DOCUMENT
TOKYO
LRA/Rob
van der Bijl, Amsterdam, December 22, 2003
Light Rail in Japan - Today, click here...

Photo:
(C) Light Rail Atlas/AUTUMN, October 2002
Tokyo Kyuko Dentetsu
In Japan Light Rail as traditional tram has a limited meaning. Just
the city of Hiroshima owns a larger classical tramway. However Light
Rail in the form of wellknown 'interurbans' is still very important
in Japan. Many of these systems have developed into urban-regional railways.
An example of such an urban railway is the 'Tokyo Kyuko Dentetsu', which
means the 'Tokyo Electric Express Railway'. Kyuko Dentetsu is one of
the biggest private urban railway companies in Japan. The network of
Tokyo contains seven train lines and one tram line (Setagaya-sen). Total
lenght: over 100 kilometer. Daily amount of passengers: 2.6 million.
The region of Tokyo has been urbanized heavily. The railway lines of
Kyuko Dentetsu have helped to structure urban growth.

Map: (C) Light Rail Atlas/Kyuko
Dentetsu,
June 2003
The
Setagaya-line is in blue. The map represents a part of the Tokyu network
between Tokyo and Yokohama
Setagaya-sen This one line Light Rail system is located at the
western side of the Tokyo conurbation. The line from Sangenjaya (at
the Shin-Tamagawa-sen) to Shimotakaido (connection to the Keio-sen)
is 5.1 km long and has 10 stations, all new, high platforms. It is the
last survivor of the Tokyu tramway network. The cars still use 600 V
and their gauge is 1372 mm, as on all trams in Tokyo. 53.000 passengers
use the line every day (2000).

Photo: (C) Light Rail Atlas/AUTUMN, October 2002
The new cars have a different livery each.
The
Tokyo Kyuko Dentetsu is a private company. Like many of these companies
in Japen it is not subsidized. Therefore this kind of railway companies
are developing retail and real estate around their station areas. This
works out te be a fine solution. The commercial activities generates
both money and passengers!

Photos:
(C) Light Rail Atlas/Manuel López, September 1998
"Hurry
up!", shouts the girl, but the white-gloved driver of car 75
is still busy. Light Rail Atlas likes these typical Japanese LRV's!.
However, the old green ones have been replaced by new rolling stock,
which has been put in service during 2000-2001.
Sobu-Nagareyama Dentetsu K.K. Many former tramways were transformed
into urban railways. This is an example at the eastern edge of the Tokyo
metropolitan area. Long ago it was a narrow gauge steam railway which
was eventually transformed into a rural tramway. Now the line (12.8
km) is an integral part of Tokyo's electric commuter railway network.

Photos:
(C) Light Rail Atlas/Manuel López, September 1998
The
photos show secondhand trains from the Seibu interurban system.
Manuel López of Light Rail Atlas is asking himself if there is
anybody who wants to use this quiet Light Rail-system.
Arakawa (Tokyo)

Car 7301
watched by hundreds of birds
Photo:
(C) Light Rail Atlas/Manuel López, September 1998
Tokyo owns a single tramway line (12.2 km.), which used to be part of
the former large tramway network. But in 1967 Tokyo decided to enlarge
the metro system and to transform or close nearly all tramways. During
the eighties of the last century new trams of the Japanese firm Alna
Koki have been put into service.

The Arakawa-line represented on scale (above)

Maps/photo: Light Rail Atlas/Kuri/TRTA
The
schematic map shows the Arakawa line (orange) in context of the northern
part of the railway and metro system (in grey and white). The municipal
line is upgrated to Light Rail standards. This means the tramway is
located predominantly right of-way and uses high platforms. However,
much street operation still excists.

