Odakyu Electric Railway

The Odakyu Electric Railway Co., Ltd. (小田急電鉄株式会社, Odakyū Dentetsu Kabushiki-gaisha^?), or OER, is a major private railway company in Tokyo, Japan, best known for its Romancecar series of limited express trains from Tokyo to Odawara, Enoshima, Tama New Town, and Hakone.

The Odakyū Electric Railway forms the core of the Odakyū Group, which comprises 108 companies (as of October 2005), and also includes the Enoshima Electric Railway, Hakone Tozan Railway, Tachikawa Bus and Tokai Bus.

History

Odakyū 50000 series VSE Romancecar near Shin-Yurigaoka station

The 83 km line from Shinjuku to Odawara opened for service on April 1, 1927. Unlike the Odawara line, rarely were pre-WWII Japanese private railways constructed with double-track and fully electrified from the first day of operation. Two years later, April 1, 1929, the Enoshima Line was added.

The original full name of the railroad was Odawara Express Railway Co., Ltd. (小田原急行鉄道株式会社, Odawara Kyūkō Tetsudō Kabushiki-gaisha^?)^[1], but this was often shortened to Odawara Kyūkō (Odawara Express). The abbreviation Odakyū was made popular by the title song of the 1929 movie Tokyo Kōshinkyoku and eventually became the official name of the railroad on March 1, 1941.^[2]

On May 1, 1942, Odakyū merged with the Tokyo-Yokohama Electric Railway company (now Tokyu Corporation), which controlled all private railway services west and south of Tokyo by the end of World War II. The company regained its independence on June 1, 1948, and it obtained a large amount of Hakone Tozan Railway stocks, instead of separating Keiō Inokashira Line for Keio Corporation. Odakyū restarted Non-stop Limited Express service between Shinjuku and Odawara in 1948. In 1950, Odakyū trains ran through to Hakone-Yumoto on Hakone Tozan Line. Odakyū uses narrow gauge (1,067 mm) tracks, but Hakone Tozan Railway is on standard gauge (1,435 mm), so one track of the section from Odawara to Hakone-Yumoto (6.1 km) was changed to a dual gauge system. It operated the first Romance Car, 1710 series, for Limited Express in 1951.

After the 1950s, due to rapid Japanese economic growth, Odakyū was faced with an explosive increase of population along with its lines. Commuter passengers had to use very crowded trains every morning, and complained strongly with the delay of improvements from the railway company. Odakyū began construction on the - "Shinjuku Station Great Improvement Project" setting 5 lines and 10 platforms long enough for 10 standard commuter cars with service on the Chiyoda Line, among others. Plans for a four-track system in 1964 were prevented by residents of Setagaya Ward in Tokyo, as such the system remains uncompleted. The Setagaya Residents' opposition set the stage for a long-term and remarkable case in the courts and legislature. Odakyū could not take main part of transport from Tama New Town Area, though Odakyū started the operation of Tama Line in 1974.

Odakyū 5000 series EMU near Mukōgaoka-yūen Station

In the last ten years, Odakyū has been adding track in both directions from Izumi-Tamagawa Station, on Tama River, the border station of Tokyo, to just outside of Setagaya-Daita Station for expanding the availability of express trains, especially for morning commuter service. The lines between Setagaya-Daita and Higashi-Kitazawa Station are still under construction, however. Odakyū announced that the bottle-neck will be resolved by 2013.

Odakyū has shown its high potential technology for mass and rapid transport. It operates all sections of its lines as double (or more) tracks from the day service begins, except for a few rare instances. It sometimes is regarded as a bypass route for the Tōkaidō Main Line from Tokyo to western Kanagawa, also going out to further areas away from Tokyo, although not through Yokohama in wartime. The Romancecar 3000 series "SE" was tested at speeds of up to 145 km/h in 1957, achieving a world record for narrow gauge (1067 mm) lines at the time. These tests also provided important data on high-speed electric multiple units (EMU), which Japanese National Railways (JNR) used for its limited express EMUs, 151 series, and 0 Series Shinkansen introduced in the early 1960s.

