Northern and Eastern Kanto Region Yuichiro Kishi
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Railwa Railway Operators Railway Operators in Japan 5 Northern and Eastern Kanto Region Yuichiro Kishi south. However, the government ignored spokes of a wheel. Branch lines link the Introduction the area north of Tokyo during the early main lines. Some of the main lines now days of railway expansion, so the first forming the backbone of the rail network Tokyo, the capital of Japan, is located in lines were built with private capital. As in northern and eastern Kanto were the Kanto region. Kanto faces the Pacific the lines radiated out to serve the major originally constructed in the late 19th Ocean to the south and east, and is cities on the Kanto Plain, they began century by private railways—mainly bordered by mountains to the north and forming what was to become Japan’s Nippon Railway, Sobu Railway and west. It has an area of about 32,000 km2 most extensive regional rail network. Narita Railway. The government y and is distinguished by the vast Kanto nationalized most of these lines in 1906 Plain. Much of the topography is flat or and 1907 and they remained part of the only gently sloped, with a rise in Overview of Rail Network government network until Japanese elevation of only about 100 m over a National Railways (JNR) was divided and Operators distance of 100 km north of Tokyo. Most Main lines radiate out from Tokyo to privatized in 1987. East Japan Railway people in Kanto live on the plain and major cities on the Kanto Plain like the Company (JR East) now owns the lines although Kanto occupies less than 10% of Japan’s total area, it is home to more than 30% of Japan’s total population Railway Lines in Northern and Eastern Kanto Region (about 125 million). Kanto is made up of the Tokyo Metropolis and six prefectures. This article looks at railway lines in four of those prefectures: Saitama, Gunma, Ibaraki and Tochigi, Tohoku and the northern part of a fifth, Chiba, Yagan Railway Shinkansen covering the northern and eastern part Tohoku main line of the region. Joetsu Shinkansen Nikko Joetsu Line The Tokugawa Shogunate established Karasuyama Nikko Line itself in Edo, a regional city about 400 Agatsuma Line Watarase Line Valley Railway Suigun Line years ago, spurring development. Then Jomo Tobu Railway Utsunomiya Electric the nation’s capital was moved from Railway Moka Railway Kyoto to Edo (renamed Tokyo) in 1869, KirKiryuyu Ryomo Line Takasaki Mito Line making Kanto the political and economic Joshin TobuTobu Electric Railway Mito centre of Japan. Railway Tobu Kashima Due to its importance within Japan, the Railway Railway Joban Line region has had an impressive Chichibu Railway Takasaki Line Kashima Coastal transportation network since the days of Saitama New Kanto Railway Railway Urban Transit Omiya Kashima Line the shogunate. Five major post roads or Musashino Line highways—the Tokaido, Nakasendo, Sobu Nagareyama Narita Line Electric Railway TToyooyo Rapid Nikko Kaido, Oshu Kaido and Koshu Ueno Railway Narita Shin Keisei Tokyo New Tokyo Choshi Electric Railway International Kaido linked Edo with other parts of the Airport Chiba Choshi country. There were also some secondary Electric Railway Keisei Sobu highways, such as the Mito Kaido north Electric Chiba Urban main line Railway Monorail of Tokyo. The Tone and Edo rivers were Yamaman Railway Yukarigaoka Line also used to transport people and freight. Hokuso Development Soon after Japan began introducing Railway Western technology in the 1860s, the government set out to develop a modern Shinkansen lines transportation system and constructed the JR Conventional lines country’s first railway, linking Shimbashi Private lines in Tokyo to nearby Yokohama in the 44 Japan Railway & Transport Review 31 • June 2002 Copyright © 2002 EJRCF. All rights reserved. Tobu Railway’s Isesaki Line running through areas that are not covered by JR JR East’s Series E231 EMU serving lines like Joban Line in metropolitan area East (Author) (JR East) which enjoy tremendously high daily and the station was the terminus for These main lines all radiate like the passenger levels on most sections. 354 shinkansen and 2021 conventional spokes of a wheel from Tokyo at the hub One of the most important main lines, train services. In other words, Ueno but there are some circumferential lines the 739.2-km Tohoku main line was Station is one of Tokyo’s and Japan’s most too. JR East’s lines include the Musashino constructed by Nippon Railway in 1883 important termini. Line, forming an outer loop around the and runs north from Ueno Station in north Of course, not all lines run north—the metropolis, the Ryomo and Mito lines, Tokyo, passes through a number of 120.5-km Sobu main line runs east from running generally east–west near the prefectural capitals such as Saitama City Tokyo Station through Chiba City (Chiba northern edge of the Kanto Plain; and the (Saitama Prefecture) and Utsunomiya City Prefecture) to Choshi port. It brings Narita Line, linking