The Den-en-toshi Line (田園都市線) is a railway line run by Tokyu Electric Railway (東急電鉄). It runs from Shibuya Station in Shibuya Ward, Tokyo, to Chuo-Rinkan Station in Yamato, Kanagawa.
History
The first section, from Futako-Tamagawa to Mizonokuchi, opened on 15 July 1927. It was the Mizonokuchi Line of Tamagawa Electric Railway (玉川電気鉄道), a tramway. In 1938 Tamagawa Electric Railway was taken over and merged into Tokyo Yokohama Electric Railway (東京横浜電鉄). In 1942 the company became part of Tokyo Kyuko Electric Railway (東京急行電鉄). In 1943 the line was joined to the Oimachi Line at the request of the Army, and its track gauge was changed. In 1945 it was converted to a railway under the Railway Act.
On 11 October 1963 the Oimachi Line was renamed the Den-en-toshi Line, and work began on the extension to Nagatsuda. A dedicated bridge over the Tama River between Futako-Tamagawaen and Futako-Shinchi opened on 19 March 1966. Mizonokuchi to Nagatsuda opened on 1 April 1966. Japanese Wikipedia says the extension was built to reach Tama Garden City, a development led by Tokyu, and that public money was used only indirectly. The line then extended in stages, to Tsukushino in 1968, Suzukakedai in 1972 and Tsukimino in 1976. Trains reached Chuo-Rinkan on 9 April 1984.
On 11 May 1969 the Tamagawa tram line closed. The Shin-Tamagawa Line (新玉川線) opened underground from Shibuya to Futako-Tamagawaen on 7 April 1977. The line was first planned as an extension of the Ginza Line, but Japanese Wikipedia says it was changed because of differences in gauge and power collection and because of cost, and the Teito Rapid Transit Authority (Eidan Subway) built Shibuya Station. On 1 August 1978 the Shin-Tamagawa Line began through running with the Hanzomon Line (半蔵門線). On 12 August 1979 all Den-en-toshi trains began running through to the Hanzomon Line, and the Oimachi section was split off again as the Oimachi Line.
On 6 August 2000 the Shin-Tamagawa Line was merged into the Den-en-toshi Line, so the whole route from Shibuya to Chuo-Rinkan became one line. Futako-Tamagawaen Station was renamed Futako-Tamagawa on the same day. Japanese Wikipedia says the two names had confused users. Work to build four tracks between Futako-Tamagawa and Mizonokuchi started in 2002, and it opened on 11 July 2009. On 19 March 2003 the Hanzomon Line extended to Oshiage, and through running with the Tobu Isesaki Line and Tobu Nikko Line began. On 14 February 2005 some 5000 series trains gained six-door cars. On 9 May 2005 women-only cars were introduced on the last car of weekday morning trains bound for Shibuya until 9:30.
On 11 March 2011 the Tohoku earthquake (Great East Japan Earthquake) struck. Tokyo Electric Power carried out rolling blackouts from 14 March 2011, and through running with the Tobu lines was suspended. Through running with the Tobu lines resumed on 2 April 2011. Oimachi Line trains fully resumed running between Futako-Tamagawa and Mizonokuchi on 10 September 2011. In February 2012 the Tokyu lines, including the Den-en-toshi Line, introduced station numbering, and the route symbol DT was assigned. On 1 October 2019 Minami-Machida Station was renamed Minami-Machida Grandberry Park Station, and express trains began to stop there all day.
On 5 October 2025 at Kajigaya Station an upbound passenger train collided with an empty train entering a storage track, and the empty train derailed. Japanese Wikipedia also says a signal design error was found at Futako-Tamagawa on 10 October 2025 and was fixed on 20 October 2025. On 14 March 2026 the timetable was revised, and some express trains were changed to semi-express. Japanese Wikipedia says that after the accident a shortage of cars led to some morning trains being cut and some trains running with seven cars.
Japanese Wikipedia says a four-track extension from Mizonokuchi toward Saginuma was recommended in advisory reports from 2000 and 2016, but it has not been put into practice.
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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.