The is a limited-stop "

Home Liner is the generic name given to limited-stop commuter train services operated by railway companies in Japan, which require the purchase of a supplementary or in addition to the base fare ticket. The supplementary ticket guarantees passengers a sea ...

"-style service to and from Kuki Station in Saitama on the

Tobu Isesaki Line The is a Japanese railway line operated by the private railway company Tobu Railway, extending from Tōbu-Dōbutsu-Kōen Station in Saitama to Isesaki Station in Gunma Prefecture. The Isesaki Line can refer to the entire section between Asakusa ...

operated by the

private railway A private railway is a railroad run by a private business entity (usually a corporation but not need be), as opposed to a railroad run by a public sector. Japan In Japan, , commonly simply ''private railway'', refers to a public transit railway o ...

operator

Tobu Railway is a Japanese commuter railway and ''keiretsu'' holding company in the Greater Tokyo Area as well as an intercity and regional operator in the Kantō region. Excluding the Japan Railways Group companies, Tobu's rail system is the second longes ...

in Japan since June 2020.

Service outline

''TH Liner'' services operate in the mornings on weekdays and weekdays in the " up" direction (two services) from in

Saitama Prefecture is a landlocked prefecture of Japan located in the Kantō region of Honshu. Saitama Prefecture has a population of 7,338,536 (1 January 2020) and has a geographic area of 3,797 km2 (1,466 sq mi). Saitama Prefecture borders Tochigi Prefecture ...

to in

Tokyo Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, with an estimated 37.468 ...

, and in the evenings (weekdays and weekends) in the " down" direction (five services) from

Kasumigaseki Kasumigaseki (霞が関, 霞ヶ関 or 霞ケ関) is a district in Chiyoda Ward in Tokyo, Japan. It is the location of most of Japan's cabinet ministry offices. The name is often used as a metonym for the Japanese government bureaucracy, whi ...

to Kuki. In the up direction, a supplement of 580 yen (300 yen for children) is required for travel between the serviced Hibiya Line stations and Sengendai station, and 680 yen (350 yen for children) beyond as far as Kuki station. No supplementary fare is required for passengers boarding the service between Kasumigaseki to Ebisu. All seats are reserved, and the supplementary tickets indicate which car to ride in.

Rolling stock

''TH Liner'' services are operated by a fleet of 70090 series 7-car

electric multiple units An electric multiple unit or EMU is a multiple-unit train consisting of self-propelled carriages using electricity as the motive power. An EMU requires no separate locomotive, as electric traction motors are incorporated within one or a number ...

(EMUs). Like their 50090 series counterparts, these sets are unusual in having rotating pairs of seats allowing them to be used with longitudinal seating on regular daytime services, and with transverse seating on ''TH Liner'' services.

Station stops

Morning "Up" services start at Kuki and terminate at Ebisu. Evening "Down" services start at Kasumigaseki and terminate at Kuki. For the morning "up" services, the service only picks up passengers between Kuki and Shin-Koshigaya. Between

Ueno is a district in Tokyo's Taitō Ward, best known as the home of Ueno Park. Ueno is also home to some of Tokyo's finest cultural sites, including the Tokyo National Museum, the National Museum of Western Art, and the National Museum of Na ...

and

Ginza Ginza ( ; ja, 銀座 ) is a district of Chūō, Tokyo, located south of Yaesu and Kyōbashi, west of Tsukiji, east of Yūrakuchō and Uchisaiwaichō, and north of Shinbashi. It is a popular upscale shopping area of Tokyo, with numerous intern ...

, passengers can only get off the train. Starting at Kasumigaseki, passengers may get on and off at any of the serviced Hibiya line stations until the terminus at Ebisu. For the evening "down" services, passengers can only get on the train at the Hibiya Line stations starting at Kasumigaseki. Starting at Shin-Koshigaya, passengers may only get off the train until the terminus at Kuki. ●: Stop, ○: Stop (only available for boarding), ◎: Stop (only available for getting off)

History

2019

On 26 March 2019, the

Tokyo Metro The is a major rapid transit system in Tokyo, Japan, operated by the Tokyo Metro Co. With an average daily ridership of 6.84 million passengers, the Tokyo Metro is the larger of the two subway operators in the city; the other being the Toe ...

and private operator

revealed plans to operate a reserved-seat

service that would connect the

and the

Hibiya Line The is a subway line in Tokyo, Japan, owned and operated by Tokyo Metro. The line was named after the Hibiya area in Chiyoda's Yurakucho district, under which it passes. On maps, diagrams and signboards, the line is shown using the color silve ...

. The rolling stock for this service would be a new variant of the 70000 series introduced in 2017. Later on 19 December, additional details were announced such as the name of the service, stopping pattern, and schedule.

2020

On 6 June 2020 the TH Liner began service.

References

{{reflist Passenger rail transport in Japan Railway services introduced in 2020 Named passenger trains of Japan Tobu Skytree Line 2020 establishments in Japan