The Rinkai Line (りんかい線) is a line run by Tokyo Waterfront Area Rapid Transit (東京臨海高速鉄道, TWR). It runs from Shin-Kiba Station in Kōtō ward to Ōsaki Station in Shinagawa ward, Tokyo.
History
The line grew out of older national railway plans. The Japanese National Railways planned an outer ring line about 20 km beyond the Yamanote Freight Line, linking five main lines around Tokyo. Part of it, a railway from the Shiohama yard in Kawasaki along Tokyo Bay to Kisarazu in Chiba, was built by the Japan Railway Construction Public Corporation (日本鉄道建設公団) under the name Keiyō Line (京葉線). The section from Tokyo Freight Terminal to Shin-Kiba was frozen, and after the national railway was split up it was held by the JNR Settlement Corporation (国鉄清算事業団).
On 12 March 1991 Tokyo Waterfront Area Rapid Transit (東京臨海高速鉄道) was set up. Its purpose was to serve development of the Tokyo waterfront and passengers for the World City Expo (世界都市博覧会). Construction of the first phase began on 25 March 1992, and of the second phase on 25 March 1996. On 30 March 1996 the Shin-Kiba to Tokyo Teleport section opened under the name Rinkai Fukutoshin Line (臨海副都心線). Beyond Tokyo Teleport the line used an undersea tunnel already built along the bay, the Tokyo Port Tunnel (東京港トンネル). A branch at Shinagawa Futō was added to reach Tokyo Freight Terminal. The tunnel from Tokyo Teleport to Tokyo Freight Terminal was built by the sinking method, with a rectangular box section, while the new tunnel from Shinagawa Futō to Tennōzu Isle was dug by shield method, with a round section. The change in section happens at the Shinagawa Futō branch. A Yashio depot was built east of Tokyo Freight Terminal.
The public chose the name in a vote in 2000. From 18 February to 31 March 2000, 24,483 entries were received from across Japan. The name Rinkai Line (りんかい線) was picked for four reasons: it plainly says the line runs in the waterfront area; writing rinkai in hiragana makes it soft and friendly; the phrase is short, easy to say and easy to remember; and when running into the JR Saikyō Line it suggests waterfront areas being linked across the region. Other candidates included the Odaiba Line and the Rainbow Line. The name was first used on 1 September 2000. On 8 February 2001 the Yashio depot came into service. On 31 March 2001 the section from Tokyo Teleport to Tennōzu Isle opened. On 1 December 2002 the section from Tennōzu Isle to Ōsaki opened, and the whole line was complete. Through running with the JR East Saikyō and Kawagoe lines began at the same time. The direct Saikyō and Kawagoe trains became 10-car sets, and the dedicated Rinkai trains became 6-car sets. A speed-up campaign kept opening fares until 28 February 2003. However, daytime service was cut. The even service of a train every 7 minutes 30 seconds (8 an hour) changed to a random timetable of 5 to 7 trains an hour.
On 16 October 2004 all trains became 10-car sets. From then on JR trains also turned back within the Rinkai Line, and the company's own trains turned back on the Saikyō Line. On 19 July 2008 the departure chime at Tokyo Teleport station was changed to the theme of a TV drama. It was the first local melody on any station of the line.
As more foreign passengers used the line in normal times during the 2010s, on 27 April 2018 the company placed English-speaking concierges at Tokyo Teleport station and other stations.
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Written by an AI from the line's history on Japanese Wikipedia, nothing else, and checked by a program for dates and numbers that are not in those facts. It can still be wrong. Adapted from Japanese Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0; this text is shared under the same licence.