The Asakusa Line (浅草線) is a subway line run by the Tokyo Metropolitan Bureau of Transportation (東京都交通局, Toei). It runs underground from Nishi-Magome Station in Ōta ward to Oshiage Station in Sumida ward, Tokyo.
History
The Tokyo government wanted to build subways before the war. The Asakusa Line was its first subway line. A plan to link Ginza and Shinbashi with the Keisei Electric Railway (京成電鉄) at Oshiage and the Keihin Electric Railway (京浜電気鉄道, now Keikyu) at Shinagawa dates back to Meiji-era city planning. A Tokyo city notice of 1920 included a line of this kind. On 1 September 1941 the Teito Rapid Transit Authority (帝都高速度交通営団, Eidan; the predecessor of Tokyo Metro) was set up. It took over the subway licences held by Tokyo city and three companies. After the war, a notice of 7 December 1946 set the first postwar city plan line, from Musashi-Koyama to Shimo-Itabashi.
In 1957 a Transport Council report set a new route, and on 17 June 1957 a notice set Line 1 from Magome-higashi to Oshiage. On 30 September 1957 the government took over the licence for the Magome to Kuramae-futachōme section from Eidan. On 1 March 1958 the licence for Magome to Oshiage was granted, and on 27 August 1958 construction of the first section began. Construction was slowed by soft ground. Keisei changed its gauge from 1,372 mm to the 1,435 mm gauge used by Keikyu, so that all three operators used the same gauge. On 4 December 1960 the first section, from Oshiage to Asakusabashi, opened. It was the first through running between a subway and a suburban private railway.
On 9 March 1962 a ground collapse at Ningyōchō killed one person, and the opening of the next section was delayed. On 31 May 1962 the Asakusabashi to Higashi-Nihonbashi section opened as single track. On 30 September 1962 the Higashi-Nihonbashi to Ningyōchō section opened, and the Asakusabashi to Higashi-Nihonbashi section became double track. On 28 February 1963 the Ningyōchō to Higashi-Ginza section opened. On 12 December 1963 Shiodome signal box became Shinbashi station. On 1 October 1964 the Shinbashi to Daimon section opened as single track. The line was not finished in time for the Tokyo Olympics, which opened on 10 October 1964, and construction stopped during the Games.
On 21 June 1968 the Daimon to Sengakuji section opened, and through running with Keikyu began. On 15 November 1968 the Sengakuji to Nishi-Magome section opened, which completed the whole line. In July 1970 the line adopted a line colour. It was vermilion at first, because red had been given to the Marunouchi Line after talks with Eidan. On 28 February 1976 the 5200 series was introduced, and on 10 June 1976 all trains had six cars. On 21 June 1978 eight-car trains from Keikyu ran at rush hour. On 1 July 1978 the Toei Line 1 was renamed the Toei Asakusa Line.
On 15 July 1987 air-conditioning was used on through trains. On 16 November 1988 all Keikyu through trains became eight cars. On 31 March 1991 through running began with the Hokuso Railway (北総鉄道), and 5300 series cars entered service. On 1 April 1993 the Keikyu Airport Line reached Haneda station, which is now Tenkūbashi, and trains ran through to it. On 2 July 1995 the 5000 series left service, and the fleet became fully air-conditioned. On 18 November 1998 the Keikyu Airport Line opened fully, and the Airport Kaitoku express began. It was the first express on a subway line.
On 20 April 2000 the official name was changed from Toei Asakusa Line to Asakusa Line. On 27 October 2002 through running with the Shibayama Railway (芝山鉄道) began. On 1 April 2006 the Shiodome connection line opened, linking the line to the Oedo Line (大江戸線) at Shinbashi. On 8 July 2007 a fire broke out at Sengakuji station in a power cable, and a train failure at Mita station added to the disruption. Service on the whole line was stopped until about 15:40. On 17 July 2010 through running with the Narita Sky Access (成田スカイアクセス) began. On 26 February 2011 C-ATS was used on the whole line. On 11 March 2011 the Great East Japan Earthquake stopped through running with the Keisei, Keikyu, Hokuso and Shibayama lines. Rolling power cuts from 14 March stopped it again.
On 21 October 2012 the colour of the Airport Kaitoku express was changed to orange. On 8 November 2014 six-car trains were discontinued, and all trains became eight cars. On 5 February 2016 some cars got free Wi-Fi. On 17 March 2018 Ningyōchō and Suitengūmae stations became transfer stations with the Hanzōmon Line (半蔵門線). On 30 June 2018 the 5500 series entered service. On 5 October 2019 platform doors came into use at Shinbashi, using tQR, a door system developed with Denso Wave that uses QR codes. On 20 February 2024 platform doors were in service on all platforms at Oshiage, completing platform doors at all stations. On 1 March 2025 in-train announcements by tablet began on trains run by other companies. On 13 December 2025 a timetable change added services between Nishi-Magome and Oshiage.
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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.