The is a railway line operated by the Japanese

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

Keio Corporation is a private railway operator in Tokyo, Japan and the central firm of the that is involved in transport, retailer, retail, real estate and other industries. The Keio railway network connects western suburbs of Tokyo (Chōfu, Tokyo, Chōfu, Fuc ...

. The line connects Kitano Station on the Keio Line, to Takaosanguchi Station, and offers access to Mount Takao at the terminal. It is gauge, electrified at 1,500 V DC. The line originally terminated at Goryōmae to service visitors to the

Musashi Imperial Graveyard is a mausoleum complex of the Japanese Emperors in Nagabusa-machi, Hachiōji, Tokyo, Japan. Located within a forest in the western suburbs of Tokyo and named for the ancient Musashi Province, the site contains the mausolea of Emperor Taishō ...

. During the daytime, most trains operate through to/from the

Shinjuku , officially called Shinjuku City, is a special ward of Tokyo, Japan. It is a major commercial and administrative center, housing the northern half of the busiest railway station in the world ( Shinjuku Station) as well as the Tokyo Metropol ...

terminal on the Keio Line.

Service patterns

On the Takao Line, Keio operates six different service types, with trains running through to and from the Keio Main Line. * (L) * (R) * (SeE) * (E) * (SpE) * Mt.TAKAO (MT) - Reserved-seat supplementary-fare services to and from Shinjuku, operating on weekends and holidays with three round-trips.

Stations

All stations are in Hachiōji, Tokyo. ;Legend
● : All trains stop
▲ : Shinjuku-bound trains stop to pick up passengers
│ : All trains pass

History

Former Goryō Line

On March 20, 1930, the Keio Electric Tramway opened the Goryō Line, a 6.3 km branch of the Keio Line, electrified at 600 V DC, between Kitano Station and Goryōmae Station. The terminus, Goryōmae, was a gateway for the tomb of

Emperor Taishō , posthumously honored as , was the 123rd emperor of Japan according to the traditional order of succession, reigning from 1912 until his death in 1926. His reign, known as the Taishō era, was characterized by a liberal and democratic shift in ...

. The line had three intermediate stations: Katakura, Yamada, and Yokoyama. Yokoyama Station and Goryōmae Station were renamed Musashi-Yokoyama Station and Tamagoryōmae Station respectively in 1937. The line was single track and had a

passing loop A passing loop (UK usage) or passing siding (North America) (also called a crossing loop, crossing place, refuge loop or, colloquially, a hole) is a place on a single line railway or tramway, often located at or near a station, where trains o ...

at Yokoyama Station. On weekdays, the line operated at 30 or 40 minute intervals, while at weekends it operated through trains to Yotsuya-Shinjuku Station, the Tokyo terminal of Keio at that time, at 20-minute intervals. The Keio Electric Tramway was merged into Tokyō Kyūko Dentetsu (present-day

Tokyu Corporation The , a contraction of and formerly until 2 September 2019, is a Japanese ''keiretsu'' or conglomerate headquartered in Shibuya, Tokyo. While a multinational corporation, its main operation is , a wholly-owned subsidiary operating railways i ...

) in 1944. The new operator suspended operation of the Goryō Line on January 21, 1945, as a "not needed or not pressing" line, which was subject of the collection of metal for the war effort. In 1948, Keio Teito Electric Railway (present-day Keio Corporation) was established and succeeded the former operation of Keiō Electric Tramway including the suspended Goryō Line.

Takao Line

During the economic boom in the 1960s, Keio decided to build a new line to Mount Takao, utilizing a part of the (effectively closed) Goryō Line. Keio opened the Takao Line on October 1, 1967, electrified at 1,500 V DC and dual track to Takao station. Of the former Goryō Line stations, Katakura Station (newly named Keiō-Katakura Station) and Yamada Station were revived.

References

This article incorporates material from the corresponding article in the Japanese Wikipedia.

External links

Keio Corporation website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Keio Takao Line Takao Line Railway lines in Tokyo 4 ft 6 in gauge railways in Japan