The is a mostly underground

rapid transit Rapid transit or mass rapid transit (MRT) or heavy rail, commonly referred to as metro, is a type of high-capacity public transport that is generally built in urban areas. A grade separation, grade separated rapid transit line below ground su ...

line in Japan operated by the third sector operating company Saitama Railway Corporation. Funded by

Saitama Prefecture is a Landlocked country, landlocked Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located in the Kantō region of Honshu. Saitama Prefecture has a population of 7,338,536 (January 1, 2020) and has a geographic area of 3,797 Square kilometre, km2 ( ...

, local municipal governments, and

Tokyo Metro The Tokyo Metro () is a major rapid transit system in Tokyo, Japan, operated by the #Organization, Tokyo Metro Co. With an average daily ridership of 6.52 million passengers (as of 2023), the Tokyo Metro is the larger of the Tokyo subway, two s ...

, it forms a continuation of the

Tokyo Metro Namboku Line The is a subway line owned and operated by Tokyo Metro in Tokyo, Japan. The line runs between Meguro in Shinagawa and Akabane-Iwabuchi in Kita. The Namboku Line was referred to as Line 7 during the planning stages, thus the seldom-used off ...

, starting at Akabane-iwabuchi Station in

Tokyo Tokyo, officially the Tokyo Metropolis, is the capital of Japan, capital and List of cities in Japan, most populous city in Japan. With a population of over 14 million in the city proper in 2023, it is List of largest cities, one of the most ...

and ending at Urawa-Misono Station in Saitama. The line is used as the main means of transportation to

Saitama Stadium 2002 , the or simply , is a football stadium located in Midori-ku, Saitama, Japan. Currently, J1 League club Urawa Red Diamonds use this stadium for home games. It is the largest football-specific stadium in Japan and is one of the largest stadi ...

. On 27 November 2015, the route was nicknamed the "Saitama Stadium Line". The line symbol used in the station numbering is "SR".

Overview

This line allows trains from the

to operate beyond Akabane-iwabuchi Station into

and ending at Urawa-Misono Station. Most of the line is underground, only Urawa Misono Station and adjacent depots are on the surface. It connects the eastern and northern part of Kawaguchi to Tokyo; areas that were previously only served by buses. Planning for the line stated in 1972 as an extension of the Tokyo Metro Namboku Line. The original alignment was planned to serve eastern Urawa and central Kawaguchi in Saitama. In 1985, the alignment was shifted east to Hatogaya. In 1992, the third sector Saitama Railway Corporation was established by Saitama Prefecture, and construction began in 1995. The line opened on 28 March 2001, ahead of the 2002

FIFA World Cup The FIFA World Cup, often called the World Cup, is an international association football competition among the senior List of men's national association football teams, men's national teams of the members of the FIFA, Fédération Internatio ...

, which held several matches at the

Saitama Stadium , the or simply , is a football stadium located in Midori-ku, Saitama, Japan. Currently, J1 League club Urawa Red Diamonds use this stadium for home games. It is the largest football-specific stadium in Japan and is one of the largest stadi ...

, half an hour on foot from the terminating Urawa-Misono Station. The total cost of construction is 256.1 billion yen, making the cost per kilometer at 17.5 billion yen. Since its opening, the line used six-car trains with all stations (except Urawa-Misono Station) equipped with platforms long enough support future expansion into eight-car trains. Urawa-Misono Station was built as a temporary terminal as the line was planned to be extended further north in the future so it only has platforms long enough for six car trains. A further northern extension beyond Urawa Misono Station connecting Iwatsuki Station of the

Tobu Urban Park Line is a Japanese commuter railway and ''keiretsu'' holding company in the Greater Tokyo Area as well as an intercity and regional operator in the Kantō region. Excluding the Japan Railways Group companies, Tobu's rail system is the second longes ...

and Hasuda Station of the JR Utsunomiya Line ( Tohoku Line) is currently being proposed.

