from six to nine. On weekends, all services were extended to run to Ogawamachi.[11] The timetable operated from Marc 2011 was as shown below.[12]

Weekdays
Weekends

In December 2011, an additional TJ Liner 10, nicknamed TJ Liner 23:10, operated to Shinrinkōen on Thursdays and Fridays from 8 to 22 December (a total of five days), departing from Ikebukuro Station at 23:20, 30 minutes after the last regular TJ Liner service.[13]

2013

From the start of the revised timetable on 16 March 2013, an additional TJ Liner service was added on weekday evenings, departing from Ikebukuro at 21:30, and two more TJ Liner services were added on weekends, departing from Ikebukuro at 18:30 and 19:30. From this date, all TJ Liner services operated to Ogawamachi.[1]

2014

On 22 January 2014, the TJ Liner service celebrated the 5 millionth passenger since the start of services in 2008.[14]

From 1 April 2014, the TJ Liner supplement fare was raised from 300 yen to 310 yen, coinciding with the increase in Japanese consumption tax from 5% to 8%.[2]

From July 2014, an additional late-night TJ Liner service was introduced, operating on Fridays nights only, departing Ikebukuro at 23:20 for Shinrinkoen.[14] Initially scheduled to operate until December 2014, it subsequently continued to operate every Friday.[15]

Ridership statistics

In fiscal 2012, TJ Liner services were used by a total of 1,057,662 passengers.[16] Figures for previous years are as shown below.[16]

Fiscal year Annual total
2008 568,545
2009 717,673
2010 681,130
2011 1,015,545
2012 1,057,662

Future developments

Morning TJ Liner services in the up direction to Ikebukuro are scheduled be introduced from spring 2016.[17]

See also

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 "Tobu Tojo Line Timetable", published 4 March 2013
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 平成26年4月1日以降の特急料金対キロ表 [Limited express fares from 1 April 2014] (in Japanese). Japan: Tobu Railway Co., Ltd. 2014. Retrieved 1 April 2014.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 "【東武東上線TJライナー乗車レポート】副都心線と同じ日に登場した新型電車の快適度" [Tobu Tojo Line TJ Liner Ride Report: Comfortable new trains arriving on the same day as the Fukutoshin Line]. Nikkei Trendy Net (in Japanese). Nikkei Business Publications, Inc. 16 June 2008. Retrieved 25 January 2011.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 Kusamachi, Yoshikazu (September 2008). "東武東上線"ＴＪライナー"乗車記" [Tobu Tojo Line "TJ Liner" Travel Report]. Japan Railfan Magazine (Japan: Koyusha Co., Ltd.) 48 (569): p.65–57.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 私鉄車両編成表 2013 [Private Railway Rolling Stock Formations - 2013]. Japan: Kotsu Shimbunsha. 30 July 2013. p. 51. ISBN 978-4-330-39313-1.
  6. ↑ Kusui, Toshihiko (June 2014). 特別料金不要のクロスシート車総覧 [An overview of transverse-seating trains not requiring supplementary fares]. Tetsudō Daiya Jōhō Magazine (in Japanese) (Japan: Kōtsū Shimbun) 43 (362): p.7.
  7. ↑ 東武東上線新ライナーの愛称が「ＴＪライナー」に決定しました ["TJ Liner" name chosen for new Tojo Line liner service] (PDF). Tobu News (in Japanese). Tobu Railway. 28 January 2008. Archived from the original (PDF) on 23 February 2012. Retrieved 21 August 2014.
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 "Tobu Tojo Line Timetable", published 7 June 2008
  9. ↑ 「東上線ＴＪライナー チケットレスサービス」がスタート！ [TJ Liner ticketless service starts] (PDF). Tobu News (in Japanese). Tobu Railway. 3 September 2009. Archived from the original (PDF) on 23 February 2012. Retrieved 21 August 2014.
  10. ↑ 「ＴＪライナー」ご乗車100 万人達成記念イベントを開催！ [Event held to commemorate 1 million riders on "TJ Liner"] (PDF). Tobu News (in Japanese). Tobu Railway. 2 November 2009. Archived from the original (PDF) on 23 February 2012. Retrieved 21 August 2014.
  11. ↑ ３月５日（土）東上線でダイヤ改正を実施 [Tojo Line Timetable Revision for 5 March] (PDF). Tobu News (in Japanese). Tobu Railway. 24 January 2011. Archived from the original (PDF) on 8 March 2012. Retrieved 21 August 2014.
  12. ↑ "Tobu Tojo Line Timetable", published February 2011
  13. ↑ ＴＪライナー２３：２０を運転します！ [TJ Liner 23:20 to operate!] (PDF). Tobu News Release (in Japanese). Japan: Tobu Railway. 5 December 2011. Archived from the original (PDF) on 15 March 2012. Retrieved 21 August 2014.
  14. ↑ 14.0 14.1 ２３：２０発臨時ＴＪライナーを７月～１２月の毎週金曜日に運行します！ [Additional 23:20 TJ Liner to operate every Friday from July to December] (PDF). Tobu News (in Japanese). Tobu Railway. 23 June 2014. Retrieved 21 August 2014.
  15. ↑ 臨時TJライナー運転のお知らせ [Additional TJ Liner operation details] (PDF). Tobu News (in Japanese). Tobu Railway. 25 December 2014. Retrieved 11 March 2015.
  16. ↑ 16.0 16.1 Ueki, Ayae (October 2013). 東武鉄道東上線の営業・サービス [Tobu Tojo Line Business and Service]. The Railway Pictorial (in Japanese) (Japan: Denkisha Kenkyūkai) 63 (880): p.26.
  17. ↑ ２０１５ 年度の鉄道事業設備投資計画 [Fiscal 2015 railway business investment plans] (PDF). News release (in Japanese). Japan: Tobu Railway. 30 April 2015. p. 2. Retrieved 2 May 2015.

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