Haneda Airport Access Line
The Haneda Airport Access Line (Japanese: 羽田空港アクセス線, Hepburn: Haneda-kūkō akusesu-sen) is a commuter rail line under construction by the East Japan Railway Company (JR East) that will link Haneda Airport to central Tokyo. Construction began on 2 June 2023. As of July 2024, JR East plans to open the new line in fiscal year 2031 with direct through services to Tokyo Station and Shin-Kiba Station. A third through service to Osaki and Shinjuku is also planned. Construction of the new line is estimated to cost about ¥280 billion (2022) (equivalent to ¥297.14 billion or US$1.96 billion in 2024).
| Haneda Airport Access Line | |
|---|---|
| Overview | |
| Native name | 羽田空港アクセス線 |
| Status | Under construction |
| Locale | Tokyo |
| Termini |
|
| Service | |
| Type | Heavy rail |
| History | |
| Planned opening | JFY 2031 (tentative) |
| Technical | |
| Number of tracks | 2 |
| Track gauge | 1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in) |
| Electrification | Overhead line, 1,500 V DC |
The Haneda Airport Access Line (Japanese: 羽田空港アクセス線, Hepburn: Haneda-kūkō akusesu-sen) is a commuter rail line under construction by the East Japan Railway Company (JR East) that will link Haneda Airport to central Tokyo.[1] Construction began on 2 June 2023.[2][3]
As of July 2024, JR East plans to open the new line in fiscal year 2031 with direct through services to Tokyo Station and Shin-Kiba Station. A third through service to Osaki and Shinjuku is also planned.[4] Construction of the new line is estimated to cost about ¥280 billion (2022) (equivalent to ¥297.14 billion or US$1.96 billion in 2024)[5].[6]
History
[edit]
Due to the growing demand of air travelers using Haneda Airport, especially international travelers, JR East officially announced in the “JR East Group Management Vision V” issued in 2013 that they aimed to improve the accessibility to the airport.[7] In 2014, JR East released its fundamental construction plan for the accessibility improvement.[8] The plan proposed that an existing disused freight line located southeast of Tamachi Station be connected via a single-track tunnel to the Tokaido Line. The newly-constructed section would be about 5 km (3.1 mi) long, running from the existing Tokyo Freight Terminal to a new Haneda Airport New Station (羽田空港新駅, Haneda-kūkō shin-eki) to be located between Terminal 1 and Terminal 2 via a new underwater tunnel.[9] JR East initially aimed to open a portion of the new line in time for the 2020 Summer Olympics, but was unable to do so due to environmental assessment needs.[10]
In the JR East Group Management Vision "Move Up” issued in 2018, JR East proposed constructing three conventional lines departing from the airport connecting to different parts of Tokyo: the East Yamanote route, the West Yamanote route and the Coastal Area route.[11] In 2019, JR East officially launched the environmental assessment for the new lines.[12]
In 2021, JR East announced that they have received Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism approval for construction of the East Yamanote route and intended to start construction in 2022, for completion by 2029.[13] Construction of the line officially began on 2 June 2023 with a groundbreaking ceremony.[2][3][14][15]
The plans for the line were altered in April 2024 in order to preserve a portion of the Meiji-era Takanawa Embankment that was discovered in 2023. JR East announced that the starting point of the new line would be moved 100 meters to the south (toward Shinagawa) in order to preserve a portion of the embankment in its current location.[16]
Routes
[edit] | This section may be confusing or unclear to readers. In particular, which of these routes were selected and are now under construction?. (April 2025) |
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Three routes from Tokyo Freight Terminal onwards to the various points in central Tokyo are under construction.