the Joban and Sobu (Tochigi Prefecture), and terminates at commuting workers and students from the Lines. Circumferential private lines Aomori in northern Honshu. (Although Chiba suburbs to Tokyo and offers include Tobu Railway’s Noda Line, the the official name is the Tohoku main line, through services to Yokohama and other Chiba Line operated by Keisei Electric the part of the line running through stations to the south. Heavily used trains Railway and the Chichibu Railway in the Greater Tokyo is unofficially called the to the New Tokyo International Airport north-west. Utsunomiya Line and this article uses the (Narita) also run on sections of the Sobu There are also some relatively short lines latter name.) Trains run at intervals of 10 main line. linking the main and branch lines and to 15 minutes in both directions. The Narita Line branches from the Sobu neighbouring cities. Most are short and The Joban Line (343.1 km) and the main line at Sakura in Chiba Prefecture, the trains have just a few cars; some lines Takasaki Line (74.7 km) branch from the passes through Narita City (near the like Tobu’s Daishi and Kameido lines and Tohoku main line. The former runs north- airport), and then runs eastwards towards Keisei’s Kanamachi Line are operated by east from Nippori Station (near Ueno) Choshi where it rejoins the Sobu main major railway companies, while others through Mito City (Ibaraki Prefecture) to line, and westwards to Abiko on the are operated by smaller bodies, such as the Pacific coast and then runs parallel Joban Line. the Sobu Nagareyama Electric Railway with the coast to Sendai City (Miyagi In addition to these JR East lines, a number and Kanto Railway’s Ryugasaki Line. Prefecture). The latter runs north-west of private main lines also carry many With the exception of a few lines from Omiya Station in Saitama City to passengers. Two examples are the Isesaki operated by smaller companies, nearly Takasaki City (Gunma Prefecture). The Line of Tobu Railway and the Keisei main all lines have been electrified and are frequency of services on these two lines line of Keisei Electric Railway. The former served exclusively by electric multiple is similar to the Tohoku main line. line serves major centres in Saitama, unit trains (EMUs) using large-capacity Ueno Station has been an important Gunma and Tochigi prefectures that are commuter or suburban carriage designs, gateway to the north for more than a not served by JR East’s Utsunomiya and such as the Series E231 on the Joban Line. century. All Tohoku and Joetsu shinkansen Takasaki lines. The Keisei main line The main lines typically operate EMU to the north used Ueno Station as their passes through parts of Chiba Prefecture train sets with 10 to 15 cars, offering terminus until 1991 when shinkansen not served by JR East’s Sobu main line. seating for more than 2000 passengers. track was opened between Ueno Station Both private lines offer through services The few loco-hauled trains are long- and Tokyo Station. In FY2000, some to subway lines in central Tokyo (see JRTR distance sleepers and freight trains. 190,000 passengers used Ueno Station 30 pp. 42–53). Copyright © 2002 EJRCF. All rights reserved. Japan Railway & Transport Review 31 • June 2002 45 Railway Operators benefited from private rail services and private railway companies extending Suburban Rail Links to Tokyo then saw their local trains transformed into their lines into the city centre and forced commuter trains heading to the cities. them to build their terminals outside the The early development of Tokyo was Despite the growth in the suburbs, inner city, resulting in passengers having characterized by a tremendous influx of Tokyo’s inner core remains the political, to make inconvenient transfers. To ease people from other parts of the country. commercial and educational centre of transfers, some operators cooperated in However, the postwar period of rapid Japan and continues to attract more and developing through services onto central economic expansion saw outward more workers and students commuting subway and railway lines. The Hokuso migration from the urban core to the by train from the Kanto suburbs. Many Kodan Line operated by Hokuso suburbs (the so-called doughnut rush-hour trains are overloaded to 250% Development Railway was constructed phenomenon). The mid-1960s saw or even 300% of capacity, drawing much to facilitate commuting from Chiba New massive housing development projects criticism from the media and public. Town. When operations began in 1991, especially in Saitama and Chiba Railway companies in Greater Tokyo the company offered through services on prefectures. Chiba New Town was one have tried to come up with solutions to Keisei Electric Railway’s Oshiage Line, huge housing project started in the 1970s, alleviate the commuter crush, such as the Tokyo Metropolitan Government’s and it (like other projects) encouraged lengthening trains, introducing carriages (TMG) Asakusa subway line, and Keihin further development in nearby areas.