Seibu Tamako Line

The Seibu Tamako Line (西武多摩湖線, Seibu Tamako-sen) is a 9.2-kilometre (5.7 mi) single-track railway line in Tokyo, Japan, operated by the private railway operator Seibu Railway.

Seibu Tamako Line
Seibu Tamako Line train near Hagiyama station
Overview
Native name西武多摩湖線
OwnerSeibu Railway
LocaleKantō region
Termini
Stations7
Service
TypeCommuter rail
SystemSeibu Shinjuku
Rolling stockSeibu 101 series and Seibu 3000 series
History
Opened1928[citation needed]
Technical
Line length9.2 km (5.7 mi)
Number of tracks1
Track gauge1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in)
Electrification1,500 V DC, overhead catenary
Operating speed95 km/h (60 mph)
Route map

km
0.0
Kokubunji
2.4
Hitotsubashi-Gakuen
3.4
Ōmekaidō
4.6
Hagiyama
5.6
Yasaka
8.1
Musashi-Yamato
9.2
Tamako

The line is part of the Seibu Shinjuku group of railway lines that connects suburban areas of western Tokyo to Seibu and JR East main lines that extend to central Tokyo. The line is named after the Tama Lake (多摩湖, Tamako), a major reservoir supplying water to Tokyo, located close to the terminus of the line at Tamako. Since July 2008, recorded announcements on trains have been provided in English in addition to Japanese and, as part of Seibu Railway's ongoing refurbishment programme, signage and maps at stations are also bilingual.

Stations

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No.NameJapaneseDistance
(in km)
ConnectionsLocation
ST01Kokubunji国分寺0.0 Seibu Kokubunji Line
JC Chūō Line (Rapid)
Kokubunji, Tokyo
ST02Hitotsubashi-Gakuen一橋学園2.4 Kodaira, Tokyo
ST03Ōmekaidō青梅街道3.4
ST04Hagiyama萩山4.6 Seibu Haijima LineHigashimurayama, Tokyo
ST05Yasaka八坂5.6 
ST06Musashi-Yamato武蔵大和8.1
ST07Tamako多摩湖9.2 Seibu Yamaguchi Line

Operation

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All services on this line operate as all-stations "Local" (普通列車, futsū-ressha) services, mainly for the full length of the line between Tamako and Kokubunji stations, with other services terminating at starting from the middle station, Hagiyama.[1]The line is single track except at Hitotsubashi-Gakuen station and Hagiyama station, where services in operation routinely pass each other.

Connections

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This line connects the suburban Seibu lines with the JC JR Chūō line at Kokubunji. At Hagiyama, there is transfer to the Seibu Haijima Line. The Seibu Yamaguchi Line, also known as the Leo Liner, connects Tamako Station with Seibuen Amusement park and the Seibu Dome, home of the Saitama Seibu Lions baseball team. Ōmekaidō Station is listed as a connection to services on the JM JR Musashino Line at Shin-Kodaira Station, a short walk away.

The Tamako Line also provides access to the National Center of Neurology and Psychiatry[2] and the International Campus of Hitotsubashi Gakuen University[3] from Hagiyama and Hitotsubashi-Gakuen stations respectively.

History

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A Tamako Railway train at Kokubunji Station in 1937

The Tamako Railway opened the Kokubunji to Hagiyama section in 1928, and extended it to Musashi-Yamato in 1930, electrifying the entire section at 600 V DC at the same time.[citation needed] The company was absorbed into the Seibu Railway system on 12 March 1940.[4] In 1961, the line was extended to Seibu-yūenchi (now Tamako), and the voltage increased to 1,500 V DC at the same time.[citation needed]

References

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

  1. ^ Seibu Tamako line Timetable
  2. ^ National Center of Neurology and Psychiatry: Access
  3. ^ Hitotsubashi Gakuen University: Directions
  4. ^ Terada, Hirokazu (July 2002). データブック日本の私鉄 [Databook: Japan's Private Railways]. Japan: Neko Publishing. pp. 200–202. ISBN 4-87366-874-3.
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