History of Keio Electric Railway

Keio Electric Railway has its roots in the former Keio Electric Railway (Keio Main Line) and the former Teito Electric Railway (Inokashira Line), which were established after wartime control during the war. The line opened on April 15, 1913 with a distance of 12.2 km between Sasazuka and Chofu stations.

The following year, the line was extended between Shinmachi (discontinued) and Sasazuka, which led to the extension between Shinjuku-Oiwake (discontinued) and Shinmachi, and in 1916, the line was extended between Chofu and Tamagawara (now Keio-Tamagawa) and between Chofu and Fuchu.
In 1923, the entire line between Shinjuku and Fuchu was double-tracked.
The line between Fuchu and Higashi Hachioji (now Keio-Hachioji) was opened in 1925 by an affiliate company, Tamanami Electric Railway Co.Near Mt.

Track width changed In 1926, Keio Electric Railway merged with Taman Electric Railway, and in 1928, the track width between Fuchu and Higashi Hachioji stations was changed from 1,067mm to 1,372mm, and direct service was started on all lines using the track method. Until then, it was necessary to change trains to go from Shinjuku Station to Higashi-Hachioji Station. Click here for more information about the gauge of the railway. Station name change and line expansion In 1937, many stations were renamed. Keio Shako-mae” became “Sakurajosui”, “Kamitakaido” became “Roka Koen”, “Tama” became “Tama Reien”, “Sekido” became “Seiseki Sakuragaoka”, “Momokusa” became “Hyakusoen”, “Takahata” became “Takahatafudo”, “Tamagawara” became “Keio Tamagawa”, etc.

Inokashira Line Shinsen Tunnel

In 1944 (during the war), the company’s shares were transferred to Tokyu Corporation under the Land Transportation Adjustment Act, and it became a member of Dai-Tokyu Corporation. After the war (1947), the Keio Main Line and Inokashira Line were reorganized as Keio Teito Railways, along with the dismantling of Dai-Tokyu. In 1949, Keio began operating its first express service between Shinjuku and Chofu stations, which was the first express train service on Keio’s main line. In 1955, the Horse Racing Track Line opens between Higashi-fuchu and Fuchu Keiba Shomon-mae stations.

In 1963, the underground station of Shinjuku Station started operation. In the same year, express trains began operating between Shinjuku and Higashi Hachioji Station, and Higashi Hachioji Station was moved 120 meters closer to Shinjuku and renamed Keio-Hachioji. It was also in this year that the overhead line voltage was increased from 600V to 1,500V. In April 1964, the Zoological Park Line opened between Takahatafudo and Tama Zoological Park stations; in October 1978, the Keio New Line opened and Hatsudai and Hatagaya stations moved to the new line; in March 1980, the Toei Subway Shinjuku Line opened and began direct service between the two lines. In 1983, the Keio Main Line between Sasazuka and Shinjuku stations switched to underground operation. The Sagamihara Line between Chofu and Hashimoto stations opened on March 20, 1990. On July 1, 1998, the company name is changed from Keio Teito Dentetsu to Keio Dentetsu.

Termination of Hashimoto Station [2011/11/06].

Gauge 1,372mm The gauge was changed to 1,372mm in 1928 in order to connect to the Tokyo City Tram Line. Although the connection with Tokyo City Tram was not realized, it was connected with Tokyu Tamagawa Line branch line (now Setagaya Line) at Shimotakaido Station to transport goods during the war. The same is true of Keisei Electric Railway and Keihin Electric Express, which were built in accordance with the Track Law rather than the Local Railway Law, but both have changed their gauge to standard gauge. In the 1950s, it was considered to change the gauge to standard gauge (1,435mm) in order to connect to the Toei Shinjuku Line, but the Tokyo Metropolitan Transportation Bureau decided to build the Toei Shinjuku Line with 1,372mm gauge in accordance with Keio’s policy because of the huge cost and long-term decrease in transportation capacity.

Series 6000-6715F formation (scrapped in January 2010)

Keio Rail Land

Keio Rail Land	Vehicles on Display	Vehicles on Display	Vehicles on Display
Vehicles on Display	Vehicles on Display	model railroad	model railroad

Keio Rail Land was operated as an exhibition facility attached to Tama Zoological Park Station from March 2000 to August 2013, but was renovated into a two-story facility including an outdoor train exhibition hall to celebrate the 100th anniversary of Keio Railways, and opened on October 10, 2013. The exhibits include Series 2010 Deha 2015, Type 2400 Deha 2410, Series 5000 Kuha 5723, Series 3000 Kuha 3719 and Series 6000 Deha 6438. There are also a driving simulator and HO gauge model trains, but the facility is geared more towards families and young children. It is located next to Tama Zoological Park Station on the Tama Zoological Park Line from Takahatafudo Station. Admission is 250 yen. For more information, please visit the official website. Here it is.

