# Tōbu Urban Park Line

The Tobu Urban Park Line (東武アーバンパークライン, Tōbu Ābanpāku-rain), formally known as the Tobu Noda Line (東武野田線, Tōbu Noda-sen), is a 62.7 km (39.0 mi) long railway line in Saitama and Chiba Prefectures operated by the Japanese private railway company Tobu Railway. It connects the satellite cities of Tokyo, such as Saitama, Kasukabe, Noda, Nagareyama, Matsudo, Kamagaya, Kashiwa, and Funabashi.

## Operation

All trains were initially operated as all-stations "Local" services. Most trains, excluding a few from/to train depots, originate or terminate at Kashiwa Station which has a switchback. During the daytime, six trains run per hour.
From 26 March 2016, limited-stop "Express" services were introduced on the line. During the daytime off-peak, these run at 30-minute intervals, stopping only at Iwatsuki between Ōmiya and Kasukabe, and all-stations between Kasukabe and Funabashi. The journey time between Omiya and Kasukabe is reduced by 6 minutes compared with all-stations "Local" services.

## Stations

Abbreviations:
* L = Local (普通, Futsū)
* S = Section Express (区間急行, Kukan Kyūkō)
* E = Express (急行, Kyūkō)
* UPL = Urban Park Liner (アーバンパークライナー, Ābanpākurainā)
| No. | Station | Japanese | Distance | L | S | E | UPL | Transfers | Location | Location |
| TD01 | Ōmiya | 大宮 | 0.0 km 0 mi | O | O | O | O | Tōhoku Shinkansen Yamagata Shinkansen Akita Shinkansen Jōetsu Shinkansen Hokuriku Shinkansen ■ Kawagoe Line JK Keihin-Tohoku Line JA Saikyo Line JS Shonan-Shinjuku Line JU Takasaki Line JU Tohoku Main Line (Utsunomiya Line) ■ New Shuttle | Ōmiya-ku, Saitama | Saitama |
| TD02 | Kita-Ōmiya | 北大宮 | 1.2 km 0.75 mi | O | | | | | | | | Ōmiya-ku, Saitama | Saitama |
| TD03 | Ōmiya-kōen | 大宮公園 | 2.2 km 1.4 mi | O | | | | | | | | Ōmiya-ku, Saitama | Saitama |
| TD04 | Ōwada | 大和田 | 4.0 km 2.5 mi | O | | | | | | | | Minuma-ku, Saitama | Saitama |
| TD05 | Nanasato | 七里 | 5.6 km 3.5 mi | O | | | | | | | | Minuma-ku, Saitama | Saitama |
| TD06 | Iwatsuki | 岩槻 | 8.5 km 5.3 mi | O | O | O | O | | Iwatsuki-ku, Saitama | Saitama |
| TD07 | Higashi-Iwatsuki | 東岩槻 | 10.9 km 6.8 mi | O | | | | | | | | Iwatsuki-ku, Saitama | Saitama |
| TD08 | Toyoharu | 豊春 | 12.2 km 7.6 mi | O | | | | | | | | Kasukabe | Saitama |
| TD09 | Yagisaki | 八木崎 | 14.1 km 8.8 mi | O | | | | | O | | Kasukabe | Saitama |
| TD10 | Kasukabe | 春日部 | 15.2 km 9.4 mi | O | O | O | O | TS Tobu Skytree Line | Kasukabe | Saitama |
| TD11 | Fujino-ushijima | 藤の牛島 | 17.8 km 11.1 mi | O | O | O | O | | Kasukabe | Saitama |
| TD12 | Minami-Sakurai | 南桜井 | 20.6 km 12.8 mi | O | O | O | O | | Kasukabe | Saitama |
| TD13 | Kawama | 川間 | 22.9 km 14.2 mi | O | O | O | O | | Noda | Chiba |
| TD14 | Nanakōdai | 七光台 | 25.1 km 15.6 mi | O | O | O | O | | Noda | Chiba |
| TD15 | Shimizu-kōen | 清水公園 | 26.6 km 16.5 mi | O | O | O | O | | Noda | Chiba |
| TD16 | Atago | 愛宕 | 27.7 km 17.2 mi | O | O | O | O | | Noda | Chiba |
| TD17 | Nodashi | 野田市 | 28.6 km 17.8 mi | O | O | O | O | | Noda | Chiba |
