Keikyu - Socimi

Keikyu, also known by it’s full name of “Keihin Kyuko Railway” operates an 83-Km long network connecting Tokyo, Yokohama and southwards, to Yokosuka and the Miura Peninsula.

Keikyu has it’s origin in the Daishi Electric Railway, a company founded in 1898 to build and operate a 2Km-long line that would eventually become part of today’s Daishi Line, running from the old “Tokaido Road” (with a station, Rokugobashi, now closed, located between the current Keikyu-Kawasaki and Minatocho) to Kawasaki-Daishi Temple, with the express purpose to act as a shuttle for visiting pilgrims. The line was opened on the 21st of January 1898 and was built from the onset with very modern standards for the time, as it was entirely double-tracked, using 1435mm standard gauge, and electrified at 600V DC using overhead catenaries – the first electrified railway line in Tokyo (and the Kanto area) and the third in Japan (after Hanshin and Meitetsu). Already one year later, the company renamed to “Keihin Electric Railway” and started an ambitious expansion plan, building new lines towards Yokohama and Kamata (wich would form part of today’s Keikyu Main Line) as well as one line, the Anamori Line (part of today’s Keikyu Airport Line) to serve Inari shrine.

Just five years after the opening, Keihin’s network was regauged to 1372mm “scotch gauge” in 1904, to enable trough-service with the expanding Toden tramway network (wich used the same peculiar gauge) enabling Keihin service to run as far as Kita-Shinagawa, near Shinagawa station, then the major railway terminus of the “Government Railways” (JGR from 1906 and later JNR) for trains bound towards the south of Japan (Tokyo’s current “Main” station would open only ten years later).

1925 saw the fundation of the other company that would form the current Keikyu – Shonan Electric Railway, wich depsite it’s name (as “Shonan” refers to the coastal area around the estuary of the Sagami River, between Ninomiya and Enoshima) planned a network connecting Yokohama to Yokosuka and the Miura peninsula. Shonan Electric Railway had actually been set up by a majority of investment coming from Keihin itself, with the agreement that the two would eventually connect and operate jointly.

In 1929, Keihin reached Yokohama, and one year later, in 1930, Shonan openend the first section of it’s network, part of the current Keikyu Main Line from Kogane-Cho and Uraga, plus a branch from Kanazawa-Hakkei to the current Zushi-Hayama station (the entirety of the current Zushi Line). In 1931 Shonan Electric Railway reached Yokohama as well, and the two networks, Keihin’s and Shonan’s, were connected. Full trough-services between the two networks only begun two years later however, as Keihin had to regauge it’s network back to 1435mm (the same gauge as Shonan’s) and both companies had to source multi-voltage stock (as Keihin used 600v DC and Shonan used 1500v DC). In parallel, Keihin had also built a new dedicated right-of-way to Shinagawa, enabling it to “divorce” from Toden and allow for the regaugement of the network.

Plans were also made to extend furthern north of Shinagawa, into the city center of Tokyo. This took the form of a joint-venture togheter with the Tokyo Underground Railway, wich had opened part of the current Ginza Line in 1927 as Japan’s first subway. As such, Keihin Electric Railway set up a subsidiary, “Keihin Underground Railway”, wich acquired a construction license for a line between Shinagawa and Shinbashi (the then-southern terminus of the subway), with Keihin eventually planning to run direct service from Uraga all the way to Asakusa, using rolling stock equipped with both pantographs and third-rail shoes – both Keihin and the subway used the same 1435mm gauge and 600v DC traction voltage.

However, Tokyo Underground Railway had previously signed an agreement with the Tokyo Rapid Railway, a company tied to the powerful Tokyu Corporation and presieded by Keita Goto (the founder and “kingpin” of Tokyu Corporation itself), who had already started construction on it’s own line from Shibuya, wich was also slated to connect to the subway at Shinbashi.

Tokyo Underground Railway tried to back out from the agreement with Tokyo Rapid Railway, but the latter strongly opposed, and in response, in 1939 it acquired a controlling stake in Keihin Electric Railway, effectively bringing it under Tokyu’s Control and with Keita Goto installing himself as Keihin’s president.

