Saitama Rapid Railway Line

The Saitama Railway Line (埼玉高速鉄道線, Saitama Kōsoku Tetsudō sen) is a mostly underground rapid transit line in Japan operated by the third sector operating company Saitama Railway Corporation. Funded by Saitama Prefecture, local municipal governments, and Tokyo Metro, it forms a continuation of the Tokyo Metro Namboku Line, starting at Akabane-iwabuchi Station in Tokyo and ending at Urawa-Misono Station in Saitama.[1] The line is used as the main means of transportation to Saitama Stadium 2002. On 27 November 2015, the route was nicknamed the "Saitama Stadium Line". The line symbol used in the station numbering is "SR".

Saitama Railway line
Saitama Rapid Railway Logo
Saitama Rapid Railway train
A Saitama Rapid Railway 2000 series EMU in September 2005
Overview
OwnerSaitama Railway Corporation
LocaleTokyo, Saitama Prefecture
Termini
Stations8
Websites-rail.co.jp/index.html
Service
TypeRapid transit
Depot(s)Urawa-Misono
History
Opened28 March 2001
Technical
Line length14.6 km (9.1 mi)
Number of tracks2
Track gauge1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in)
Minimum radius248 m
Electrification1,500 V DC overhead line
Operating speed80 km/h (50 mph)

Overview

This line allows trains from the Tokyo Metro Namboku Line to operate beyond Akabane-iwabuchi Station into Saitama Prefecture and ending at Urawa-Misono Station.

Most of the line is underground, only Urawa Misono Station and adjacent depots are on the surface. It connects the eastern and northern part of Kawaguchi to Tokyo; areas that were previously only served by buses.

Planning for the line stated in 1972 as an extension of the Tokyo Metro Namboku Line. The original alignment was planned to serve eastern Urawa and central Kawaguchi in Saitama. In 1985, the alignment was shifted east to Hatogaya. In 1992, the third sector Saitama Railway Corporation was established by Saitama Prefecture, and construction began in 1995. The line opened on 28 March 2001, ahead of the 2002 FIFA World Cup, which held several matches at the Saitama Stadium, half an hour on foot from the terminating Urawa-Misono Station.

The total cost of construction is 256.1 billion yen, making the cost per kilometer at 17.5 billion yen. Since its opening, the line used six-car trains with all stations (except Urawa-Misono Station) equipped with platforms long enough support future expansion into eight-car trains. Urawa-Misono Station was built as a temporary terminal as the line was planned to be extended further north in the future so it only has platforms long enough for six car trains.

A further northern extension beyond Urawa Misono Station connecting Iwatsuki Station of the Tobu Urban Park Line and Hasuda Station of the JR Utsunomiya Line (Tohoku Line) is currently being proposed.

Stations
No. Station

color

 Station Japanese Distance
(km)		 Transfers Location
↑ Through-running to/from ↑

NTokyo Metro Namboku Line for Meguro

MG Meguro Line for Hiyoshi

SH Tōkyū Shin-yokohama Line for Shin-Yokohama

Sōtetsu Main Line for Ebina

Sōtetsu Izumino Line for Shōnandai (via Futamata-gawa on the Sōtetsu Main Line)

SR19N19 - Akabane-iwabuchi 赤羽岩淵 0.0 N Namboku Line (N-19)

At Akabane Station:
JU Utsunomiya Line
JU Takasaki Line
JS Shōnan-Shinjuku Line
JK Keihin-Tōhoku Line
JA Saikyō Line

 Kita Tokyo
SR20 #9370DB Kawaguchi-motogō 川口元郷 2.4   Kawaguchi Saitama
Prefecture
SR21 #6A5ACD Minami-hatogaya 南鳩ヶ谷 4.3  
SR22 #1E90FF Hatogaya 鳩ヶ谷 5.9  
SR23 #32CD32 Araijuku 新井宿 7.5  
SR24 #FFD700 Tozuka-angyō 戸塚安行 10.0  
SR25 #FFA500 Higashi-Kawaguchi 東川口 12.2 JM Musashino Line
SR26 #FF0000 Urawa-misono 浦和美園 14.6   Midori-ku, Saitama

Rolling stock

Shareholders

As of 2013, the main shareholders in Saitama Railway Corporation are as follows.[1]

ShareholderPercentage
Saitama Prefecture45.0
Tokyo Metro19.4
City of Kawaguchi18.7
City of Saitama7.1

Ridership

Ridership figures for the line are as follows.[1]

Fiscal yearTotal passengersPassengers/km day
200930.564 million40,038
201031.051 million40,770
201130.983 million40,546

History

The third sector company, Saitama Railway Corporation, was established on 25 March 1992.[1]

The entire line from Akabane-Iwabuchi to Urawa-Misono opened on 28 March 2001.[1]

Through services to and from Hiyoshi on the Tokyu Meguro Line commenced on 22 June 2008.[1]

On 1 April 2022, eight-car trains began operating on the line.[2]

Effective the timetable revision on 18 March 2023, the Sotetsu Shin-Yokohama Line and Tokyu Shin-Yokohama Line began revenue service. Most through services originating from Urawa-Misono continuing onto the Sotetsu Line terminate at either Shin-Yokohama Station or Ebina Station.[3]

Future developments

In the future, the line may be extended north from Urawa-Misono through Iwatsuki-ku, Saitama to Hasuda Station (in Hasuda, Saitama) on the JR East Utsunomiya Line, but financial problems have prevented construction of the extension.

See also

References
  1. Terada, Hirokazu (19 January 2013). データブック日本の私鉄 [Databook: Japan's Private Railways]. Japan: Neko Publishing. p. 56. ISBN 978-4-7770-1336-4.
  2. 東急目黒線・東京メトロ南北線・埼玉高速鉄道線で8両編成の運転開始 [8-car trains begin operating on the Tokyu Meguro Line, Tokyo Metro Namboku Line, and Saitama Rapid Railway Line]. Japan Railfan Magazine Online (in Japanese). Japan: Koyusha Co., Ltd. 2022-04-09. Retrieved 2022-05-27.
  3. "2023年3月18日（土）相鉄新横浜線※1・東急新横浜線開業に伴い形成される 広域鉄道ネットワークの直通運転形態および主な所要時間について（情報再掲：2022年12月16日発表内容）" [About the through operation and required time of the railway network formed with the opening of the Sotetsu and Tokyu Shin-Yokohama Line]. s-rail.co.jp (in Japanese). Retrieved 29 March 2023.
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