Shibayama Railway
{{Short description|Railway company in Chiba Prefecture, Japan}}
{{Use American English|date=October 2024}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=October 2024}}
{{Infobox rail line
| box_width =
| name = Shibayama Railway Line
| color = 3CB371
| logo = Shibayama Railway Logo.SVG
| logo_width = 150px
| image = 芝山鉄道 3500形.jpg
| image_width = 300px
| caption = A Keisei 3500 series EMU in Higashi Narita Station in 2023
| type =
| system = Functionally part of Keisei Electric Railway network
| status =
| locale = Chiba Prefecture, Japan
| start = {{STN|Higashi-Narita|x}}
| end = {{STN|Shibayama-Chiyoda|x}}
| stations = 2
| routes =
| daily_ridership = 1,419 (2023){{Cite web |title=駅情報 |url=https://www.sibatetu.co.jp/station_info.html |access-date=2024-07-11 |website=芝山鉄道 {{!}} 日本一短い鉄道 |language=ja |archive-date=April 17, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210417121402/https://www.sibatetu.co.jp/station_info.html |url-status=live }}
| open = October 22, 2002
| close =
| owner = Shibayama Railway Co., Ltd.
{{small|(Narita International Airport Corporation)}}
| operator = Shibayama Railway, by Keisei Electric Railway crews
| character =
| depot =
| stock = Keisei 3500 series EMU
| linelength_km = 2.2
| tracklength =
| tracks =
| gauge = {{RailGauge|1435mm}}
| electrification = {{1,500 V DC}}
| speed_km/h = 85
| elevation =
| map = {{routemap|inline=1
|map =
LSTR~~ ~~ ~~Keisei Higashi-Narita Line
tSTRa
\tBHF!~GRZq\~~0.0~~KS44 {{STN|Higashi-Narita|x}}
tSTR~~ ~~ ~~↓Shibayama Railway Line
tKHSTaq!~HUBa\tKRZt\~~ ~~ ~~Keisei Main Line/Keisei Narita Airport Line
tKHSTaq!~HUBe\tKRZt\~~ ~~ ~~Narita Line
tSTR~~ ~~ ~~KS42 {{STN|Narita Airport|x}}
htSTRe
hKBHFe~~2.2~~SR01 {{STN|Shibayama-Chiyoda|x}}
}}
| map_state = collapsed
}}
The {{nihongo|Shibayama Railway Company, Ltd.|芝山鉄道株式会社|Shibayama Tetsudō kabushiki-gaisha}} is a third-sector railway company in Chiba Prefecture, Japan. It operates Japan's shortest independent railway line, the {{Cvt|2.2|km}} Shibayama Railway Line between Higashi-Narita Station and Shibayama-Chiyoda Station, largely underneath Narita International Airport.
Narita International Airport Corporation owns a 68.40% majority stake in Shibayama Railway as of March 2019. The remainder is owned by Keisei Electric Railway, Japan Airlines, the prefectural government, and others.国土交通省鉄道局監修『鉄道要覧』令和元年度版、電気車研究会・鉄道図書刊行会
Stations and operation
Although the Shibayama Railway is an independent operator, it functionally resembles an extension of the Keisei Higashi-Narita Line, as all trains provide through service to lines owned by Keisei. The line is operated using equipment and crew leased from Keisei.{{Cite web |title=鉄道で行く千葉 第3回 芝山鉄道 |url=https://www.keiyobank.co.jp/sustainability/social/contribution/Information_magazine/tetsudo/pdf/tetsudo03.pdf |access-date=10 July 2024 |archive-date=July 9, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240709232252/https://www.keiyobank.co.jp/sustainability/social/contribution/Information_magazine/tetsudo/pdf/tetsudo03.pdf |url-status=live }} However, IC cards are not accepted on this route, unlike most railway lines operated by Keisei.{{Cite web |date=2023-06-25 |title=「日本一短い鉄道」どんな路線？所要時間わずか3分 成田空港の知られざるミニ鉄道 |url=https://trafficnews.jp/post/126515 |access-date=2024-06-27 |website=乗りものニュース |language=ja |archive-date=June 27, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240627123749/https://trafficnews.jp/post/126515 |url-status=live }} Most Shibayama Railway trains provide local service to Keisei Narita Station past Higashi-Narita, and express trains operate during rush hours through the Keisei Line from Haneda Airport Terminal 1·2 Station. The fare between Higashi-Narita and Shibayama-Chiyoda costs 220 yen for adults and 110 yen for children.{{Cite web |url=http://www.sibatetu.co.jp/schedule.html |title=Timetable |access-date=March 4, 2010 |archive-date=March 2, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100302081451/http://www.sibatetu.co.jp/schedule.html |url-status=live }}
File:Series 5300 of Tokyo Metropolitan Bureau of Transportation.jpg listing the destination as "(Higashi Narita) Shibayama"]]
| class="wikitable" |
| rowspan="2"|No.