In 1941, Shonan Electric Railway, already a long-time subsidiary, was fully merged into Keihin Electric Railway in order to “streamline” the management of the company. One year later, in August 1942, by order of the imperial government, all private railways in the south and west of Tokyo were forcibly consolidated into Tokyu Corporation, forming the “Dai-Tokyu” conglomerate; as such, Keihin Electric Railway was followed by Keio Teito Electric Railway (the predecessor of today’s Keio) and Odakyu Electric Railway (the predecessor of today’s Odakyu) in it’s merger into Tokyu, with Keita Goto being appointed president of the gigantic conglomerate.

At war’s end, “Dai-Tokyu” was dismantled, with the four “consitutent” companies returning fully independent, including Keihin, wich was re-established as a company in the same year, entirely devoid of “Tokyu influence” (as in “share ownership”) under the “Keihin Kyuko Railway” name, or “Keikyu” for short.

Thruought the 1960s, various small extensions to the branch lines were built, including the Kurihama Line, extended to Miurakaigan in 1966. 1968 however saw the biggest change in Keikyu’s operations in decades, as the company finally realized it’s aim in reaching the city center via the subway, as Toei – the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Bureau of Transportation – connected it’s Line No.1 (today’s Asakusa Line) to Keikyu’s network at Shinagawa station, enabling the commencment of trough-service with the whole Asakusa Line, all the way to Asakusa (coincidentally the station Keihin Electric Railway had originally intended to reach in it’s early dealings with the Tokyo Underground Railway) and beyond, onto the Keisei Electric Railway network, as Toei’s Asakusa Line also connected to the Keisei network on the other end!

In 1971 air-conditioning was introduced on select express trains and subway trough-service commuter trains, and by 1982, the whole fleet was retrofitted with air-conditioning, making Keikyu the very first railway company in Japan to have a fully air-conditioned fleet, excluding subways.

The mid- and late-1990s saw many novelties, as Keikyu was looking to modernize itself for both it’s 100th anniversary, to be celebrated in 1998, and for the “impending” new millennium celebrations. As part of this modernization, new rolling stock was introduced, in the form of the 2100 Series, using soon-to-be iconic German Siemens-made inverters, with a distincitve and beloved “solfége” sound when starting, the maximium speed on the section between Yokohama and Shinagawa was raised to 120Km/h, with the fastest express trains able to run it in 15 minutes and 45 seconds (including two intermediate stops at Keikyu-Kawasaki and Keikyu-Kamata), a smart card pass was introduced, branded with the french “LeTrain” moniker (it would be withdrawn in 2002, as Keikyu joined Passnet, the predecessor of today’s Pasmo) and in 1998 the last section of Keikyu trackage opened – the extension of the Haneda Line to Haneda Airport, serving Tokyo’s second-largest airport.

As of today, Keikyu runs an 83 Km-long network formed of the 56,7 Km-long Keikyu Main Line from Shinagawa to Uraga, the 6,5 Km-long Airport Line (the former Haneda Line) branching-off the Main Line at Keikyu-Kamata and running to Haneda Airport, the 4,5 Km-long Zushi Line, branching off the mainline at Keikyu-Kawasaki and running to Kojimashinden, the 5,9 Km-long Zushi Line, branching-off at Kanazawa-Hakkei and running to Zushi-Hayama and the 13,4 Km-long Kurihama Line, branching off at Hourinouchi and running to Misakiguchi, the southernmost station of the Keikyu network.

Keikyu has an extremely busy network, with trains running evry three minutes during rush hours and around evry five minutes during the day (!), all essentially sharing the just two tracks of the Keikyu Mainline. As such, the company has extremely tight timetables, thus it need to adopt an insanely “active” operational style, with maximium use being made of passing loops to let expresses overtake local trains stopped at stations, maximising speeds on the whole network (as such a requirement for all Keikyu trains and other operator trains’ running on the Keikyu network is to have bolster-equipped bogies, to enable higher speeds in curves) and a strict focus on maximium reliability (as another examples, all trains need to have the first bogey powered to weight it down, so to ensure immediate change of the signal blocks) and most importantly, flexibility – the whole Keikyu network is dispatched entirely manually!