| TD18 | Umesato | 梅郷 | 30.9 km 19.2 mi | O | O | O | O | | Noda | Chiba |
| TD19 | Unga | 運河 | 33.2 km 20.6 mi | O | O | O | O | | Nagareyama | Chiba |
| TD20 | Edogawadai | 江戸川台 | 35.1 km 21.8 mi | O | O | | | | | | Nagareyama | Chiba |
| TD21 | Hatsuishi | 初石 | 36.8 km 22.9 mi | O | O | | | | | | Nagareyama | Chiba |
| TD22 | Nagareyama-ōtakanomori | 流山おおたかの森 | 38.4 km 23.9 mi | O | O | O | O | Tsukuba Express | Nagareyama | Chiba |
| TD23 | Toyoshiki | 豊四季 | 39.7 km 24.7 mi | O | O | | | | | | Kashiwa | Chiba |
| TD24 | Kashiwa | 柏 | 42.9 km 26.7 mi | O | O | O | O | JJ Jōban Line (Rapid) JL Jōban Line (Local) | Kashiwa | Chiba |
| TD25 | Shin-Kashiwa | 新柏 | 45.8 km 28.5 mi | O | | | | | | Kashiwa | Chiba |
| TD26 | Masuo | 増尾 | 47.1 km 29.3 mi | O | | | | | | Kashiwa | Chiba |
| TD27 | Sakasai | 逆井 | 48.0 km 29.8 mi | O | | | | | | Kashiwa | Chiba |
| TD28 | Takayanagi | 高柳 | 50.2 km 31.2 mi | O | | O | | | Kashiwa | Chiba |
| TD29 | Mutsumi | 六実 | 51.9 km 32.2 mi | O | | | | | | Matsudo | Chiba |
| TD30 | Shin-Kamagaya | 新鎌ヶ谷 | 53.3 km 33.1 mi | O | | O | | SL Shin-Keisei Line HS Hokuso Line KS Narita Sky Access Line | Kamagaya | Chiba |
| TD31 | Kamagaya | 鎌ヶ谷 | 55.2 km 34.3 mi | O | | | | | | Kamagaya | Chiba |
| TD32 | Magomezawa | 馬込沢 | 57.7 km 35.9 mi | O | | | | | | Funabashi | Chiba |
| TD33 | Tsukada | 塚田 | 60.1 km 37.3 mi | O | | | | | | Funabashi | Chiba |
| TD34 | Shin-Funabashi | 新船橋 | 61.3 km 38.1 mi | O | | | | | | Funabashi | Chiba |
| TD35 | Funabashi | 船橋 | 62.7 km 39.0 mi | O | | O | | JO Sōbu Line (Rapid) JB Chūō-Sōbu Line KS Keisei Main Line (at Keisei Funabashi) | Funabashi | Chiba |

## Rolling stock

* 8000 series 6-car (including 2+4-car) EMUs (since 3 June 1977)
* 10030/10050 series 6-car EMUs (since 20 April 2013)
* 60000 series 6-car EMUs (since 15 June 2013)
Trains are formed of 6-car (or 4+2-car) 8000 series EMUs, introduced from 1997. New 6-car 60000 series EMUs were introduced on the line from 15 June 2013, replacing the older 8000 series sets. Eight sets are scheduled to be delivered by the end of fiscal 2013.
From 3 March 2012, test running using 10030 series EMUs commenced on the line, with the first reliveried set entering revenue service from 20 April 2013.
* A 6-car 8000 series in June 2013
* 10030 series 6-car set 11631 in new colour scheme and Urban Park Line branding in April 2021
* 10050 series 6-car set 11654 in new colour scheme and Urban Park Line branding in May 2022
* A 6-car 60000 series in April 2021
* A 500 series EMU in May 2017
From 21 April 2017, new Tobu 500 series three-car EMUs operate on Urban Park Liner limited express services on the line. Services operate between Asakusa in Tokyo (Tobu Skytree Line) and Omiya and Nodashi on the Tobu Urban Park Line, with trains dividing and joining at Kasukabe. The 500 series trains are also used on Urban Park Liner services operating between Omiya and Unga on the Tobu Urban Park Line.