Stations

Rolling stock

* Tokyo Metro 9000 series 6/8-car EMUs *

Tokyu 3000 series The is a Japanese commuter electric multiple unit (EMU) train type operated by Tokyu Corporation in the Tokyo area of Japan. Introduced into service on 16 April 1999 on the Tokyu Toyoko Line as a sole eight-car set, a total of 78 vehicles, wh ...

8-car EMUs *

Tokyu 3020 series The is an electric multiple unit (EMU) commuter train type built by J-TREC and used by the Japanese private railway operator Tokyu Corporation in the Tokyo area since March 2018. The 2020 series is used primarily on the Tokyu Den-en-toshi Lin ...

8-car EMUs *

Tokyu 5080 series The is an electric multiple unit (EMU) train type operated by the private railway operator Tokyu Corporation since 2002 on many of its commuter lines in the Tokyo area of Japan. Design First introduced in 2002, the design is based on the JR ...

8-car EMUs * Saitama Rapid Railway 2000 series 6-car EMUs * Sotetsu 21000 series 8-car EMUs

Shareholders

As of 2013, the main shareholders in Saitama Railway Corporation are as follows.

Ridership

Ridership figures for the line are as follows.

History

The third sector company, Saitama Railway Corporation, was established on 25 March 1992. The entire line from Akabane-Iwabuchi to Urawa-Misono opened on 28 March 2001. Through services to and from on the

Tokyu Meguro Line The is a railway line operated by Japanese private railway company Tokyu Corporation. As a railway line, the name is for the section between and in southwest Tokyo, but nearly all trains run to on a quad-tracked section of the Tōyoko Line ...

commenced on 22 June 2008. On 1 April 2022, eight-car trains began operating on the line. Effective the timetable revision on 18 March 2023, the

Sotetsu Shin-Yokohama Line The , or , is a private railway company operating three lines in Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan. It is a wholly owned subsidiary of holding company Sōtetsu Holdings, Inc. Sōtetsu Holdings is listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange; 6.58% of it is owne ...

and

Tokyu Shin-Yokohama Line 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 ...

began revenue service. Most through services originating from Urawa-Misono continuing onto the Tokyu Line terminate at either

Shin-Yokohama Station is a major interchange railway station in Yokohama, Japan, jointly operated by Central Japan Railway Company (JR Central), East Japan Railway Company (JR East), Yokohama City Transportation Bureau, Sagami Railway (Sotetsu), and Tokyu Railway ...

Ebina Station is an interchange passenger railway station located in the city of Ebina, Kanagawa, Japan. It is jointly operated by the East Japan Railway Company (JR East), and the private railway operators Odakyu Electric Railway, and Sagami Railway (Sōte ...

Future developments

In the future, the line may be extended north from Urawa-Misono through

Iwatsuki-ku, Saitama is one of ten wards of the city of Saitama, in Saitama Prefecture, Japan, and is located in the northeastern part of the city. , the ward had an estimated population of 112,862 and a population density of 2,300 persons per km2. Its total area wa ...

to Hasuda Station (in Hasuda, Saitama) on the

JR East The is a major passenger railway company in Japan and the largest of the seven Japan Railways Group companies. The company name is officially abbreviated as JR-EAST or JR East in English, and as in Japanese. The company's headquarters are in ...

Utsunomiya Line The Utsunomiya Line () is the name given to a section of the Tōhoku Main Line between Tokyo Station in Tokyo and Kuroiso Station in Nasushiobara, Tochigi, Japan. It is part of the East Japan Railway Company (JR East) network. Services Serv ...

, but financial problems have prevented construction of the extension.

References

External links

*
Saitama Prefectural Government information
{{Tokyo transit Railway lines in Japan 1067 mm gauge railways in Japan Railway lines opened in 2001 Underground rapid transit in Japan Japanese third-sector railway lines 2001 establishments in Japan Railway lines in Tokyo Rail transport in Saitama Prefecture