!rowspan="2"|Station !rowspan="2"|Japanese !colspan="2"|Distance !rowspan="2"|Transfers !rowspan="2"|Location |
|---|
| Between stations !Total |
| {{KSSN|KS|44|size=40}}
|{{STN|Higashi-Narita|x}} |東成田 |style: align=right |
| style: align=right|{{convert|0.0|km|abbr=on}} |
| {{KSSN|SR|01|size=40}}
|{{STN|Shibayama-Chiyoda|x}} |芝山千代田 |style: align=right|{{convert|2.2|km|abbr=on}} |style: align=right|{{convert|2.2|km|abbr=on}} | |
History
Shibayama Railway was founded on May 1, 1981, and received an operating permit on June 24, 1988, to run the {{Cvt|2.0|km}} line between Seibijyō-Mae Station (later renamed to Shibayama-Chiyoda)"芝山鉄道に免許". 千葉日報 (千葉日報社). June 25, 1988 and the Shibatetsu Narita Airport Station (now a part of Higashi-Narita Station). Initially, small train sets were planned to operate inside the line only, but in 1990, due to demands from the residents, the company applied for a permit to use regular trains; the permit was granted two days after application.[http://www.sibatetu.co.jp/company.html 会社概要] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100127102318/http://www.sibatetu.co.jp/company.html|date=January 27, 2010}}, Shibayama Railway In 1990, the railway applied for a permit to operate direct service with the Keisei Railway from Keisei Narita Station, which was approved in 1996."京成成田駅乗り入れ 「芝山鉄道」運輸省が認可”. 千葉日報 (千葉日報社). (14 April 1990) The Narita Shinkansen plan came to a permanent halt around this time, and the Keisei Electric Railway used the abandoned buildings for the plan to build a new line towards the terminal of Narita International Airport branching off from {{Ill|Komaino signaling station|ja|駒井野信号場}}, which made the route from Keisei Narita Station to the old Narita International Airport station a new line named Keisei Higashi-Narita Line.{{Cite news |date=19 March 1991 |title=都心と空直結 成田空港地下駅が開業 |work=The Asahi Shimbun}}{{Cite news |date=20 March 1991 |title=待望の成田高速鉄道が開業 空港と直結、都心へ1時間 新アクセス門出祝う |work=Chiba Nippo}} The line began construction in 1998."鉄道ピクトリアル" 第48巻第4号、電気車研究会、April 1998 110p. However, the planned railway line was forced to be extended by a further {{Convert|0.2|km|yd|abbr=in}} due to problems with buying land in 2000, and the name of the new station was chosen to be Shibayama-Chiyoda on the same year.{{Cite web |date=2022-10-26 |title=「日本一短い鉄道」芝山鉄道の開業から20年 誕生の理由と「将来」は |url=https://trafficnews.jp/post/122547 |access-date=2024-06-26 |website=乗りものニュース |language=ja |archive-date=June 26, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240626003112/https://trafficnews.jp/post/122547 |url-status=live }} The line opened for operation on October 27, 2002.
The construction of the railway was strongly demanded by Shibayama residents,{{Cite web |title=地域振興 {{!}} 成田国際空港株式会社 |url=https://www.naa.jp/jp/csr/syuhen_03.html |access-date=2024-10-04 |website=www.naa.jp |archive-date=November 29, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241129232806/https://www.naa.jp/jp/csr/syuhen_03.html |url-status=live }} the Transport Ministry and the Narita Airport Authority to appease residents of the area immediately east of Narita International Airport, as the airport property cut off Shibayama's access to Narita City and points west.{{Cite web |title=地域と共生する空港づくり大綱 4．地域づくり {{!}} 成田国際空港株式会社 |url=https://www.naa.jp/jp/csr/kyosei_taiko_4.html |access-date=2024-07-11 |website=www.naa.jp |archive-date=June 26, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240626014426/https://www.naa.jp/jp/csr/kyosei_taiko_4.html |url-status=live }}
There was a proposal to extend the line into Chiyoda until 1996. The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport has recommended studying an extension into central Shibayama Town.[http://www.mlit.go.jp/kokudokeikaku/vision/s-plan/s-planhonbun.pdf 首都圏整備計画], MLIT, September 2006
Line
The company operates a single line.
