Tōbu Tōjō Line
The of is a 75.0 km suburban train line that runs from Ikebukuro Station in Toshima, Tokyo, Japan to Yorii Station in Yorii, Saitama. Its official name is the , but it is referred to as on Tōbu signage and publicity information.
The Tōjō Line and Tōbu Ogose Line branch are isolated from other Tōbu lines, such as the Isesaki Line and Nikkō Line. There was a plan to connect between Nishiarai on the Isesaki Line and Kami-Itabashi on the Tōjō Line, but this was never built.
The name of the line comes from the original plan to construct a line linking Tokyo (東京) with Jōshū (上州) (an ancient province now Gunma Prefecture).
History
On 1 May 1914, the began operating, covering the 33.5 km stretch between Ikebukuro and Tanomosawa (located between the present stations of Kawagoeshi and Kasumigaseki). Two years later, the line was extended 9.2 km from Kawagoemachi (now Kawagoeshi) to Sakadomachi (now Sakado), and at the same time, the section between Kawagoemachi and Tanomosawa was abandoned.In 1920, the Tōjō Railway was absorbed into the Tōbu Railway, and in 1923, the line was extended 13.4 km from Sakadomachi to Ogawamachi. In 1925, the line was further extended 10.8 km from Ogawamachi to Yorii, completing the present-day Tōbu Tōjō Line. While the original plan had been to extend the line as far as Gunma Prefecture, the connection at Yorii did at least allow for through operations via the Chichibu Railway. The line from Ikebukuro to Yorii was electrified in 1929. The 10.9 km Ogose Line from Sakadomachi to Ogose was not opened until much later, in 1943. With the steadily growing population along the line, trains were gradually increased in length to the maximum 10 cars seen today, and the original single track was doubled and even quadrupled in some places (between Wakōshi and Shiki). The line from Ikebukuro to Yorii covers a total distance of 75 km.
Steam for freight haulage was finally withdrawn in 1959.
In 1987, the Yūrakuchō Line reached Wakōshi, allowing through-running from Kawagoeshi on the Tōbu Tōjō Line to the then terminus of Shintomichō (later extended further east to the present terminus of Shinkiba).
November 1993 timetable revision
- Fujimino station opens. Interchange between Express and Semi-express trains moved from Kawagoeshi to Fujimino.
March 1998 timetable revision
- Express services make an additional stop at Asakadai.
March 2005 timetable revision
(From 17 March 2005)- Express trains extended from Musashi-Ranzen to Ogawamachi following completion of double-tracking
- Limited express trains terminated at Ogawamachi (rather than Yorii). Standardized as 10 cars, and include stop at Wakōshi.
- Driver-only operation starts on Ogawamachi to Yorii section. All trains are 4 cars.
June 2008 timetable revision
From the start of the revised timetable on 14 June 2008, new limited-stop evening TJ Liner services commenced using new 50090 series rolling stock. Six down services operate on weekdays, with four at weekends. Trains from Ikebukuro stop at Fujimino, Kawagoe, Kawagoeshi, Sakado, Higashi-Matsuyama, and Shinrinkōen, with some services continuing to Ogawamachi stopping at Tsukinowa and Musashiranzan stations. Limited Express services were discontinued and replaced by new Rapid Express (快速急行) services. All trains operating out of Ikebukuro are standardized as 10-car trains.Stations
Abbreviations:- L = Local (普通)
- YF = Through train to the Tokyo Metro Yūrakuchō Line or the Fukutoshin Line (直通)
- SE = Semi Express (準急)
- CE = Commuter Express (通勤急行)
- E = Express (急行)
- RE = Rapid Express (快速急行)
- TJ = TJ Liner (TJライナー)
| Station | L | YF | SE | CE | E | RE | TJ | Location | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ikebukuro 池袋 | O | O | O | O | O | O | Toshima | Tokyo | |
| Kita-Ikebukuro 北池袋 | O | | | | | | | | | | | |||
| Shimo-Itabashi 下板橋 | O | | | | | | | | | | | |||
| Ōyama 大山 | O | | | | | | | | | | | Itabashi | ||
| Naka-Itabashi 中板橋 | O | | | | | | | | | | | |||
| Tokiwadai ときわ台 | O | | | | | | | | | | | |||
| Kami-Itabashi 上板橋 | O | | | | | | | | | | | |||
| Tōbu-Nerima 東武練馬 | O | | | | | | | | | | | |||
| Shimo-Akatsuka 下赤塚 | O | | | | | | | | | | | |||
| Narimasu 成増 | O | O | O | O | | | | | |||
| Wakōshi 和光市 | O | O | O | O | O | O | | | Wakō | Saitama |
| Asaka 朝霞 | O | O | O | | | | | | | | | Asaka | |
| Asakadai 朝霞台 | O | O | O | | | O | | | | | ||
| Shiki 志木 | O | O | O | O | O | O | | | Niiza | |
| Yanasegawa 柳瀬川 | O | O | O | O | | | | | | | Shiki | |
| Mizuhodai みずほ台 | O | O | O | O | | | | | | | Fujimi | |
| Tsuruse 鶴瀬 | O | O | O | O | | | | | | | ||
| Fujimino ふじみ野 | O | O | O | O | O | | | O | ||
| Kami-Fukuoka 上福岡 | O | O | O | O | | | | | | | Fujimino | |
| Shingashi 新河岸 | O | O | O | O | | | | | | | Kawagoe | |
| Kawagoe 川越 | O | O | O | O | O | O | O | ||
| Kawagoeshi 川越市 | O | O | O | O | O | O | O | ||
| Kasumigaseki 霞ヶ関 | O | O | O | O | O | | | | | ||
| Tsurugashima 鶴ヶ島 | O | O | O | O | O | | | | | Tsurugashima | |
| Wakaba 若葉 | O | O | O | O | O | | | | | Sakado | |
| Sakado 坂戸 | O | O | O | O | O | O | O | ||
| Kita-Sakado 北坂戸 | O | O | O | O | O | | | | | ||
| Takasaka 高坂 | O | O | O | O | O | | | | | Higashimatsuyama | |
| Higashi-Matsuyama 東松山 | O | O | O | O | O | O | O | ||
| Shinrinkōen 森林公園 | O | O | O | O | O | O | O | Namegawa, Hiki District | |
| Tsukinowa つきのわ | O | O | O | O | O | O | |||
| Musashi-Ranzan 武蔵嵐山 | O | O | O | O | O | O | Ranzan, Hiki District | ||
| (Ranzan Signal Stop 嵐山信号所) | | | | | | | | | | | | | |||
| Ogawamachi 小川町 | O | O | O | O | O | O | Ogawa, Hiki District | ||
| Tōbu-Takezawa 東武竹沢 | O | ||||||||
| Obusuma 男衾 | O | Yorii, Ōsato District | |||||||
| Hachigata 鉢形 | O | ||||||||
| Tamayodo 玉淀 | O | ||||||||
| Yorii 寄居 | O | ||||||||