Odakyū celebrated its 80th anniversary in April 2007. The 50th anniversary of the Romancecar was celebrated in September 2007.

Lines

Odakyū has three railway lines, and through service to four lines of other companies.

Odakyū lines

• Not including the connecting branch between Odawara Line and JR Central Gotemba Line near Shin-Matsuda Station.
• Odakyū operated the Mukōgaoka-Yūen Monorail Line between Mukōgaoka-Yūen and Mukōgaoka-Yūen-Seimon (1.1 km, 2 stations) from 1966 to 2001 using a Lockheed Corporation style monorail system.

Through lines

• Some Odakyū trains from the Tama Line (and a little of Odawara Line, from Hon-Atsugi Station) continue on to the Tokyo Metro Chiyoda Line and Jōban Line (Yoyogi-Uehara Station - Ayase Station - Toride Station). This service was started in 1978, between Hon-Atsugi and Abiko Station, on Jōban Line.
• Some Odakyū trains continue on to the Hakone Tozan Line (Odawara Station - Hakone-Yumoto Station).
• Limited express Asagiri trains travel from Shinjuku through on the JR Central Gotenba Line to Numazu Station 8 times on a day.

Train classification

(As of March 15, 2008 timetable revision)

Romancecar limited express services require a supplementary surcharge.

Limited express service

Shinjuku Station routes

Commuter service is shown on each line's page.

• Asagiri trains run on the connecting branch line just before Shin-Matsuda from Shinjuku and stops at Matsuda on the Gotemba Line. Matsuda and Shin-Matsuda are treated as the same station.
• Homeway trains run from Shinjuku every evening after 18:00. There is no service to Shinjuku.

Tokyo Metro routes

Commuter service is shown on each line's page.

• At Yoyogi-Uehara, all trains pause, but there is no service for passengers; Odakyū and Tokyo Metro change their operating staff at the station.
• On weekday mornings, Metro Sagami trains run once from Hon-Atsugi to Kita-Senju.
• On weekday evenings, Metro Homeway trains run twice from Hon-Atsugi to Kita-Senju and once from Ōtemachi to Hon-Atsugi.
• On weekends and holidays, Metro Hakone trains run between Kita-Senju and Hakone-Yumoto four times; Metro Sagami (once in the morning) and Metro Homeway (once in the evening) trains also run between Kita-Senju and Hon-Atsugi.
• Once or twice per month, Metro Sagami and Metro Homeway become Bay Resort trains, traveling between Shin-Kiba and Hon-Atsugi. They travel to/from the Tokyo Metro Yūrakuchō and Chiyoda lines.

Legend

Rolling stock

Active

Romancecar sets

• 7000 series "LSE"
• 10000 series "HiSE"
• 20000 series "RSE"
• 30000 series "EXE"
• 50000 series "VSE"
• 60000 series "MSE"

Commuter sets

• 1000 series
• 2000 series
• 3000 series
• 4000 series
• 5000 series
• 8000 series

Odakyū Electric Railway in media

The Odakyū Railway has been included in several Japanese language train simulator programs as well as the English language Microsoft Train Simulator program. Microsoft Train Simulator includes the railway's Odawara and Hakone Tozan lines, collectively referred to as the "Tokyo-Hakone" route. You can drive two of the trains that travel on the line; the 2000 series commuter trainset and the 7000 series "LSE" Romancecar trainset. Several "activities", or scenarios, are included.

Various Odakyū addins are available for the BVE Train Simulator, a freeware cab view train simulator for Microsoft Windows.

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Odakyu Electric Railway

• Odakyū Electric Railway (Japanese)
• Odakyū Electric Railway (English)
• Evolution of Railway Technology (prominently mentions Odakyū 3000 series SE Romance Car trainsets) (English)