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 - Isesaki and Oshiage - Hikifune, but from March 2012, the section south of Tōbu-Dōbutsu-Kōen was branded as the Tobu Skytree Line in conjunction with the opening of the Tokyo Skytree tower.
Descriptions Track single: − double: the rest
Operation
Service patterns Stops and operated sections are as of February 15, 2023. (announced as or for short) (L) Tōbu-Dōbutsu-Kōen − Ōta. Connection with Express. Three per hour, with one between Kuki and Tatebayashi. Ōta − Isesaki. One per hour per direction, conductorless. (SSE) Between Asakusa and Tōbu-Dōbutsu Kōen, Kuki or Minami-Kurihashi on Nikkō Line. (SmE) Early morning and late night. Down to Tōbu-Dōbutsu-Kōen, Kuki or to Minami-Kurihashi on the Nikkō Line through from Chūō-Rinkan of Tokyu Den-en-toshi Line via Hanzōmon Line. 10 cars. (SE) Between Asakusa and Tōbu-Dōbutsu-Kōen, Tatebayashi or Ōta. (Ex) From morning to night. Down to Tōbu-Dōbutsu-Kōen, Kuki (nearly half to Minami-Kurihashi on the Nikkō Line), through from Chūō-Rinkan on the Tokyu Den-en-toshi Line via Hanzōmon Line. 10 cars. (LE) Stops not shown for now. Charged for seat reservation and rapid service. Mainly through to the Nikkō Line for the Nikko area named and . Some through to Isesaki from Asakusa, sole direct service named . The 70090 Series Services runs through to Ebisu from Kuki, Home liner service named TH Liner.
Stations O: Stop *1: To/from on the Tobu Skytree Line section of the Isesaki Line. *2: To/from on Tokyu Den-en-toshi Line via Tokyo Metro Hanzomon Line For the section between Tōbu-Dōbutsu-Kōen and Asakusa, see Tobu Skytree Line. No. Station L SSE SmE SE Ex Transfers Location 東武動物公園 O O*1 O*2 O*1 O*2 Miyashiro Saitama 和戸 O O O O O 久喜 O O O O O Kuki 鷲宮 O O O 花崎 O O O Kazo 加須 O O O 南羽生 O O O Hanyū 羽生 O O O (CR01) 川俣 O O O Meiwa Gunma 茂林寺前 O O O Tatebayashi 館林 O O O 多々良 O 県 O Ashikaga Tochigi 福居 O 東武和泉 O 足利市 O 野州山辺 O 韮川 O Ōta Gunma 太田 O 細谷 O 木崎 O 世良田 O 境町 O Isesaki 剛志 O 新伊勢崎 O 伊勢崎 O
Rolling stock Current Tobu 200 series Tobu 500 series Tobu 10000 series Tobu 50000 series Tobu 50050 series Tobu 70090 series (TH Liner) Tokyu 2020 series Tokyu 5000 series Tokyo Metro 18000 series Tokyo Metro 8000 series Tokyo Metro 08 series
Former Tokyu 8500 series (1975-2023) Tobu 30000 series
History
The first section of the Isesaki Line was opened by the present company on 27 August 1899 between and utilising steam motive power. On 1 April 1902, Tobu extended the line south to have a maritime connection at present (then , later renamed Asakusa) in downtown Tokyo, and north to . The following year a further northern extension to (then on the south bank of Tone River) was opened. Further northward extension progressed, and in 1910 the line arrived at . In 1931, a bridge over the Sumida River was built and present Asakusa Station (then Asakusa-Narihirabashi) opened as part of the department store building, the entire line being completed.
The Asakusa to Nishiarai section was double-tracked in 1912, and the rest of the line was double-tracked between 1920 and 1927, except for the Hanyu to Kawamata section, which was double-tracked when a second bridge was built over the Tonegawa in 1992.
Electrification was begun in 1924 on the section of Asakusa and , and in 1927 completed as far as Isesaki. The distance of over was then one of the longest electrified railway lines together with the present Kintetsu Osaka Line and Yamada Lines.
After World War II, the Tobu Lines had no connection to the Yamanote Line or other major lines of the then Japanese National Railways (JNR) to offer efficient transfers to central Tokyo. The sole connection was with the Jōban Line at Kitasenju, which offered poor access to central Tokyo. To solve the inefficiencies of transfers at Kitasenju and notoriously narrow Asakusa, in 1962, the Hibiya Line of the then , known as TRTA, present Tokyo Metro) was built, connecting at Kitasenju.
Further growing traffic occurred in the 1990s, and in 2003, the company built new tracks from Hikifune to connect at , officially an annex station of Tokyo Skytree, and through service began with the Hanzomon Line of the Tokyo Metro.
According to the timetable revision from March 2006, less than half of trains originated or terminated at Asakusa, with more trains operating through to Tokyo Metro subway lines.
From 17 March 2012, the section south of Tōbu-Dōbutsu-Kōen was rebranded as the Tobu Skytree Line.
References This article incorporates material from the corresponding article in the Japanese Wikipedia
External links
Tobu Railway Isesaki Line information page