The Toei Asakusa Line (都営地下鉄浅草線, Toei Chikatetsu Asakusa-sen) is a subway line in Tokyo, Japan, operated by the municipal subway operator Toei Subway. The line runs between Nishi-magome in Ōta and Oshiage in Sumida. The line is named after the Asakusa district, a cultural center of Tokyo, under which it passes.
The Asakusa Line is often split into two routes: Oshiage–Sengakuji and Sengakuji–Nishi-magome; only some trains make all station stops on the line, as many trains travel on the Keikyu Main Line south of Sengakuji.
On maps and signboards, the line is shown in the color rose. Stations carry the letter "A" followed by a two-digit number inside a more reddish vermilion circle.
Services
Local (普通 futsū) trains operate between Nishi-Magome and Sengakuji approximately every ten minutes and are timed to connect to Keikyu through service trains at Sengakuji.
Rapid service (快速 kaisoku) trains operate between Nishi-Magome and Keisei Sakura Station approximately every twenty minutes. They make all station stops on the Asakusa Line.
Limited Express (快特 kaitoku) trains operate approximately every twenty minutes. They generally use Keikyu rolling stock and have a southern terminus at Misakiguchi Station or Keikyu Kurihama Station. They operate as Limited Express trains only on the Keikyu line, and provide local service on the Asakusa Line and Keisei Oshiage Line. Their northern terminus is generally either Aoto Station or Keisei Takasago Station, but select trains operate to Narita International Airport.
Airport Limited Express (エアポート快特 eapōto kaitoku) trains operate approximately every twenty minutes, and skip certain stations while operating on the Asakusa Line. Their northern terminus alternates between "Access Express" (アクセス特急 akusesu tokkyū) service to Narita International Airport and Limited Express service to either Aoto or Takasago. The total travel time from Haneda Airport to Narita Airport on this train is approximately one hour and 46 minutes.
Station list
All stations are located in Tokyo.
The Airport Limited Express/Access Express stops at stations marked "●", skips those marked "|". All other services stop at every station.
↑ Sengakuji is shared by both Keikyu Corporation and Toei; Toei manages the station.
↑ Oshiage is shared by both Keisei Electric Railway and Toei; Keisei Electric Railway manages the station.
Rolling stock
A variety of rolling stock is in use due to the large number of through service operators on the line, all of which use standard gauge tracks and 1,500 V DC electrification via overhead lines. Currently, six operators run trains onto the Asakusa Line, the most of any Tokyo subway line, and the line is unique as the only subway line in Tokyo with through services onto standard gauge railways (all other through services are with narrow gauge lines).
The Toei Asakusa Line was the first subway line constructed by the Tokyo Metropolitan Government. The line number is Line 1, because it was technically the first subway line in Tokyo to be planned in the 1920s as an underground route connecting the Keikyu and Keisei Electric Railway via Shinagawa, eventually allowing for through trains between these two railways. In its original plan form, the line would have actually bypassed Asakusa Station entirely. However, the plan was changed to take advantage of the existing Tobu Isesaki Line (section now named as the Tobu Skytree Line) and Tokyo Metro Ginza Line connections at Asakusa.
Construction of this line began on 27 August 1956 after years of delays, and the initial 3.2km (2.0mi) segment between Oshiage and Asakusabashi opened on 4 December 1960. The line then opened in stages from north to south:
May 1962: Asakusabashi to Higashi-Nihombashi
September 1962: Higashi-Nihombashi to Ningyōchō
February 1963: Ningyōchō to Higashi-Ginza
December 1963: Higashi-Ginza to Shimbashi
October 1964: Shimbashi to Daimon
June 1968: Daimon to Sengakuji (Through service with Keikyū begins)
15 November 1968: Sengakuji to Nishi-Magome
The line was named Asakusa Line on 1 July 1978.[3]
From 1998 to 2002, the Asakusa Line was used as part of a rail connection between Tokyo's two major airports, Haneda and Narita. While a few trains still run between the airports, the service has greatly diminished in frequency since 2002.[citation needed]
In 2005, a research group of government, metropolitan and railway company officials proposed that the Asakusa Line be connected to Tokyo Station via a spur to the north of Takarachō Station. This would provide Tokyo Station's first direct connection to the Toei subway network. It would also make it possible to reach Haneda Airport in 25 minutes (versus 35 minutes today) and Narita Airport in 40 minutes (versus 57 minutes today).[4] This plan has yet to be finalized or formally adopted. Authorities are re-considering a similar plan as part of the infrastructure improvements for the 2020 Summer Olympics; the proposed line would cut travel time to Haneda from 30 minutes to 18 minutes, and to Narita from 55 minutes to 36 minutes, at a total cost of around 400 billion yen.[5]
↑ 東京都交通局ホーム – 経営情報 – 交通局の概要 – 都営地下鉄[Tokyo Metropolitan Bureau of Transportation Home – Management Information – Overview of the Department of Transportation – Toei Subway] (in Japanese). 東京都交通局 [Tokyo Metropolitan Bureau of Transportation]. April 1, 2015. Retrieved 2016-01-17.
↑ 東京都交通局,ピックアップ情報,「ありがとう5300形 都営まるごときっぷ」を限定発売[Tokyo Metropolitan Bureau of Transportation announces "Thank you 5300 series"]. Tokyo Metropolitan Bureau of Transportation (in Japanese). 7 March 2023. Retrieved 8 March 2023.
↑ "都営交通のあらまし2020"[Toei Transportation Summary 2020](PDF). Toei Transportation Online (in Japanese). Archived(PDF) from the original on 9 November 2020. Retrieved 29 May 2022.
↑ "羽田・成田発着を拡大、五輪へインフラ整備急ぐ"[Race to increase slots at Haneda & Narita and build infrastructure for Olympics]. Nihon Keizai Shimbun. Nikkei Inc. 10 September 2013. Retrieved 10 September 2013.
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