Tsukuba Express right-of-way

[Mudkip Orange]

Where did they get it?

 

For instance, between Kitasenju and Minamisenju: did there just happen to be a 40-foot strip of land between the Joban Line and the Hibiya Line that just happened to sit vacant for 50 years until the TX came along? Or did they do some sort of two-step where one line got moved over and then the TX got built up the middle?

[bikkuri bahn]

I don't think the land was vacant, rather, I think the available space was created through elevation and other engineering tricks.

 

http://homepage3.nifty.com/kumashige/jyouban/minamisenjyu0411/minamisenjyu04.htm

 

http://nekosuki.org/landscape/index2/place-tsukubaexpress1.htm#00006

 

There is a book about the Tsukuba Express, which I believe extensively details the building of the line in its chapters:

 

http://www.amazon.co.jp/gp/reader/4425961218/ref=sib_dp_pt#reader-link

[Takahama Trainwatcher]

Needing to de-stress after a hard week at work, I took to following the Tsukuba Express line using the satellite view on Google Maps. I was curious about where it might connect to the wider rail network (thinking that there might have been a connection to facilitate delivery of the carriages). That section between Kitasenju and Minamisenju seemed a reasonable candidate, but I followed the whole line and could not see a connection. Indeed, the line appears to use an older bridge to slot in where it does, but no visible connections. Does any connection exist? Perhaps underground?

[railsquid]

According to this Yahoo Chiebukuro question/answer there's no connection. As a new line with no through-running, it probably isn't worth the expense of creating and maintaining a connection to other lines.

[railsquid]

Where did they get it?

 

For instance, between Kitasenju and Minamisenju: did there just happen to be a 40-foot strip of land between the Joban Line and the Hibiya Line that just happened to sit vacant for 50 years until the TX came along? Or did they do some sort of two-step where one line got moved over and then the TX got built up the middle?

 

Based on my vague memories and the Google Earth historical view from 1997, it the Joban Line was shifted to the west; it looks like there were one or two disused freight lines to the west of the previous Joban tracks, and there's a disused single-track over the Bokuteidori, conveniently providing more-or-less enough space to squeeze in two additional running lines.

[bikkuri bahn]

As a side note, there are long term plans (beyond 2021 or so) to extend the line to central Tokyo as an underground section between Akihabara and the Marunouchi side of Tokyo Station. Not finalized though.

 

http://www.city.nagareyama.chiba.jp/dbps_data/_material_/_files/000/000/001/239/futyousakekka.pdf

[Takahama Trainwatcher]

According to this Yahoo Chiebukuro question/answer there's no connection. As a new line with no through-running, it probably isn't worth the expense of creating and maintaining a connection to other lines.

Thanks Railsquid! Through the google translation it does seem as though the respondent at that link knows what happened. It is an interesting economic problem in comparing the cost of a connection versus the cost of road transport for carriage delivery. It's a little bit of a hike from Tsuchiura to Moriya.

Edited August 25, 2015 by Takahama Trainwatcher

[kvp]

One common solution if there are parallel tracks nearby is to set up a temporary flying turnout or just move over the cars by crane. http://villamosok.hu/balazs/palya/kuszo_k.jpg On the other hand, since the end of rail freight everywhere era in Japan, delivery by truck can be a more viable option than getting running permits over various commuter lines for each newly delivered set.