Toden Arakawa Line

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8500 series trams crossing near Asukayama Station
8500 series trams crossing near Asukayama Station
7000 series tram near Otsuka Station
7000 series tram near Otsuka Station

The Toden Arakawa Line (都電荒川線 Toden Arakawa-sen?) is a streetcar line in Tokyo, Japan. The Tokyo Metropolitan Bureau of Transportation operates this line. The Arakawa Line is the sole survivor of Tokyo's once-extensive Tokyo Toden streetcar system.

Contents

[edit] History

The line was originally constructed by the Oji Electric Tram Company (王子電気軌道 Ōji-denki-kidō?) as a part of their extensive network, with the oldest section still operating today opened in 1913. The line was at threat of being shut down along with the rest of Tokyo's streetcar system in the 1960s, but concerted opposition from residents prevented this and parts of lines 27 (Minowabashi-Akabane) and 32 (Arakawa-Waseda) were merged to form the line as it is today. The line was sold to the Tokyo Metropolitan Bureau of Transportation in 1974, which renamed it the Toden Arakawa Line.

The Toden Arakawa Line operates between the terminals at Minowabashi Station and Waseda Station. It runs along Meiji Street between Asuka-yama Station and Oji Eki-mae Station. Otherwise, it operates on its own tracks. Presently, single driver-operated cars make the 12.2 km trip in 50 minutes. The gauge is 1,372 mm. The line is fully double-track, and draws 600 V electrical supply.

Two Toden Arakawa trams (one in revenue service, the other undergoing brake testing) collided on June 13, 2006 near the Minowabashi terminus, injuring 27 people.

As of 2006, there are no plans to replace or eliminate the tram line. However, the Tokyo Metro Fukutoshin Line and the Nippori-Toneri Liner, both opening in 2008, will provide alternative routes for some tram users and may impact the line's profitability.

[edit] Sights

The Toden Arakawa Line operates in northern and eastern Tokyo, in areas that tourists frequently do not see; for that reason alone, the quick trip is highly worthwhile. Unlike the so-called surface train lines, which are actually elevated and whisk passengers over neighborhoods quickly, the Arakawa line allows riders to have leisurely, street-level views of older sections of Tokyo that differ dramatically from the busy and increasingly high-rise neighborhoods like Shibuya, Shinjuku, and Ikebukuro. Of particular interest is the terminus at Minowabashi, near the historical site of Edo's red-light district Yoshiwara. It features a completely covered shopping street several blocks long in the once-common Ameyoko style (a shōtengai) that can only be seen nowadays in Tokyo's outlying neighborhoods.

[edit] Stations

Waseda Station
Waseda Station

[edit] External links

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Subway: ○Asakusa (A) • ○Ōedo (E) • ○Mita (I) • ○Shinjuku (S) • Guideway: Nippori-Toneri • Streetcar: Arakawa
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