- The East Yamanote route (東山手ルート) will run from the new airport station located between Terminals 1 and 2 of Haneda Airport to a point near Tamachi Station, using an unused freight line between Tamachi and Tokyo Freight Terminal to connect to the Tokaido Main Line (Ueno-Tokyo Line). By running through trains on the Ueno–Tokyo Line, through service can be offered to Tokyo Station, Ueno Station, and northbound lines including the Takasaki Line, Utsunomiya Line, and Joban Line, allowing service to the northern suburbs of Tokyo. Travel times between Tokyo Station and Haneda are estimated to decrease from the current 28 minutes to 18 minutes.[17]
- The Coastal Area Route (臨海部ルート) will connect Tokyo Freight Terminal to the Rinkai Line for Odaiba (Tokyo Teleport Station) and the Tokyo waterfront. This also allows for future through service to the Keiyo Line for Maihama (Tokyo Disney Resort) and points east in Chiba Prefecture. The travel time between Haneda and Shin-Kiba Station on the Keiyo Line would decrease from 41 minutes to 20 minutes.[17]
- The West Yamanote Route (西山手ルート) will connect the new line to Oimachi Station on the Rinkai Line, which operates as a through service with the Saikyo Line connecting to major terminal stations on the west side of the Yamanote Line including Osaki, Ebisu, Shibuya, Shinjuku, and Ikebukuro, as well as points north in Tokyo and Saitama Prefecture. Travel time between Shinjuku and Haneda would be reduced from 43 minutes at present to 23 minutes.[17]
See also
[edit]- Keikyū Airport Line
- Tokyo Monorail
- Kama-Kama Line (proposed)
References
[edit]- ^ "Jr羽田空港アクセス線、鉄道事業許可の詳細。2029年度開業めざす | タビリス". 20 January 2021.
- ^ a b "「羽田空港アクセス線」起工式 東京-羽田が18分、31年度開業へ：朝日新聞デジタル" ["Haneda Airport Access Line" Groundbreaking Ceremony: Tokyo to Haneda Airport in 18 minutes with a 2031 completion]. Asahi Shimbun Digital (in Japanese). 2 June 2023. Archived from the original on 2 June 2023. Retrieved 3 June 2023.
- ^ a b "JR東日本、羽田空港アクセス線の起工式 31年度開業" [JR East groundbreaking ceremony for Haneda Airport access line, services to begin in 2031]. Nihon Keizai Shimbun Online (in Japanese). 2 June 2023. Archived from the original on 2 June 2023. Retrieved 3 June 2023.
- ^ "臨海部ルート、31年度開業へ 羽田空港アクセス線、JR東日本". 47NEWS (in Japanese). Retrieved 2025-03-09.
- ^ 1868 to 1938: Williamson J., Nominal Wage, Cost of Living, Real Wage and Land Rent Data for Japan 1831–1938, 1939 to 1945: Bank of Japan Historical Statistics Afterwards, Japanese Historical Consumer Price Index numbers based on data available from the Japanese Statistics Bureau. Japan Historical Consumer Price Index (CPI) – 1970 to 2014 Retrieved 30 July 2014. For between 1946 and 1970, from "昭和戦後史". Retrieved 2015-01-24.
- ^ "JR East pushes back planned opening of new Haneda Airport line by two years". The Japan Times. 5 April 2023. Archived from the original on 5 April 2023. Retrieved 5 April 2023.
- ^ "JR East Group Management Vision V" (PDF). Retrieved 2019-05-17.
- ^ "JR East eyes new, faster access to Haneda airport from central Tokyo". Japan Times.
- ^ "Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism permits Haneda Airport Access Line". 20 January 2021. Archived from the original on 2021-01-31. Retrieved 2021-01-25.
- ^ "JR東日本、羽田空港アクセス線「臨海部ルート」 インバウンドの熱気取り込む". 日本経済新聞 (in Japanese). 2024-07-27. Retrieved 2025-03-09.
- ^ "JR East eyes new, faster access to Haneda airport from central Tokyo". The Japan Times Online. 2014-08-19. ISSN 0447-5763. Retrieved 2019-05-12.
- ^ "Environmental test for new train link to Haneda to begin in spring". Kyodo News. 2019-02-10. Retrieved 2019-05-17.
- ^ "JR East's Haneda Airport Access Line to Open in FY 2029". 21 January 2021. Archived from the original on 25 January 2021. Retrieved 21 April 2021.
- ^ "JR東日本，羽田空港アクセス線（仮称）の工事に着手へ" [JR East to start construction of Haneda Airport Access Line]. Japan Railfan Magazine Online (in Japanese). 5 April 2023. Archived from the original on 5 April 2023. Retrieved 5 April 2023.
- ^ "JR East to Begin Full-Scale Construction of the Haneda Airport Access Line - Japan Business Platform". japan-business-platform.com. 28 April 2025. Retrieved 2025-06-09.
- ^ "鉄道遺構「高輪築堤」保存のため一部の石垣を避け新路線整備へ 羽田空港アクセス線（日テレNEWS NNN）". Yahoo!ニュース (in Japanese). Retrieved 2025-03-09.
- ^ a b c "JR East Group Management Vision "Move Up" 2027" (PDF). Retrieved 2019-05-17.