| Toden Arakawa Line | |
| Native Name: | 都電荒川線 |
| Native Name Lang: | ja |
| Other Name: | Tokyo Sakura Tram |
| Color: | EE86A7 |
| Type: | Light rail and streetcar |
| Locale: | Tokyo |
| Stations: | 30 |
| Open: | 1911 (Ōji Electric Tram Company, Otsuka-ekimae - Asukayama) 1974 (Arakawa Line) |
| Owner: | Tokyo Metropolitan Bureau of Transportation (Toei) |
| Linelength: | 12.2km (07.6miles) |
| Electrification: | 600 V DC overhead catenary |
| Map State: | collapsed |
The, branded as the,[1] is a hybrid light rail/tram line in Tokyo, Japan, operated by the Tokyo Metropolitan Bureau of Transportation (Toei). The Arakawa Line is the sole survivor of Tokyo's once-extensive Tokyo Toden streetcar system. It is one of the only two tram lines in Tokyo, besides the Tokyu Setagaya Line.
All stations are located in Tokyo.
| No. | Station | Japanese | Distance (km) | Transfers | Location | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Between stations | Total | ||||||
| 三ノ輪橋 | style="text-align: center;" | - | 0.0 | Tokyo Metro Hibiya Line (: H-20) | Arakawa | ||
| 荒川一中前 | 0.3 | 0.3 | |||||
| 荒川区役所前 | 0.3 | 0.6 | |||||
| 荒川二丁目 | 0.4 | 1.0 | |||||
| 荒川七丁目 | 0.4 | 1.4 | |||||
| 町屋駅前 | 0.4 | 1.8 | |||||
| 町屋二丁目 | 0.4 | 2.2 | |||||
| 東尾久三丁目 | 0.3 | 2.5 | |||||
| 熊野前 | 0.6 | 3.1 | Nippori-Toneri Liner (NT04) | ||||
| 宮ノ前 | 0.4 | 3.5 | |||||
| 小台 | 0.3 | 3.8 | |||||
| 荒川遊園地前 | 0.3 | 4.1 | |||||
| 荒川車庫前 | 0.5 | 4.6 | |||||
| 梶原 | 0.4 | 5.0 | Kita | ||||
| 栄町 | 0.5 | 5.5 | |||||
| 王子駅前 | 0.5 | 6.0 | |||||
| 飛鳥山 | 0.5 | 6.5 | |||||
| 滝野川一丁目 | 0.4 | 6.9 | |||||
| 西ヶ原四丁目 | 0.4 | 7.3 | |||||
| 新庚申塚 | 0.4 | 7.7 | Toei Mita Line (: I-16) | Toshima | |||
| 庚申塚 | 0.2 | 7.9 | |||||
| 巣鴨新田 | 0.5 | 8.4 | |||||
| 大塚駅前 | 0.5 | 8.9 | Yamanote Line (: JY12) | ||||
| 向原 | 0.5 | 9.4 | |||||
| 東池袋四丁目 | 0.6 | 10.0 | Tokyo Metro Yurakucho Line (: Y-10) | ||||
| 都電雑司ヶ谷 | 0.2 | 10.2 | |||||
| 鬼子母神前 | 0.5 | 10.7 | Tokyo Metro Fukutoshin Line (: F-10) | ||||
| 学習院下 | 0.5 | 11.2 | |||||
| 面影橋 | 0.5 | 11.7 | Shinjuku | ||||
| 早稲田 | 0.5 | 12.2 | |||||
The line was originally constructed by the as a part of their extensive network, with the oldest section still operating today opened in 1913. The line was at threat of being shut down along with the rest of Tokyo's streetcar system in the 1960s, but concerted opposition from residents prevented this and parts of lines 27 (Minowabashi-Akabane) and 32 (Arakawa-Waseda) were merged to form the line as it is today. The line was sold to the Tokyo Metropolitan Bureau of Transportation in 1974, which renamed it the Toden Arakawa Line.
The Toden Arakawa Line operates between the terminals at Minowabashi Station and Waseda Station. It runs along Meiji Street between Asuka-yama Station and Oji Eki-mae Station. Otherwise, it operates on its own tracks. Presently, single driver-operated cars make the trip in 50 minutes. The gauge is . The line is fully double-track, and draws 600 V electrical supply.
Two Toden Arakawa trams (one in revenue earning service, the other undergoing brake testing) collided on June 13, 2006 near the Minowabashi terminus, injuring 27 people.
The Toden Arakawa Line operates in northern and eastern Tokyo outside the main tourist areas. The terminus at Minowabashi is near the historical site of Edo's red-light district Yoshiwara which features a completely covered shopping street, several blocks long, in the once common "Ameyoko" style (a shōtengai).
In Haruki Murakami's novel Norwegian Wood, protagonist Toru Watanabe takes the line to near Ōtsuka Station: "I sat in the last seat and watched the ancient houses passing close to the window. The tram almost touched the overhanging eaves.... The tram snaked its way through this private back-alley world."[5]
L.W. Demery, R. Forty, R. DeGroote and J.W. Higgins, Electric Railways of Japan (Interurbans- Tramways-Metros) Vol.1: Tokyo and Northern Japan. Light Rail Transit Association, 1983.