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
Overview
Owner	Saitama Railway Corporation
Locale	Tokyo, Saitama Prefecture
Termini	Akabane-Iwabuchi Urawa-Misono
Stations	8
Website	s-rail.co.jp/index.html
Service
Type	Rapid transit
Depot(s)	Urawa-Misono
History
Opened	28 March 2001
Technical
Line length	14.6 km (9.1 mi)
Number of tracks	2
Track gauge	1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in)
Minimum radius	248 m
Electrification	1,500 V DC overhead line
Operating speed	80 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 near 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-service to/from Hiyoshi via the Tokyo Metro Namboku Line and Tokyu Meguro Line ↑
SR19N19	-	Akabane-Iwabuchi	赤羽岩淵	0.0	Tokyo Metro Namboku Line (N-19) Tōhoku Main Line (Utsunomiya Line, Takasaki Line, Shōnan-Shinjuku Line), Keihin-Tōhoku Line, Saikyō Line (Akabane Station)	Kita, Tokyo
SR20	■	Kawaguchi-Motogō	川口元郷	2.4		Kawaguchi	Saitama Prefecture
SR21	■	Minami-Hatogaya	南鳩ヶ谷	4.3
SR22	■	Hatogaya	鳩ヶ谷	5.9
SR23	■	Araijuku	新井宿	7.5
SR24	■	Tozuka-angyō	戸塚安行	10.0
SR25	■	Higashi-Kawaguchi	東川口	12.2	Musashino Line
SR26	■	Urawa-Misono	浦和美園	14.6		Midori-ku, Saitama

Rolling stock

• Saitama Rapid Railway 2000 series 6-car EMUs
• Tokyo Metro 9000 series 6-car EMUs
• Tokyu 3000 series 6-car EMUs
• Tokyu 3020 series 6-car EMUs
• Tokyu 5080 series 6-car EMUs

Shareholders

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

Shareholder	Percentage
Saitama Prefecture	45.0
Tokyo Metro	19.4
City of Kawaguchi	18.7
City of Saitama	7.1

Ridership

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

Fiscal year	Total passengers	Passengers/km day
2009	30.564 million	40,038
2010	31.051 million	40,770
2011	30.983 million	40,546

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]

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

• List of rapid transit systems

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.

External links

• Official website (in Japanese)
• Saitama Prefectural Government information (in Japanese)