Keiō Dōbutsuen line

Class 8000 multiple unit on the Dōbutsuen line

Route length:

2.0 km

Gauge :

1372 mm ( Scottish gauge )

Power system :

1500 V =

Top speed:

70 km / h

Dual track :

No

Society:

Keiō Dentetsu

Legend

	↔ Keiō line	1925–
0.0	Takahatafudō ( 高幡不動 )	1925–
	Takahatafudō
	Hodokubo-gawa
	Hodokubo ( 程久保 )

2.0	Tama-Dōbutsukōen
	( 多摩動物公園 )	1964–
	↓ Tama monorail	2000–

The Keiō Dōbutsuen Line ( Japanese 京王動物園線 , Keiō Dōbutsuen-sen ) is a railway line on the Japanese island of Honshū , which is operated by the Keiō Dentetsu railway company . In the urban area of Hino in the west of Tokyo prefecture , it connects the Keio line with the Tama zoo .

Route description

The single-track with 1500 V DC electrified line branches off in the station Takahatafudō from the Keio Line from. It leads south through the Hodokubo Valley and ends after two kilometers in the Tama-Dōbutsukōen train station , which is located in the immediate vicinity of the main entrance of the Tama Zoo ( 多摩動物公園 , Tama dōbutsu-kōen ). There are no intermediate stops. The route of the "Zoo Line" runs largely parallel to that of the later Tama monorail . Like the vast majority of the lines from Keiō Dentetsu, this branch line has the unusual track width of 1372 mm (so-called "Scottish track").

Trains

On weekdays, a multiple unit made up of four cars runs one-man, which commutes back and forth between the two stations every 20 minutes. This basic offer is reinforced on weekends and public holidays by additional trains, which are mainly used for excursions to the Tama Zoo and the Keio Rail-Land railway museum . This includes a pair of express trains from Shinjuku to Tama-Dōbutsukōen, which do not have to change trains in Takahatafudō.

history

To manage the excursion traffic to the Tama Zoo and the TamaTech amusement park (closed in 2009), the railway company Keiō Teito Dentetsu (today Keiō Dentetsu ) built a branch line in Takahatafudō from the Keiō line and put it into operation on April 29, 1964. In the 1970s, Meisei University and Chūō University each built a new campus nearby , which also made the Dōbutsuen Line an important means of transport for students.

Before the construction of Tama New Town , there were serious considerations to develop this planned city through the Dōbutsuen line, among other things. For this purpose, it would have been expanded to two tracks, for which Keiō Dentetsu also acquired the necessary parcels. The required hairpin in Takahatafudō station would have resulted in a series of tight curves and a steep incline, which would have significantly reduced capacity. In addition, the east side of Tama New Town could not have been developed.

The commissioning of the Tama monorail on January 10, 2000 resulted in a drop in demand of over two thirds. Keiō Dentetsu responded by canceling special trains, shortening the train formations and introducing one-man operation. For passengers coming from the Keiō Line, the Dōbutsuen Line remains the best choice, as changing to the monorail in Takahatafudō is a bit cumbersome. In addition, Keiō Dentetsu tries to maintain the attractiveness of the route through the use of motor coaches that are painted with animal motifs ("Tama Zoo Train").

List of train stations

Surname		km	Connecting lines	location	place
KO29	Takahatafudō ( 高幡不動 )	0.0	Keiō Line Tama monorail	Coord.35.6623 139.41314	Hino
KO47	Tama-Dōbutsukōen ( 多摩動物園 )	2.0	Tama monorail	Coord.35.64934 139.40497	Hino