Photos:
(C) Light Rail Atlas/Manuel López, September 1998
The pictures
show impressions of the eastern terminus situation of the Arakawa tramway.
Car 7505 is speeding up, while 7005 is at the terminus building. The
other two photos show car 7031 on duty.
Metro (Tokyo)
Tokyo is a huge and complicated metropolis. The metro system is operated
by two companies. The first and oldest one (1927) is the privately owned
'Eidan Underground', shortly 'Eidan', or 'Teito', in English abbreviated
as TRTA, Teito Rapid Transit Authority. Since April 2004 the Eidan-metro
is called 'Tokyo Metro'. The second operator is the municipal transport
company of Tokio, Tokyo-to Kotsu-kyoku, shortly 'Toei'.
The development of the metro system resambles the complex growth of
Tokyo. The system is unique. There is through running of regional railways
on the metro network, and vice versa. The operational and technical
characteristics vary enormously. Type of vehicle and service, gauge
width, power supply, signalling, and train control depend on the specific
line or group of lines.
Tokyo's metro stations get beautiful names, like Asakusa, at the oldest
line of the system, which is called Asakusa as well: 'the low gras'.
Or at the Nanboku-line station Sendagi: 'the tree with thousands burdens'.
At the southwest branche of the Marunouchi-line to Hònanchó
one station before the terminus wins the prize of Light Rail Atlas for
the most beautiful name. The station is called 'Nakanofujimicó',
which means 'the district in the fields from which one sees the mount
Fuji'.
Enoden

Photo:
(C) Light Rail Atlas/TERRA, Enoshima, May 4, 2002
At
the south side of the Tokyo-Yokohama urban region, a ten kilometer 'interurban'
style tramway connects Enoshima with Fujisawa and Kamakura. This Light
Rail system is called Enoden. The cars come in a variety of styles (1927-1997).
The Enoden Light Rail advertises itself as a retro-railway. Built in
the early 1900s as a tourist line, it now also serves commuters and
shoppers.
The Enoden is located predominantly right of-way and uses high platforms.
In the city of Enoshima the cars run through the main street.

The
fifth station from Kamakura brings one to Hase, home of the Great Buddha
(see map). This beatiful Light Rail starts in Fujisawa on the roof of
the Enoden-mall. Fujisawa is connected via Yokohama to the regional
train system of Tokyo. In Enoshima a monorail runs to the station of
Ofuna.

Photos:
(C) Light Rail Atlas/TERRA, January 11, 2003 & May 4, 2002
The
Enoden Railway winds through back streets of Kamakura, cruises along
the ocean with superb views of Enoshima, up the main street of Koshigoe,
through the posh neighborhood of Kugenuma. The Miura peninsula fits
in this Light Rail landscape.
JAPAN Light Rail Today Back
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Light
Rail in Japan is healthy. There is no wave of new developments (yet),
but
Japan has a long Light Rail tradition. In contrast to America Japan
has conserved a substantial part of their systems.

Photo:
(C) Light Rail Atlas/K.Horikiri, June 9, 2002
The
new tram of Okayama filming 'Momo'
The
first Japanese low floor articulated tram has been put in service during
summer 2002 in the city of Okayama. The tram is produced by Niigata
in co-operation with Bombardier and designed by Eiji Mitooka. Nickname
of the tram is 'Momo', a hero of a Japanese fairy tale. Tram facts -
Type: Double ended 2 section 4 axles articulated car, Axle stand: (1A)'(A1)',
Length:18,000 mm, Width:2,400 mm, Height:3,407 mm, Weight:21,000 kg,
Traction motors:2x100 kW, Floor height:360 mm, Passenger capacity:74
(20 seated).
Okayama owns a small network. Two lines run from the station to the
centre, sharing the first part of their route. Total length of the network:
4.7 km.

