The Den-en-toshi Line (田園都市線, Den'entoshi-sen, "Garden City Line") is a major commuter line operated by the private railway operator Tokyu Corporation and connecting south-western suburbs of Tokyo and neighbouring Kanagawa Prefecture, with its western terminus of Chūō-Rinkan, to a major railway junction of western downtown Tokyo, Shibuya. At Shibuya, nearly all the trains continue on the Tokyo Metro Hanzomon Line.
The line's color on maps and station guides is green, and stations carry the prefix "DT" followed by a number.[2]
History
Den-en-toshi Line was built underneath the road where the original Tamagawa Interurban Line ran
Prewar predecessors
On March 6, 1907, the Tamagawa Electric Railway (玉川電気鉄道, Tamagawa Denki Tetsudō, "Tamaden") opened the first section of an interurban line between Shibuya and what is now Futako-Tamagawa, using 1,372 mm (4 ft 6 in) gauge.[3] The line was called the Tamagawa Line (玉川線) and is not to be confused with today's Tokyu Tamagawa Line (東急多摩川線). The branch from Sangen-Jaya Station opened on January 18, 1925.
Tama Den-En-Toshi Plan
In 1953, Tokyu Group president Keita Gotō unveiled a "new town" planning scheme called the South-Western Area Development Plan. He envisioned new railway line and freeway and large, clean houses for commuters working in Tokyo.[4] The railway line would become the Tama Den-En-Toshi Line and the expressway the Tōmei Expressway. The parts of the new line completely overlaps the Tamagawa Line and the project is known as the Shin-Tamagawa Line or "New Tamagawa Line" which runs in an underground alignment under the old interurban line. The Tamagawa Line was closed in 1969 in anticipation for the opening of the Shin-Tamagawa Line, with the remaining branch line of the Tamagawa Electric Railway split off into the present Tokyu Setagaya Line. The underground Shin-Tamagawa Line opened a few years later in 1977, completely replacing the closed interurban line. Upon opening it was treated as a separate line from the Ōimachi Line connecting to said line at Futako-Tamagawa.[citation needed]
Tokyu has expanded the line to four tracks from Futako-Tamagawa to Mizonokuchi; most trains of the Ōimachi line run through this section to Mizonokuchi, with some local trains making the intermediate stops. This service began in June 2009, postponed from fiscal 2007. Ōimachi line trains, which are 5- or 7-car sets, will then run between Ōimachi and Mizonokuchi.[5]
The following three types of service are operated on the line.[6]
Local (各駅停車, Kakueki-teisha) (L)
Stops at all stations. Eight services per hour in each direction during the daytime. Two of eight are not through service to the Hanzōmon Line.
Semi-Express (準急, Junkyū) (SE)
In the morning rush hour, all limited-stop services are semi-express.
In the daytime, two services are operated per hour in each direction and connect to a local train at Shibuya (outbound only), Saginuma and Nagatsuta (inbound only).
Express (急行, Kyūkō) (Ex)
Not operated in morning rush hour. In the daytime, six services are operated per hour in each direction and two of six is through to the Ōimachi Line. Most express connect to a local train at Sangen-jaya (inbound only), Futako-tamagawa (outbound and through service to the Ōimachi Line), Saginuma and Nagatsuta.
Through trains to Ōimachi Line
On weekends, two seven-car express trains per days are operated to/from Ōimachi and Nagatsuta. Also, a few trains are operated through to/from the Tōkyū Ōimachi Line to utilize forwardings to/from Saginuma depot, up to Ōimachi in the mornings, and down to Saginuma in the late evenings. These formations are 7-car sets, unlike the 10-car trains normally used on the line. A few express trains during the holidays also serve from Chūō-Rinkan in the mornings, down in the evenings.[citation needed]
^The transfer between the Hanzomon Line and the Ginza Line at Shibuya is an out-of-system transfer since they are separate stations. Due to the distance between the two stations, transfers between the two lines are announced at Omotesandō.
^"各駅・沿線情報" [Routes: Tokyu Corporation]. Tokyu Corporation (in Japanese). Archived from the original on 26 January 2022. Retrieved 18 March 2020.
^"写真・図版（6枚目）| いまとはまるで違う56年前の「二子玉川」 世田谷南西部を支えた路面電車「玉電」と「砧線」〈AERA〉" [Photos and illustrations: "Futako Tamagawa" 56 years ago, completely different from today Trams "Tamaden" and "Kinuta Line" that ran in the southwestern part of Setagaya]. AERA dot. 11 April 2020. Retrieved 5 March 2022.
^"3月28日 大井町線の急行運転を開始。田園都市線の混雑緩和をめざします。" [March 28 Express service on the Oimachi Line begins. We aim to alleviate congestion on the Den-en-toshi Line.]. tokyu.co.jp. Archived from the original on 3 March 2009. Retrieved 6 August 2022.
^Ueshin, Daisuke (17 March 2017). 東急田園都市線2020系、新型車両は「これまでにない新しさ」2018年春導入へ [New Tokyu Denentoshi Line 2020 series trains to be introduced in spring 2018]. Mynavi News (in Japanese). Japan. Archived from the original on 19 March 2017. Retrieved 19 March 2017.
^さようなら東急8500系！ 最後の8637編成が引退 「これまでのご愛顧に感謝」 [Goodbye, Tokyu 8500 series! The set, 8637, has been retired]. Traffic News (in Japanese). 2023-01-25. Retrieved 2023-01-25.
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