Tsukuba Express

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A Tsukuba Express train (type TX-2000)
A Tsukuba Express train (type TX-2000)

The Tsukuba Express (つくばエクスプレス線 Tsukuba Ekusupuresu-sen?), or TX, is a Japanese railway line of the Metropolitan Intercity Railway Company that links Akihabara Station in Chiyoda, Tokyo and Tsukuba Station in Tsukuba, Ibaraki. The route was inaugurated on August 24, 2005. An extension through a deep tunnel to Tokyo Station is planned.

Contents

[edit] Route

  • Administration: Metropolitan Intercity Railway Company
  • Length: 58.3 km / 36.2 mi. from Akihabara Station to Tsukuba Station
  • Stations: 20
  • Gauge: 1,067 mm / 3ft. 6in.
  • Double-track line: Whole line
  • Electrification:
    • Akihabara – Moriya: 1,500 V DC
    • Miraidaira – Tsukuba: 20,000 V, 50 Hz AC
    • Dead section: Moriya - Miraidaira
  • Block System: Automatic (ATO with ATC)
  • Depot: Moriya

[edit] History

Platform level of Tsukuba Station.
Platform level of Tsukuba Station.

Initially, the line was to be called Jōban Shinsen (New Jōban Line). The reason for the line was to relieve crowding on the Jōban Line of JR East, which had reached the limit of its capacity. However, with the economic downturn in Japan, the goal shifted to development along the line. Also, the initial plan called for a line from Tokyo to Moriya, but expenses forced the planners to start the line at Akihabara instead of Tokyo, and pressure from the government of Ibaraki Prefecture resulted in moving the extension from Moriya to Tsukuba into Phase I of the construction.

The original schedule called for the line to begin operating in 2000, but delays resulted in a 2005 start.

[edit] Speed

The line has a top speed of 130 km/h, exceeding the 120 km/h top speed of trains on the Keihin Electric Express Railway, the fastest private railway in the capital region. Rapid service has reduced the time required for the trip from Akihabara to Tsukuba from the previous 1 hour 30 minutes (by the Jōban Line, arriving in Tsuchiura, about 15km from Tsukuba) or 70 minutes (by bus, under optimal traffic conditions) to 45 minutes; from Tokyo, the trip requires 50 – 55 minutes. The line has no grade crossings.

An automatic train operation system allows a single individual to operate the train.

[edit] Electrification and rolling stock

To prevent interference with the geomagnetic measurements of the Japan Meteorological Agency at its laboratory in Yasato, Niihari District, Ibaraki, the portion of the line from Moriya to Tsukuba operates on alternating current. For this reason, the trains include TX-1000 series DC-only trains which can operate between Akihabara and Moriya, and TX-2000 series dual-voltage AC/DC trains which can operate on the entire line.

Volume production of the rolling stock began in January 2004, following the completion in March 2003 of two (TX-1000 and TX-2000 series) six-car trains for trial operation and training. The full fleet of 84 TX-1000s (14 six-car trains) and 96 TX-2000s (16 six-car trains) was delivered by January 2005.

[edit] Stations

● L: Local (普通 Futsū?)
● S: Semi-Rapid (区間快速 Kukan kaisoku?)
● R: Rapid (快速 Kaisoku?)

All trains stop at stations marked "●" and pass stations marked "-". Some local trains stop at "▲".

No. Station name Total dist.
(km)		 Elec. L S R Transfers Location
01 Akihabara 0.0 DC ● ● ● JR East: ■ Chūō-Sōbu Line, ■ Keihin-Tōhoku Line, ■ Yamanote Line
Tokyo Metro: ○ Hibiya Line (H-15)		 Chiyoda Tokyo
02 Shin-​Okachimachi 1.6 ● ● ● Toei Subway: ○ Ōedo Line (E-10) Taitō
03 Asakusa 3.1 ● ● ●
04 Minami-Senju 5.6 ● ● ● JR East: ■■ Jōban Line (Rapid)
Tokyo Metro: ○ Hibiya Line (H-20)		 Arakawa
05 Kita-Senju 7.5 ● ● ● JR: ■■ Jōban Line (Rapid)
Tōbu: ■ Isesaki Line
Tokyo Metro: ○ Chiyoda Line (C-18), ○ Hibiya Line (H-21)		 Adachi
06 Aoi 10.6 ● - -
07 Rokuchō 12.0 ● - -
08 Yashio 15.6 ● ● - Yashio Saitama
09 Misato-chūō 19.3 ● ● - Misato
10 Minami-​Nagareyama 22.1 ● ● ● JR East: ■ Musashino Line Nagareyama Chiba
11 Nagareyama-​centralpark 24.3 ● - -
12 Nagareyama-​ōtakanomori 26.5 ● ● ● Tōbu: ■ Noda Line
13 Kashiwanoha-​campus 30.0 ● ● - Kashiwa
14 Kashiwa-​Tanaka 32.0 ● - -
15 Moriya 37.7 ● ● ● Kantetsu: ■ Jōsō Line Moriya Ibaraki
16 Miraidaira 44.3 AC ▲ ● - Tsukubamirai
17 Midorino 48.6 ▲ ● - Tsukuba
18 Bampaku-​kinenkōen 51.8 ▲ ● -
19 Kenkyū-gakuen 55.6 ▲ ● -
20 Tsukuba 58.3 ▲ ● ●

[edit] See also

List of railway companies in Japan

[edit] External links

v • d • e
Mass transit in the Tokyo area (Number of lines indicated in parentheses)
JR lines
■Yamanote • ■Chūō • ■Chūō-Sōbu • ■Jōban • ■Keihin-Tōhoku • ■Keiyō • ■Saikyō •■Shōnan-Shinjuku • ■Sōbu Rapid • ■Tōkaidō • ■Utsunomiya • ■Yokosuka
Tokyo Metro lines
○Chiyoda (C) • ○Fukutoshin (F) • ○Ginza (G) • ○Hibiya (H) • ○Marunouchi (M) • ○Namboku (N) • ○Tōzai (T) • ○Yūrakuchō (Y) • ○Hanzōmon (Z)
Toei lines
Subway: ○Asakusa (A) • ○Ōedo (E) • ○Mita (I) • ○Shinjuku (S) • Guideway: Nippori-Toneri • Streetcar: Arakawa
Major / semi-major lines
Keikyū (5) • Keiō (7) • Keisei (7) • Odakyū (5) • Seibu (13) • Shin-Keisei • Sōtetsu (2) • Tōbu (12) • Tōkyū (8)
Other lines
Suburban, JR
■Hachikō • ■Kawagoe • ■Mito • ■Musashino • ■Nambu • ■Narita • ■Negishi • ■Ōme • ■Ryōmō • ■Sagami • ■Sōbu Main • ■Sotobō • ■Takasaki • ■Tōgane • ■Tsurumi • ■Uchibō • ■Yokohama
Suburban, Non-JR
Terminals
Miscellaneous