Keio type ATC

Keio Main Line, unlit departure signal	ATC ground plane	Series 8000 ATC indicator lights	ATC-ized Series 8000

The Keio ATC system uses a “single-stage brake ATC system” that constantly calculates the brake pattern based on information such as the speed limit of the preceding train, track opening conditions, and curved sections. It also has an overtravel prevention function when approaching the end of the track. Although already in use on the Sagamihara Line, ATC is not compatible with the ATC installed on the Toei Shinjuku Line, so separate ATC equipment must be installed for trains operating directly between the lines.

The Keio Sagamihara Line (between Chofu and Hashimoto Stations) started ATC operation on March 26, 2010. The Keio Main Line (between Shinjuku and Keio-Hachioji/Takaoyamaguchi Stations) started ATC operation on October 2, 2011. Keio Inokashira Line (Shibuya – Kichijoji) started ATC operation on March 3, 2013. The photo shows the ground signal lights that have been turned off due to the ATC system. The official announcement by Keio Electric Railway is here ( PDF). *Click here to visit the Keio Museum of History.

Keio Inokashira Line, unlit departure signal

[Please click here for more information about the Chofu Station Area Continuous Intercrossing Project.

Continuous Inter section and Double-Double Track Project (between Sasazuka Station and Tsutsujigaoka Station) On February 28, 2014, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (MLIT) approved a 7.1-km project (170.1 billion yen) between Sasazuka Station and Tsutsujigaoka Station, which will be completed in 2020. This large-scale construction work will eliminate 25 level-crossings, thereby eliminating traffic congestion and level-crossing accidents. For more information, please click here ( PDF).

History of Inokashira Line

The Inokashira Line was opened in 1933 by Teito Dentetsu, an affiliate of Kinugawa Hydroelectric Railway, as the Shibuya Line between Shibuya and Inokashira Park Station. The following year, the line was fully extended to Kichijoji Station.

In 1941, the line was merged with Odakyu Electric Railway, which was also affiliated with Kinugawa Hydro Electric, and became Odakyu Electric Railway Teito Line, but Odakyu Electric Railway became a member of Dai Tokyu and changed to Tokyu Teito Line. During the war, the Inokashira Line was nearly destroyed when the Eifukucho garage was damaged in an air raid. For this reason, the Daita Liaison Line (abolished) was used and cars from the Japan National Railways were introduced via the Odakyu Line. After the war, the Keio Line and Inokashira Line started as Keio Teito Electric Railway with the dismantling of Daitokyu. The reason why the two lines with different histories became the same company is because the Keio Line at that time was a streetcar facility and the electric power distribution business, which was the mainstay of Keio Electric Railway before the war, was eliminated. In addition, the reason why the Keio line was separated from the Tokyu line was because the management base became weak and it was difficult to become independent from the Tokyu line.

Kichijoji Station

Keio Electric Railway’s Train Transport Keio Electric Railway often manufactures new rolling stock for the Keio Main Line at either Tokyu Sharyo Manufacturing (Kanazawa-ku, Yokohama City) or Nippon Sharyo (Toyokawa City, Aichi Prefecture). If the rolling stock is manufactured by Tokyu Sharyo, the car body is loaded onto a trailer and transported by road to the Wakabadai inspection area. If built by Nippon Sharyo, the newly built car is fitted with a 1,067mm gauge temporary bogie and JR Freight carries the car in a class A train from Toyokawa on the Iida Line to Chidoricho on the Kanagawa Waterfront Railway via the Kawasaki Freight on the Tokaido Freight Line. Here, the car is replaced with a Torra and sent overland to the Wakabadai Inspection District before being replaced with a regular bogie.

Wakabadai Inspection District

In the case of Inokashira Line rolling stock, we cannot transport new rolling stock by train because it is a stand-alone line. The car body and bogie are transported by separate trailers to the Keio Bus garage adjacent to Eifukucho Station. After the last train, the new cars are towed by other trains to Fujimigaoka Inspection District. The reason why Eifukucho station is used is because Fujimigaoka inspection area is not accessible to trailers due to the road condition. The photos (1) to (4) below show the land transportation of the Inokashira Line 3000 Series 3729F formation on July 5, 2011. Since the deployment of the 1000 Series has been completed, it is expected that there will not be any new cars brought in for a while after the last 3728F formation is carried out.