Keikyu’s network is deliberately kept dispatched without computer-based systems (such as JR East’s ATOS), relying instead on 1970s and 1980s-made electrical interlocking switchboards, where evry switch and signal must be switched manually by an operator. In practical purposes, Keikyu’s whole network is divided into four areas (Zoshiki to Shinagawa plus the Daishi Line, Zoshiki to Kamiooka, Kamiooka to Urawa and Zushi-Hayama and separately the Kurihama Line from Horinouchi to Misakiguchi) each managed by a “Chief Operator” with his own team. In case of a disruption, a “Senior Chief Operator” intervenes and coordinates the four operation areas until the disruption is resolved.

This is, according to Keikyu, to ensure maximium flexibility, and to minimize “recovery time” if a disruption happen. As part of this “flexibility” policy, if a disruption happens, trains are redirected, terminated or made to change their service pattern (to a “higher” or “lower” level) almost instantly.

Essentially, Keikyu has a “huge” coolness factor, and this is very well translated into the railfan world – Keikyu is the most popular Major Private Railway among railway enthusiasts (and depending on the demographic, the most popular railway company among all), with a fanbase that is insanely active and militant, to the point of being nicknamed “The Keikyu Cult” (in an ironical-derogatory way) by railfans “loyal” to other railways other than Keikyu!

Trivia #1

Keihin Electric Railway’s first extension of it’s original line to the Kawasaki-Daishi temple, from Rokugobashi to the current Keikyu-Kawasaki station opened for regular services in 1899, but the official inauguration ceremony was held only three years later, in 1902. Officially, this was justified due to the company’s “busy schedule”, the actual reason being instead both a slight economic downturn following the Sino-Japanese war, and primarily opposition and pressure from the union of rickshaw pullers, wich the railway was putting out of businness!

Trivia #2

Originally, Keihin Electric Railway had also set up a power-generation businness, generating electricity for households and pubblic lighting. In 1923 this sector was sold by Keihin to Gunma Electric Power Co., one of the predecessors of today’s TEPCO.

Trivia #3

Keihin Electric Railway’s red color was inspired by the livery of the interurban cars of the american Pacific Electric. Pacific Electric was actually the whole “model” on wich Keihin Electric Railway (and several other Japanese private railways) based itself on, especially in terms of technology used and real estate dealings.

Trivia #4

Flexibility pays off, as thanks to the manual dispatching, Keikyu has been holding the title of “railway with the least delays” among all private railways in the Tokyo area for several years. Among other things, Keikyu also won the 2015 “Railway of the Year” award.

Trivia #5

Entirely manual operation also has one downside – it is a huge workload for dispatchers. Likewise, the extremely tight schedules are also hefty work for evryone involved, drivers and conductors in particular. As Keikyu’s wages are relatively below-average, but hiring is relaxed, this translates in a large personnel turnover – people will join Keikyu, gather experience for a few years, then pass onto to other companies with higher wages (often Keikyu’s direct competitor – JR East!) as soon as possible.

Trivia #6

Keikyu is very active in promoting collaborations with other railway companies, mostly to promote it’s Haneda Airport connecting services. Among others, companies that had “collaborations” with Keikyu have been Tobu Railway (owned by the same Fuyo Group keiretsu that also owns Keikyu), Kintetsu Railway, Keihan Railway, Nankai Railway, Nishitetsu Railway, Seibu Railway, Osaka Monorail, Okinawa Monorail, the Takamatsu-Kotohira Electric Railway (wich runs a sizeable fleet of second-hand Keikyu trains), the Nagasaki Electric Tramway, the Kagoshima Tramway, the Hiroshima Electric Railway and TRA – the Taiwan Railway Administration (Taiwan’s national railways), with wich Keikyu signed a “sister railways” agreement in 2016.

Main Line, Kurihama Line, Zushi Line, Airport Line

Express and Limited Express services only