The Narita Airport Line(Japanese: 成田空港線, Hepburn: Narita Kūkō-sen) is a Japanese railway line connecting Keisei Takasago Station and Narita Airport Terminal 1 Station, operated by Keisei Electric Railway. The entire route from Keisei Ueno Station, including the Keisei Main Line as far as Keisei Takasago, is branded Narita Sky Access(成田スカイアクセス, Narita Sukai Akusesu).

The Keisei Electric Railway operates over the entire line, while other companies, such as Hokuso Railway, operate over certain sections of it. The new line is used by Skyliner limited express services, operating at up to 160 km/h (100 mph) using Keisei AE series EMUs. Skyliner is the fastest and most expensive service (with reserved seating and luggage racks), followed by the Sky Access (which has space for luggage), and then the Keisei Limited Express (regular commuter train).

Operations

Trains utilize the Keisei Electric Railway's Main Line between Keisei Ueno and Keisei-Takasago. Trains run at a maximum speed of 160 km/h (100 mph), thus completing the run from Nippori to Narita Airport Terminal 2·3 in a minimum of 36 minutes (15 minutes faster than the previous Skyliner route, which took 51 minutes). The reserved-seat Keisei Skyliner limited express fare for the route between Narita airport and either Nippori or Ueno stations is ¥2,580 and takes 36–41 minutes, while the Access Express commuter fast train costs ¥1,280 and takes 63–69 minutes. Express trains also operate towards Haneda Airport from Narita Airport (in a long chain of through service via Keisei-Takasago, Aoto, Oshiage, Sengakuji/Shinagawa, and Keikyū-Kamata), connecting the two airports in 92–109 minutes for a fare of ¥1,850.

There are also plans to build a spur from the Toei Asakusa Line to Tōkyō Station, opening a potentially faster route to the airport via Keisei Oshiage Line.

Basic data

  • Total length: 51.4 km (31.9 mi)
  • Service operators and track owners:
StationKeisei-TakasagoKomuroInba-Nihon-Idai(Tsuchiya)Narita Airport Terminal 2·3Narita Airport Terminal 1
Operating carrierKeisei Electric Railway (Category 2)
Hokusō Railway (Category 1)Hokusō Railway (Category 2)East Japan Railway Company (JR East) (Category 2)
OwnerChiba New Town Railway (Category 3)Narita Rapid Rail Access (Category 3)Narita Airport Rapid Railway (Category 3)
TracksExistingNew SectionExisting

Station list

Trains stop at stations marked "●" and pass those marked "|". Some Skyliner trains stop at stations marked "▲".

No.StationJapaneseAccess ExpressSkylinerTransfersLocation
Through-running via the Keisei Main Line Main Line and Keisei Oshiage Line Oshiage Line to/fromKeisei Ueno via the Keisei Main Line Main Line Nishi-Magome via the Toei Asakusa Line Asakusa Line Yokohama via the Toei Asakusa Line Asakusa Line and Keikyū Main Line Main Line, and Misakiguchi via the Keikyū Kurihama Line Kurihama Line To/from Haneda Airport via the Toei Asakusa Line Asakusa Line, Keikyū Main Line Main Line, and Keikyū Airport Line Airport Line
KS10Keisei-Takasago京成高砂Keisei Main Line Main Line (Through Service) Keisei Kanamachi Line Kanamachi Line Hokusō Line Hokusō LineKatsushika, Tokyo
HS05Higashi-Matsudo東松戸Hokusō Line Hokusō Line Musashino Line Musashino Line (JM13)MatsudoChiba
HS08Shin-Kamagaya新鎌ヶ谷Hokusō Line Hokusō Line Keisei Matsudo Line Matsudo Line (KS78) Tōbu Urban Park Line Tōbu Urban Park Line (TD30)Kamagaya
HS12Chiba New Town Chūō千葉ニュータウン中央Hokusō Line Hokusō LineInzai
HS14Imba Nihon-idai印旛日本医大
KS43Narita Yukawa成田湯川Narita
KS41Narita Airport Terminal 2·3空港第2ビルKeisei Main Line Main Line Sōbu Line (Rapid) Narita Line (Airport branch) (JO36)
KS42Narita Airport Terminal 1成田空港Keisei Main Line Main Line Sōbu Line (Rapid) Narita Line (Airport branch) (JO37)

History

The Keisei Narita Airport Line in relation to existing tracks

Service on this line commenced on July 17, 2010. The line involved the refurbishment of 32.3 km (20.1 mi) of existing track on the Hokusō Line, as well as the construction of 19.1 km (11.9 mi) of new dual track to Narita Airport, partly using disused rights-of-way originally planned for the cancelled Narita Shinkansen project. The total cost was estimated to be ¥126 billion, or about US$1.3 billion. From the timetable revision on February 26, 2022, Toei 5500 series trains began operating on the line on weekdays.

In October 2022, Keisei announced that certain Skyliner trains would begin serving Shin-Kamagaya Station with the intent of improving access to Kashiwa and Matsudo in Chiba Prefecture. The planned implementation took place on 26 November 2022.

This article incorporates material from the corresponding article in the Japanese Wikipedia.

External links

  • (in Japanese)
  • (in Japanese)