Saturday 10 May 2014

The 100th Anniversary of the Tojo Line

Railway employees cerebrate the 100th anniversary of the Tobu-Tojo Line in Ikebukuro station yard 
 
The Tobu-Tojo Line is one of the main transportation arteries in the Tokyo metropolitan area. Connecting Ikebukuro, downtown Tokyo and Kawagoe City in Saitama Prefecture, Tobu-Tojo Line was opened on May 1st in 1914. Then, it was fully opened in 1925 between Ikebukuro and Yorii. The total line length is 75km. It carries an average of one million passengers per day.

Following the Keio Line of Keio Electric Railway Company, the Tobu Railway Company celebrated the 100th anniversary of its Tojo Line on May 1st this year. Tobu held a commemoration ceremony in front of the south entrance of Ikebukuro station yard.

I saw plenty of railway employees and rail fans in the station yard. Once "Kusudama", a decorated paper ball, was broken, a 100th anniversary decorated banner appeared from the ball. Railway employees including the stationmaster of Ikebukuro, then, took a ceremonial photograph with a happy grin.

Tobu also contrived many events to celebrate the 100th anniversary. For instance, they asked the public to come up with an episode on the Tojo Line under name of "My starting station story". The first episode has already been made into a comic, and has been uploaded onto the website of the Tobu Railway. It is a story of high school girl on the Tojo Line who aspires to become a school teacher.

I am going to report a special train for the 100th anniversary in an upcoming blog article. To be continued...

 
The 100th anniversary poster of the Tobu-Tojo Line