- File:Number prefix Shibayama.svg Shibayama Railway Line {{STN|Higashi-Narita|x}} - {{STN|Shibayama-Chiyoda|x}} {{Convert|2.2|km|abbr=on}}
The Shibayama Railway Line advertises itself as the shortest railway line in Japan and gives out certificates for using the line for free.{{Cite web |date=2017-12-07 |title=乗ったら終点、駅ふたつしかない鉄道なぜ誕生？ 東西2社、共通点は「トンネル」 |url=https://trafficnews.jp/post/79170 |access-date=2024-06-27 |website=乗りものニュース |language=ja |archive-date=June 27, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240627123347/https://trafficnews.jp/post/79170 |url-status=live }} However, the Kurama-dera Cable is the shortest cable car line in Japan with a length of {{Convert|207|m|yd|0|abbr=off|sp=us}},{{Cite web |date=2018-09-18 |title=日本唯一、お寺が運営する鉄道 距離も日本最短 しかし「乗ることを勧められない」ワケ |url=https://trafficnews.jp/post/81433 |access-date=2024-06-26 |website=乗りものニュース |language=ja |archive-date=January 4, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220104085916/https://trafficnews.jp/post/81433 |url-status=live }} and Seinō Railway operates the shortest freight-only railway line with an operational length of {{Convert|1.3|km|4=1|abbr=on}}.{{Cite web |title= 【公式】 西濃鉄道株式会社 |url=https://seinorailway.web.fc2.com/ |access-date=2024-07-08 |website=seinorailway.web.fc2.com |archive-date=June 12, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240612201530/https://seinorailway.web.fc2.com/ |url-status=live }}{{Cite web |date=2022-11-04 |title=西濃鉄道が一部廃止で「日本最短」事業者に 石灰石運ぶ岐阜の貨物線を運営 {{!}} 鉄道ニュース【鉄道プレスネット】 |url=https://news.railway-pressnet.com/archives/45473 |access-date=2024-10-02 |language=ja |archive-date=April 20, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240420173041/https://news.railway-pressnet.com/archives/45473 |url-status=live }}
Rolling stock
File:Shibayama_3500_series_20220508.jpg
The Shibayama Railway leases its rolling stock from the Keisei Electric Railway.所属車両を変更します - 芝山鉄道ホームページお知らせ March 28, 2013 The company has leased a Keisei 3500 series trainset since 2013. In 2022, the train's wrapping was changed to use red and green stripes, resembling the former 3600 series used on the line until 2013. During the time 3600 series was used by the Shibayama Railway, the train color was changed from Keisei's blue and red color scheme to red and green, the scheme used in the company's logo. This change was reverted when it was returned to Keisei.{{Cite web |date=2015-01-14 |title=京成電鉄の車両・列車(2) 3600形、かつて芝山鉄道にリースされた編成も |url=https://news.mynavi.jp/article/keisei-2/ |access-date=2024-06-26 |website=マイナビニュース |language=ja |archive-date=June 26, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240626004356/https://news.mynavi.jp/article/keisei-2/ |url-status=live }}{{Cite web |title=芝山鉄道 {{!}} 日本一短い鉄道 |url=https://www.sibatetu.co.jp/news/2022/04/post-483.html |access-date=2024-06-26 |website=芝山鉄道オフィシャルサイト |language=ja |archive-date=June 26, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240626004357/https://www.sibatetu.co.jp/news/2022/04/post-483.html |url-status=live }}
Location
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- [http://www.sibatetu.co.jp/ Company website (in Japanese)]
{{Shibayama Railway Line}}
{{Keisei transit}}
{{Tokyo transit}}
{{authority control}}
Category:Railway lines in Japan
Category:Railway companies of Japan
Category:Airport rail links in Japan
Category:Standard-gauge railways in Japan
Category:Railway lines opened in 2002
Category:Companies based in Chiba Prefecture
Category:2002 establishments in Japan
Category:Keisei Electric Railway