### Future rolling stock

* 80000 series 5-car EMUs (from 8 March 2025)
Tobu Railway announced on 16 April 2024 that 25 80000 series 5-car sets would be introduced on the line, replacing all remaining 8000 and 10000 series trains in service on the Urban Park Line. In addition, the 18 60000 series sets are expected to be shortened to 5 cars per trainset with one surplus car from each set slated to be modified and incorporated into 18 of the 80000 series sets.

### Former rolling stock

* 1000 series 16 m long electric cars (1001–1004, 1101–1104,1201–1202), built in 1929 by Nippon Sharyo
* 6300 series 20 m long electric cars (former JNR 63000 series), from March 1947 until 1950
* 3200 series
* 7800 series 20 m long electric cars, from February 1958
* 7300 series 20 m long electric cars (rebuilt from 6300 series), from 1963
* 3000 series 6-car (including 2+4-car) EMUs, rebuilt from 3200 series, from May 1965 until 1992
* 5400 series EMUs, from November 1967 until 1972
* 3050 series EMUs, rebuilt from 5400 series, from March 1971 until 1992
* 3070 series EMUs, rebuilt from 5300 series, from 1974 until 1992
* 5000 series 6-car (including 2+4-car) EMUs, rebuilt from 7800 series, from March 1983 until November 1994
* 2080 series 6-car EMUs x2, from May 1988 until November 1992
* 7800 series
* 7300 series
* 3070 series
* A Noda Line 5070 series in September 2004

## History

The line first opened as the Chiba Prefectural Railway Noda Line (千葉県営鉄道野田線, Chiba Ken'ei Tetsudō Noda-sen) on 9 May 1911, from Kashiwa to Nodamachi (now Nodashi), a distance of 14.7 kilometres (9 miles 10 chains) using steam haulage. In 1923, the line was privatized and the operator was named Hokusō Railway (北総鉄道, Hokusō Tetsudō) (separate from the present Hokusō Railway), and also opened its own line from Funabashi Station to Kashiwa Station, a distance of 19.6 km (12 mi 14 ch).
The company gradually extended the line to Ōmiya, and changed its name in 1929 to Sōbu Railway (総武鉄道, Sōbu Tetsudō) (not to be confused with the present Sōbu Main Line). The line was completed in 1930 with the completion of the bridge over the Edo River.
On 1 March 1944, the company merged with the Tobu Railway, and the line became the Tobu Noda Line. 6-car trains were introduced from November 1972.
Electrification was commenced in 1929 between Kasukabe and Ōmiya, and while the section from Kashiwa to Funabashi was still unelectrified when the operation of the line was taken over by Tobu in 1944, the remaining section was electrified by 1 March 1947.
The Omiya to Kasukabe section was double-tracked between 1957 and 2011, the Nodashi to Umesato section in 2011, the Unga to Sakasai section between 1960 and 1991, and the Mutsumi to Funabashi section between 1964 and 1999.
Six-car 8000 series EMUs were phased in from 1997, displaced by new 30000 series EMUs introduced on the Tobu Isesaki Line. The last remaining 5070 series EMUs were withdrawn from the start of the revised timetable on 19 October 2004, and the line's maximum speed was raised from 90 km/h to 100 km/h at the same time.
From 17 March 2012, station numbering was introduced on all Tobu lines, with Noda Line stations receiving numbers prefixed with the letters "TD".
From 1 April 2014, the line was rebranded the Tobu Urban Park Line (東武アーバンパークライン).