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Tōbu Isesaki Line
250 Series EMU on a limited express service
Overview
Type	Commuter rail
System	Tōbu Railway
Locale	Kantō
Termini	Asakusa Isesaki
Stations	55
Operation
Opened	August 27, 1899
Owner	Tōbu Railway
Operator(s)	Tōbu Railway, Tōkyō Metro, Tōkyū Corporation
Technical
Line length	114.5 km (71.15 mi)
Track length	114.5 km (71.15 mi)
Track gauge	1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in) Cape gauge
Electrification	1,500 V DC
Operating speed	110 km/h (68 mph)

Tōbu Isesaki Line

Legend Station Through trains destination Tōkyū: Den-en-toshi Line Chūō-Rinkan Hanzōmon Line Shibuya Toei: Asakusa Line (till Oshiage) Metro: Ginza Line 0.0 Asakusa Sumida River 1.1 Narihirabashi (1.1) Oshiage Metro: Hanzōmon Line Keisei: Oshiage Line Tōbu: Kameido Line 2.4 Hikifune /Keisei Hikifune Keisei: Oshiage Line 3.2 Higashi-Mukōjima 4.2 Kanegefuchi 5.3 Horikiri Keisei: Main Line 6.0 Ushida Keisei Sekiya Naka-Meguro Metro: Hibiya Line Tsukuba Express JR-E: Jōban Line Metro: Chiyoda Line 7.1 Kita-Senju Ara River 8.2 Kosuge 9.3 Gotanno 10.5 Umejima 11.3 Nishiarai Tōbu: Daishi Line Takenotsuka depot of Tokyo Metro 13.4 Takenotsuka 15.9 Yatsuka 17.5 Sōka 19.2 Matsubara-danchi 20.5 Shinden 21.9 Gamō 22.9 Shin-Koshigaya Minami-Koshigaya JR-E: Musashino Line 24.4 Koshigaya 26.0 Kita-Koshigaya 28.5 Ōbukuro 29.8 Sengendai 31.1 Takesato 33.0 Ichinowari Tōbu: Noda Line 35.3 Kasukabe Tōbu: Noda Line 36.8 Kita-Kasukabe Kita-Kasukabe depot 38.4 Himemiya 41.0 Tōbu Dōbutsu Kōen Tōbu: Nikkō Line Minami-Kurihashi Shin-Tochigi Tōbu: Utsunomiya Line Tōbu Utsunomiya Tōbu: Kinugawa Line Tōbu Nikkō Shin-Fujiwara Yagan Railway Aizu-kōgen Ozeguchi Aizu Railway Aizu Tajima 43.9 Wado JR-E: Tōhoku Shinkansen 47.7 Kuki JR-E: Tōhoku Main (Utsunomiya) Line 52.1 Washinomiya 54.8 Hanasaki 58.5 Kazo 63.1 Minami-Hanyū 66.2 Hanyū Chichibu Railway: Main Line Tone River 70.5 Kawamata 72.4 Morinji-mae 74.6 Tatebayashi Tōbu: Sano Line, Koizumi Line Kuzuu 78.6 Tatara 81.8 Agata 83.9 Fukui 85.1 Tōbu-Izumi 86.8 Ashikagashi 88.5 Yashū-yamabe 91.8 Niragawa Tōbu: Koizumi Line 94.7 Ōta Tōbu: Kiryū Line Akagi 97.8 Hosoya 101.2 Kizaki 104.1 Serada 106.3 Sakaimachi 110.0 Gōshi 113.3 Shin-Isesaki 114.5 Isesaki JR-E: Ryōmō 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 Station in 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.

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.

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 begun 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 II, 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 effective 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.

Operation

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.

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.

Stations

• S: Stop
• S^h: stop on holidays
• *1: To Naka-Meguro on Hibiya Line.
• *2: To Chūō-Rinkan on Tōkyū Den-en-toshi Line via Hanzōmon Line
• *3: Stop only terminating train, one service a day
• *4: Thru to Nikkō Line

Gallery

20000 series EMU heading for Tōbu Dōbutsu Kōen on an all-stations through service from Hibiya Line