Tōbu Noda Line

Tōbu Noda Line
8000 series near Higashi-Iwatsuki, August 2007
Overview
Type	Heavy rail
Locale	Kantō Region
Termini	Ōmiya Funabashi
Stations	34
Operation
Opened	1911
Owner	Tobu Railway
Rolling stock	Tōbu 8000 series
Technical
Line length	62.7 km
Track gauge	1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in)
Electrification	1,500 V DC, overhead catenary
Operating speed	90 km/h (55 mph)[1]

Route diagram

Legend New Shuttle Jōetsu, Tōhoku Shinkansens Saikyō Line / Kawagoe Line Tōhoku Main Line / Takasaki Line Keihin-Tōhoku Line 0.0 Ōmiya 1.2 Kita-Ōmiya Tōhoku Main Line 2.2 Ōmiya-kōen 4.0 Ōwada 5.6 Nanasato Kakura abandoned in 1950 8.5 Iwatsuki Shibue 10.9 Higashi-Iwatsuki 12.2 Toyoharu 14.1 Yagisaki Tōbu Isesaki Line 15.2 Kasukabe Isesaki Line Doi abandoned in 1947 17.8 Fujino-ushijima Naganuma abandoned in 1956 20.6 Minami-Sakurai Edo River 22.9 Kawama Nanakōdai depot 25.1 Nanakōdai 26.6 Shimizu-kōen 27.7 Atago 28.6 Nodashi 30.9 Umesato 33.2 Unga 35.1 Edogawadai 36.8 Hatsuishi Tsukuba Express Nagareyama-Ōtakanomori 39.7 Toyoshiki Kita-Kashiwa abandoned in 1955 42.9 Kashiwa Jōban Line Jōban Line 45.8 Shin-Kashiwa 47.1 Masuo 48.0 Sakasai 50.2 Takayanagi 51.9 Mutsumi 53.3 Shin-Kamagaya Hokusō Line Shin-Keisei Line Hatsutomi 55.2 Kamagaya 57.7 Magomezawa 60.1 Tsukada 61.3 Shin-Funabashi Kaijin Bypass abandoned in 1934 Keisei Main Line Tōyō Rapid Line 62.7 Funabashi Sōbu Main Line Chūō-Sōbu Line Keisei Main Line Keisei-Funabashi

The Tōbu Noda Line (東武野田線, Tōbu Noda-sen^?) is a railway line of the Japanese private railway company Tobu Railway, in Saitama and Chiba Prefectures. It is 62.7 km (39.0 mi) long, and connects the satellite cities of Tokyo, such as Saitama, Kasukabe, Noda, Nagareyama, Matsudo, Kamagaya, Kashiwa, and Funabashi.^[1]

Description

• Track
  • Double: Ōmiya - Kasukabe, Unga - Sakasai, Mutsumi - Funabashi
  • Single: the rest

History

The line first opened as the Chiba Prefectural Railway Noda Line (千葉県営鉄道野田線, Chiba Ken'ei Tetsudō Noda-sen^?) on 9 May 1911, from Kashiwa to Nodamachi (now Nodashi), a distance of 9  miles 10 chains (14.7 km) using steam haulage.^[1] In 1923, the line was privatized and the operator was named Hokusō Railway (北総鉄道, Hokusō Tetsudō^?) (separate from the present Hokusō Railway), and also opened its own line from Funabashi Station to Kashiwa Station, a distance of 19.6 km (12 mi 14 ch).

Later the company stretched the line to Ōmiya gradually, entering the Musashi Province. Thus it changed its name in 1929 to Sōbu Railway (総武鉄道, Sōbu Tetsudō^?) (not to confuse with the present Sōbu Main Line). Present stretch was made in 1930 with the completion of the bridge over the Edo River.

On 1 March 1944, the company merged with the Tobu Railway. 6-car trains were introduced from November 1972, according to the increase of passenger.^[1]

Electrification was commenced in 1929 between Kasukabe and Ōmiya, and the entire line was electrified by 1 March 1947.^[1]

Operation

All trains are operated as Locals, stopping at all stations. Most trains, excluding a few from/to train depots, originate or terminate at Kashiwa Station which has a switchback. Daytime, 6 trains run in an hour. All trains stop at all stations.

Stations

Station	Japanese	Transfers	Location
Ōmiya	大宮	Tōhoku Shinkansen Akita Shinkansen Yamagata Shinkansen Jōetsu Shinkansen Nagano Shinkansen Kawagoe Line Keihin-Tōhoku Line Saikyō Line Shōnan-Shinjuku Line Takasaki Line Tōhoku Main Line (Utsunomiya Line) New Shuttle	Ōmiya-ku, Saitama	Saitama
Kita-Ōmiya	北大宮
Ōmiya-kōen	大宮公園
Ōwada	大和田		Minuma-ku, Saitama
Nanasato	七里
Iwatsuki	岩槻		Iwatsuki-ku, Saitama
Higashi-Iwatsuki	東岩槻
Toyoharu	豊春		Kasukabe
Yagisaki	八木崎
Kasukabe	春日部	Tōbu Isesaki Line
Fujino-ushijima	藤の牛島
Minami-Sakurai	南桜井
Kawama	川間		Noda	Chiba
Nanakōdai	七光台
Shimizu-kōen	清水公園
Atago	愛宕
Nodashi	野田市
Umesato	梅郷
Unga	運河		Nagareyama
Edogawadai	江戸川台
Hatsuishi	初石
Nagareyama-ōtakanomori	流山おおたかの森	Tsukuba Express
Toyoshiki	豊四季		Kashiwa
Kashiwa	柏	Jōban Line
Shin-Kashiwa	新柏
Masuo	増尾
Sakasai	逆井
Takayanagi	高柳
Mutsumi	六実		Matsudo
Shin-Kamagaya	新鎌ヶ谷	Shin-Keisei Line Hokusō Line	Kamagaya
Kamagaya	鎌ヶ谷
Magomezawa	馬込沢		Funabashi
Tsukada	塚田
Shin-Funabashi	新船橋
Funabashi	船橋	Sōbu Main Line Chūō-Sōbu Line Keisei Main Line (at Keisei-Funabashi)

References

1. ^ ^{a b c d e} Terada, Hirokazu (July 2002). データブック日本の私鉄 (Databook: Japan's Private Railways). Japan: Neko Publishing. ISBN 4-87366-874-3. 

External links

• Tobu Railway Noda Line information page (Japanese)