Introduction to the Tōkyū Tōyoko Line

Tōkyū Tōyoko Line is a key railway that connects Yokohama to downtown Tōkyō. It runs between Yokohama Station and Shibuya Station in about thirty minutes. Along the line there are residential areas which are comparatively developed. "Along the line there are high-grade residential districts such as Den-en-chōfu, Jiyūgaoka, Daikan-yama. Also there are characteristically many colleges and schools including Keiō University, Kanagawa University," (Tōkyū 2003) and Hosei Dai-ni High School. Shibuya Station, the terminal, is in one of the well-developed commercial areas in Tōkyō. Transferring to other railways in Shibuya also enables passengers to get to downtown. So in the morning on weekdays, the trains are highly crowded with passengers going there. However, Shibuya is not only a business zone, but also a center of youth culture; on holidays, the trains are crowded again with young people and couples going there.

In addition, on February 1st., 2004, the Tōkyū Tōyoko Line started a through service with the Minatomirai Line which runs around the center of Yokohama and tourist spots: Minatomirai area, Bashamichi, Yokohama Stadium, Yamashita-Kōen Park, and Chūkagai (Chinatown) etc. That plays a part to send sightseers from downtown Tōkyō.

It also provides a close and quick access to downtown Tōkyō. Since 1964 it has run a through service with the Tokyo Metro Hibiya subway line (Tōkyū 2003). Taking the through service, passengers can get to Ebisu, Kasumigaseki, and Ginza without transfer. And between Den-en-chōfu and Musashi-kosugi, the Tōkyū Meguro line runs parallel to the Tōyoko line. the Meguro line also runs a through service with the Tokyo Metro Namboku subway line and the Toei Mita subway line, which grants passengers not only convenient access to downtown but also congestion reducing of the Tōyoko line.

Tōkyū Corporation, running Tōkyū lines, is now working on further congestion reducing and covering large areas along its lines. Tōkyū has a plan that the Meguro line runs to Hiyoshi to attempt dispersal of passengers who took the Tōyoko line. And the Tōyoko line will also launch a through service with constructing Tokyo Metro 13th subway line (not named yet) which will run between Shibuya and Ikebukuro. When the construction finishes, Ikebukuro and Minatomirai -- the center of Yokohama -- will be connected to each other.

Work cited:
Tōkyū Corporation (2003) "The outline of each line"

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