Eifukucho Station Detention Line

Phantom Tokyo Yamanote Express Railway

The photo below shows the Suidobashi near Meidaimae station, which straddles the Inokashira line. In the foreground, you can see a space for two lines, which is the former site of the Tokyo Yamanote Kyuko Railway’s unused line. The Meidaimae station is the intersection station with the Inokashira line in the “Second Yamanote line plan” of Tokyo Yamanote Express Railway, so the space for double tracks was secured.

The route was scheduled to start from “Oimachi” on the JR Keihin Tohoku Line and Tokyu Oimachi Line in the current station name The route was scheduled to start from “Oimachi” on the JR Keihin Tohoku Line and Tokyu Oimachi Line and end at “Suzakicho”. Oimachi” on the Tokyu Oimachi Line – “Yukigaya” on the Tokyu Ikegami Line – “Jiyugaoka” on the Tokyu Toyoko Line – “Komazawa University” on the Tokyu Denentoshi Line – “Umegaoka” on the Odakyu Line – “Meidaimae” on the Keio Line – “Nakano” on the JR Chuo Line – “Araiyakushimae” on the Seibu Shinjuku Line – “Ekoda” on the Seibu Ikebukuro Line – “Shimoitabashi” on the Tobu Tojo Line – “Itabashi” on the JR Saikyo Line – “Tabata” on the JR Yamanote Line Tabata” – “Kitasenju” on the JR Joban Line and Tobu Isezaki Line to “Suzaki-cho” via Terashima-cho, Oshima-cho and Sunamachi. The Yamanote Line started circular operation in 1925. At that time, in anticipation of further development along the line, another loop line was planned to be constructed by a private railway company. This was the “Second Yamanote Line Concept” of the Tokyo Yamanote Express Railway Company.

Piers that go under the Tamagawa-josui

Tokyo Yamate Express Railway received a license for the above route in 1927, but due to the prolonged effects of the Great Kanto Earthquake (September 1923), the Showa financial panic and the Great Depression, construction did not go as smoothly as expected. In 1933, the Inokashira Line was partially opened, but this did not stop the construction of the licensed line. In 1936, the license for the section in the eastern part of Tokyo was revoked and the terminus was changed to Komagome on the Yamanote Line. The license for the section between “Oimachi – Jiyugaoka – Komazawa – Umegaoka – Meidaimae – Nakano – Komagome” station was obtained. However, the Sino-Japanese War broke out in 1937, making the business environment more difficult, and when the Teito Electric Railway was integrated into Odakyu in 1940, the license for the remaining section that had been granted expired and the project was abandoned. The only remnant of the Tokyo Yamanote Express Railway’s “Second Yamanote Line Project” can be seen in the piers that still exist.

Keio Electric Railway lines in operation ( total kilometers : 104.9km)

line	interval	Interval distance	record
Keio Line	Shinjuku – Keio-Hachioji	37.9km	The maximum speed was changed from 95 km/h to 105 km/h in April 1971.
Keio New Line	Sasazuka – New Line Shinjuku	3.6Km	Direct service to Motoyawata Station on the Toei Shinjuku Line.
Sagamihara Line	Chofu – Hashimoto	22.6km	The maximum speed was changed to 110 km/h in December 1997.
Koukeiba Line (railway in Hyogo Prefecture)	Higashi-fuchu – Fuchu Keiba Shomon-mae	0.9km	–
zoological garden line	Takahatafudo – Tama Zoo	2.0km	single-track section
Takao Line	Kitano – Takaoyamaguchi	8.6km	The “Takao – Takaoyamaguchi” section is a single-track section.
Inokashira Line (East Okayama Railway)	Shibuya – Kichijoji	12.7km	Independent line. *The gauge of Inokashira Line is 1,067mm.

Keio Teito Railway Keio Line train accident [ October 3, 1979].

At the Tobitakyu No. 11 level crossing on the east side of Musashinodai Station on the Keio Teito Railway (now Keio Electric Railway) Keio Line, an up express train (Series 5000, 7-car formation) from Takaoyamaguchi to Shinjuku collided with an excavator that had fallen off the back of a truck, blocking the down line, and a down express train 0015 from Shinjuku to Keio Hachioji (Series 5000 The first two cars derailed and overturned. The driver of the truck who got into the heavy equipment to move it out was run over by the train and killed, and 52 passengers and crew members of the train were injured. The driver of the truck was killed when he was hit by a train, and 52 passengers and passengers on board were injured. The accident car was taken to the Takahatafudo inspection area in Takahatafudo Station, and the lead car (Kuha No. 5871) in the Keio-Hachioji direction, which was badly damaged, was scrapped.