Light
Rail is a common phenomenon since the twenties already (1924 was a memorable
year!) There used to be many tramways. However, Hiroshima is the only
remaining city with a large tramway network (1912; and including one
Light Rail line, 1922). Still many other, all small tramways excists:
Gifu (1911, including Light Rail), Hakodate (1897), Kagoshima (1912),
Kochi (1904), Kumamoto (1907, including Light railway, 1911), Matsuyama
(including light railway, 1908), Nagasaki (1915), Okayama (1912), Osaka
(1903, including metro, 1933), Sapporo (1910, including metro, 1971),
Takaoka (1948), Toyama (1913), Toyohashi (1925, including light railway,
1924), and last but not least Tokyo (1882, including metro 1927, light
railway and Light Rail 1907).
Besides metro-only cities (Kobe, 1977; Sendai, 1987;Yokohama, 1972)
one can find Light Rail in many other places: Choshi-Tokawa (Light railway,
1923); Enoshima-Kamakura (Light Rail, 1902); Fukui (Light railway, 1924);
Fukuoka (Light railway, 1908 & Metro, 1981); Fukushima (Light Rail,
1899 & 1924); Hamamatsu (Light Rail, 1909); Hirosaki (Light railway,1927);
Kaizuka-Mizuma (Light railway, 1924); Kanazawa (Light railway, 1919);
Kitakyushu (Light Rail, 1911); Kuwana-Ageki (Light railway, 1914); Kyoto-city
(metro, 1981), but Light Rail between Kyoto-Arashiyama (1910) and Kyoto-Otsu
(1912); Mabashi-Nagareyama (Light railway, 1916); Matsumoto-Shimashima
(Light railway, (1924); Maebashi-Nishi-Kiryu (Light railway, 1928);
Misawa-Towada (Light railway, 1922); Mukogawa (Light railway, 1921);
Nagoya (metro, 1957), but Light Rail between Nagoya-Owari-Seto (1905);
Odawara-Gora (Light railway, 1919); Shizuoka-Shimizu (Light railway,
1908); Ueda-Bessho (Light Rail, 1927); Yokkaichi (Light railway (1912);
and Yoshiwara-Gakunan-Eno (Light railway, 1949).
Recente
closures: Gosen-Muramatsu (Light railway, 1923 - October 1999);
Niigata-Shirone (Light railway, 1933 - April 1999).
Japan
Topics (March 1998) revealed plans for tram-based Light Rail:
"In Okayama, one of the hub cities in western Honshu, there
are plans to make the current 4.7-kilometer line into a loop by adding
2.3 kilometers of track. The vital impetus came when some 300 streetcar
lobbyists, city administrators, and others held a "streetcar summit"
in May 1997. And during fiscal 1997, the city of Toyohashi in Aichi
Prefecture plans to start extending its streetcar lines with Ministry
of Construction subsidies, while several other cities are considering
proposals for new lines and extensions. In Kyoto too, where the lines
were scrapped 19 years ago, there has recently been mounting citizen
pressure for a revival of streetcars.
Underlying this comeback has been the development and appearance in
Western countries of light rail transit systems, a mass-transit hybrid
somewhere between a streetcar and a train in which the units have very
low floors and high technical performance. German-built rolling stock
put into operation by Kumamoto City in Kyushu in August 1997 has a floor
level only 36 centimeters above the track, less than half the normal
gap. And because the alighting area is only 30 centimeters off the ground,
the gap between it and the 18-centimeter-high platform is only 12 centimeters,
making it easy to get on and off the cars. It has also won plaudits
for the rubber pads built into the wheels, which reduce noise and vibration
and make for a comfortable ride for the handicapped and the aged. A
railway company in Hiroshima Prefecture in western Japan, which claims
the highest rates of streetcar use in the country, plans to bring in
four-car LRT units during fiscal 1998. And a panel has been put to work
researching LRT systems with a view to their introduction in Tokyo.
Although the capital now only has one route, compared with the 41 municipally
run lines of the heyday of streetcars, it plans studies for new lines
in several selected districts in fiscal 1998. (...) Japan's Construction
Ministry is including resurfacing of roads so that streetcars can run
on them in its fiscal 1997 top-priority policies, and has decided to
subsidize line building and extensions. But it will be essential to
get commuters to leave their cars at home, and the public to cooperate
generally, if the streetcar is to become a fixture. The degree of social
acceptance will likely determine how far into Japan's towns and cities
the new rails penetrate." Yet no news on these plans (June
2003).
Tokyo
(July 2003) considers two new tramway projects. The first one could
be an extension of the Arakawa line to the Ikebukuro railway station
in the city centre. Transformation of the freight railway between Kameido
and Shin-Kiba to Light Rail is the second possible project.
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LINKS

http://www.streetcar.jp
Site of Kenji Hojo, lives in Yokohama: "I am a radio engineer
and enjoy Railroad buff. I love Electric Streetcar Train. (Tram) Don't
you think Streetcar and LRT are most passenger friendly public transportation
system in the planet earth? For kids, elderly person or physically challenged
person."
http://tramway.jp
Site of the official 'Japan Tramway Society'.
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All texts, maps, and photos:
(C) LRA/RVDB
Amsterdam 1999-2004
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