The branded as the is a hybrid tram/light rail line in Tokyo, Japan, operated by the Tokyo Metropolitan Bureau of Transportation (Toei). The line is the sole survivor of Tokyo's once-extensive Tokyo Toden tram system and one of the only two light rail lines in Tokyo, besides the Setagaya Line.
Station list
All stations are located in Tokyo.
No.StationJapaneseDistance (km)TransfersLocationBetweenstationsTotal三ノ輪橋-0.0 (: H-20)Arakawa荒川一中前0.30.3 荒川区役所前0.30.6 荒川二丁目0.41.0 荒川七丁目0.41.4 町屋駅前0.41.8町屋二丁目0.42.2 東尾久三丁目0.32.5 熊野前0.63.1 (NT04)宮ノ前0.43.5 小台0.33.8 荒川遊園地前0.34.1 荒川車庫前0.54.6 梶原0.45.0 Kita栄町0.55.5 王子駅前0.56.0飛鳥山0.56.5 滝野川一丁目0.46.9 西ヶ原四丁目0.47.3 新庚申塚0.47.7 (: I-16)Toshima庚申塚0.27.9 巣鴨新田0.58.4 大塚駅前0.58.9 (: JY12)向原0.59.4 東池袋四丁目0.610.0 (: Y-10)都電雑司ヶ谷0.210.2 鬼子母神前0.510.7 (: F-10)学習院下0.511.2 面影橋0.511.7 Shinjuku早稲田0.512.2
Rolling stock 7700 series (since 31 May 2016) 8500 series 8800 series 8900 series (since 18 September 2015) 9000 series
Former rolling stock 7000 series (1955 until 10 June 2017) 7500 series (1962 until 13 March 2011)
History
The line was originally constructed by the 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 trip in 50 minutes. The gauge is . The line is fully double-track, and draws 600 V electrical supply.
Two Toden Arakawa trams (one in revenue earning service, the other undergoing brake testing) collided on 13 June 2006 near the Minowabashi terminus, injuring 27 people.
In 2017, the Tokyo Metropolitan Bureau of Transportation held a consultation for nicknames to promote the appeal of the Arakawa line both domestically and internationally. The name "Tokyo Sakura Tram" received the most public support, and was selected because it was "approachable for tourists".
Sights
The Toden Arakawa Line operates in northern and eastern Tokyo outside the main tourist areas. The terminus at Minowabashi is 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).
In literature In Haruki Murakami's novel Norwegian Wood, protagonist Toru Watanabe takes the line to near Ōtsuka Station: "I sat in the last seat and watched the ancient houses passing close to the window. The tram almost touched the overhanging eaves.... The tram snaked its way through this private back-alley world."p. 84, Vintage Books edition.
Notes
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.
External links
Tokyo Metropolitan Bureau of Transportation: Toden Arakawa Line Toei Streetcar (Toden) Arakawa Line Nippori-Toneri Liner and Tokyo Sakura Tram station numbering