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
Odakyu Electric Railway
, commonly known as Odakyū, is a major railway company based in Tokyo, Japan, best known for its '' Romancecar'' series of limited express trains from Tokyo to Odawara, Enoshima, Tama New Town, and Hakone.
The Odakyu Electric Railway Compa ...
Tokyo
Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and List of cities in Japan, largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, ...
through the southwest suburbs to the city of
Odawara
is a city in Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 188,482 and a population density of 1,700 persons per km2. The total area of the city is .
Geography
Odawara lies in the Ashigara Plains, in the far western por ...
, the gateway to
Hakone
is a List of towns in Japan, town in Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan. , the town had a population of 11,293 and a population density of 122 persons per km². The total area of the town is . The town is a popular tourist destination due to its many o ...
in
Kanagawa Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan located in the Kantō region of Honshu. Kanagawa Prefecture is the second-most populous prefecture of Japan at 9,221,129 (1 April 2022) and third-densest at . Its geographic area of makes it fifth-smallest. Kanag ...
. It is a busy commuter line and is also known for its "
Romancecar
The is Odakyu Electric Railway's name for its limited express luxury tourist services south-west of Tokyo, to mountain resorts such as Hakone and Gotemba (Mount Fuji), and beaches such as Odawara and Enoshima. When the service started in 19 ...
" limited express services. From
Yoyogi-Uehara Station
is a railway station on the Odakyū Odawara Line and Tokyo Metro Chiyoda Line in Shibuya, Tokyo, Japan. The Tokyo Metro station number is C-01.
Both lines share platforms at this station, as each line has through operation onto the other.
Sta ...
some trains continue onto the
Tokyo Metro Chiyoda Line
The is a subway line owned and operated by Tokyo Metro in Tokyo, Japan. On average, the line carries 1,447,730 passengers daily (2017), the second highest of the Tokyo Metro network, behind the Tozai Line (1,642,378).East Japan Railway Company Joban Line.
Operation
Destinations are from Shinjuku unless noted. English abbreviations are tentative for this article.
;
:Collectively known as "
Romancecar
The is Odakyu Electric Railway's name for its limited express luxury tourist services south-west of Tokyo, to mountain resorts such as Hakone and Gotemba (Mount Fuji), and beaches such as Odawara and Enoshima. When the service started in 19 ...
Gotemba Line
The is a railway line in Japan operated by the Central Japan Railway Company (JR Central). It connects Kōzu Station in Odawara to Numazu via Gotemba.
The '' Mt. Fuji'' limited express service runs between Tokyo's Shinjuku Station and Gotemb ...
.
; (RE)
:No extra charge. Services are for Odawara and on the Odakyu Enoshima Line.
; (E)
:Services are for and .
; (SE)
:Most services are for and . Most services run through on the Chiyoda and Joban Lines.
;
:Most services for ; others to , through to and the Tama and Hakone Tozan lines. Also service between to
; (CE)
:All services operate in the weekday morning for Shinjuku from Karakida on the Odakyu Tama Line.
; (CS)
:All services operate from Hon-Atsugi to the Chiyoda Line during weekday mornings.
Stations
Notes:
* See the
Romancecar
The is Odakyu Electric Railway's name for its limited express luxury tourist services south-west of Tokyo, to mountain resorts such as Hakone and Gotemba (Mount Fuji), and beaches such as Odawara and Enoshima. When the service started in 19 ...
article for information on Odakyu Romancecar limited express services.
* Local trains stop at every station.
Legend:
* ● - all trains stop at this station; ■ - some trains stop at this station;｜- all trains pass
* "CS" - Commuter Semi Express; "CE" - Commuter Express "SE" - Semi-Express; "E" - Express; "RE" - Rapid Express
History
The Odawara Express Railway Co. opened the entire line on April 1, 1927 in order to allow for the Emperor's family to travel on the line, though as duplication works were not completed until October that year, there was initial timetable and signalling issues. Although primarily intended as a passenger line, gravel began to be hauled in 1930.
In 1942, the company was forcibly merged by the government with
Tokyu Corporation
The is a Japanese multinational '' keiretsu'' (conglomerate) holding company headquartered in Shibuya, Tokyo. Its main operation is , a wholly owned subsidiary operating railways in the Greater Tokyo Area.
History
The oldest predecessor ...
and the line was named the Tokyu Odawara Line. Tokyu was broken up in 1948 and the line was transferred to the newly founded Odakyu Electric Railway Co.
Through operation to the Hakone Tozan Railway's
Hakone Tozan Line
The is a mountain railway in Japan operated by the Hakone Tozan Railway. The company belongs to the Odakyu Group, which also owns the Hakone Tozan Cable Car.
The section of the line from Odawara Station to Hakone-Yumoto Station began ope ...
began in 1950 once dual gauge track was commissioned (the Hakone Tozan Line is , the Odawara Line ). A connecting track was laid in 1955 to Matsuda Station on the
Gotemba Line
The is a railway line in Japan operated by the Central Japan Railway Company (JR Central). It connects Kōzu Station in Odawara to Numazu via Gotemba.
The '' Mt. Fuji'' limited express service runs between Tokyo's Shinjuku Station and Gotemb ...
of the (then)
Japanese National Railways
The abbreviated JNR or , was the business entity that operated Japan's national railway network from 1949 to 1987.
Network Railways
As of June 1, 1949, the date of establishment of JNR, it operated of narrow gauge () railways in all 46 pref ...
, and limited express service through to the line started. To function as a bypass to central Tokyo, through service on the Eidan Subway (now
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 ...
) Chiyoda Line commenced in 1978 via Yoyogi-Uehara.
Increasing traffic volume since the 1970s led to plans being formed in 1985 for a track upgrading project on the Odawara Line, though land acquisition issues stalled major track expansion work until construction began in 2013; the project is being carried out between Yoyogi-Uehara and Mukōgaoka-Yūen, quadrupling the Odawara Line trackage and stacking the tracks underground, allowing for increased express services. Originally a viaduct was planned but this was changed to underground tracks, and work on the tunnel between Setagaya-Daita and Higashi-Kitazawa was completed in 2018.
Former connecting lines
* Setagaya-Daita Station: A gauge line electrified at 1,500 V DC operated to on the
Keio Inokashira Line
The is a railway line operated by the Japanese private railway operator Keio Corporation in the western suburbs of Tokyo, connecting in Tokyo with in Musashino City. It is not physically connected to the Keio Main Line Network, but a transf ...