Odakyu Electric Railway

Odakyu Electric Railway is a major private railway company headquartered in Tokyo and the core transportation business of the Odakyu Group. Its directly operated network consists of the Odawara Line, Enoshima Line, and Tama Line. Together, these routes extend for approximately 120.5 kilometres and serve about 70 stations across Tokyo and Kanagawa Prefecture. The system links the high-density urban districts around Shinjuku with suburban communities, university areas, regional centres, and tourism destinations such as Odawara, Hakone, and Enoshima. The company's principal route is the Odawara Line, which runs from Shinjuku to Odawara. The Enoshima Line branches toward the resort and coastal area around Enoshima, while the Tama Line serves the Tama New Town area and provides connections into the wider Tokyo metropolitan railway system. Odakyu trains also operate through services with Tokyo Metro and, through connecting arrangements, with other railway operators. The transportation businesses associated with the Odakyu Group additionally include Enoshima Electric Railway and Odakyu Hakone, although these are separate railway businesses rather than direct lines of the core company. Odakyu is particularly identified with its Romancecar limited express brand. These services provide reserved-seat travel from central Tokyo toward Odawara, Hakone, Enoshima, and other destinations. The Romancecar has also served as a platform for railway engineering and design development. In 1957, the 3000 series Romancecar achieved a speed of 145 kilometres per hour during testing, a notable record for a 1,067-millimetre narrow-gauge railway at the time. The tests generated technical knowledge that influenced later Japanese high-speed electric multiple-unit development. The company was established through the opening of the Shinjuku–Odawara railway in 1927 and expanded rapidly before the Second World War with the addition of the Enoshima Line. It adopted the Odakyu name in 1941 after the abbreviation had become widely used. During wartime consolidation it was absorbed into the Tokyo-Yokohama Electric Railway system, but regained independence in 1948. Postwar growth brought renewed limited express services, through operation to Hakone, major station redevelopment, and prolonged efforts to increase capacity on congested metropolitan sections. Population growth along Odakyu's corridors created severe commuter crowding, especially on approaches to central Tokyo. The company consequently pursued large-scale track expansion and station improvement projects. Land-acquisition disputes and opposition in Setagaya delayed the completion of capacity works for decades, but by March 2018 the Odakyu lines within Tokyo had been expanded to two or four tracks. This infrastructure programme improved express-train reliability and reduced bottlenecks on the busiest parts of the network. Beyond railway operation, the Odakyu brand is connected with station-area development, tourism, retail, and other services associated with a private railway group. Its commercial identity combines everyday commuter transport with destination travel and leisure. The company remains an active metropolitan railway operator whose best-known consumer-facing offering is the Romancecar, while its broader strategic role is to support movement and urban development between central Tokyo, western Kanagawa, and major tourism areas.

Odakyu's history began with the construction of a private railway linking Shinjuku in central Tokyo with Odawara in western Kanagawa. The 83-kilometre route opened on 1 April 1927. It was unusual among Japanese private railways of its period because it opened as an electrified and double-tracked railway, reflecting the importance of metropolitan and interurban passenger demand from the outset. The Enoshima Line followed on 1 April 1929, extending the company's reach toward the coastal tourism area around Enoshima. The original corporate name was Odawara Express Railway. In ordinary usage it was shortened to Odawara Kyuko, and the abbreviation Odakyu gained wider recognition after appearing in the title song of a 1929 film. The company formally adopted Odakyu as its railway name on 1 March 1941. Wartime transport consolidation changed the company's corporate position: on 1 May 1942, it merged with Tokyo-Yokohama Electric Railway, the predecessor of Tokyu Corporation, which had come to control most private railway services west and south of Tokyo during the war. Odakyu regained independence on 1 June 1948. In the postwar restructuring it acquired a substantial shareholding in Hakone Tozan Railway. The company restarted non-stop limited express service between Shinjuku and Odawara in 1948, and in 1950 its trains began running through to Hakone-Yumoto on the Hakone Tozan Line. Because Odakyu used 1,067-millimetre gauge while the Hakone line used standard gauge, part of the route between Odawara and Hakone-Yumoto was converted to dual-gauge operation to permit the service. The first Romancecar limited express, based on the 1710 series, entered service in 1951. The brand became a defining part of Odakyu's identity, combining reserved seating and faster travel with access to major leisure destinations. The 3000 series SE Romancecar was tested at up to 145 kilometres per hour in 1957, establishing a narrow-gauge speed record at the time. The tests were technically significant beyond Odakyu because their results contributed to the development of later Japanese high-speed electric multiple-unit trains, including equipment used by Japanese National Railways. Rapid economic growth after the 1950s produced intense population growth along Odakyu's corridors. Morning commuter trains became heavily congested, and the company planned extensive station rebuilding and track expansion. The Shinjuku Station improvement project created additional tracks and platforms capable of handling longer commuter trains and supporting through operation with the Chiyoda Line. A proposed four-track expansion was approved in the 1960s but faced prolonged resistance from residents in Setagaya and difficult land-acquisition conditions. The resulting legal, political, and engineering complications delayed the project for roughly half a century. Odakyu expanded its network with the Tama Line, which began operation in 1974 and served the Tama New Town area. It also operated the short Mukogaoka-Yuen Monorail from 1966 to 2001 to serve the Mukogaoka-Yuen amusement park. The monorail closed after the amusement park shut down. In later decades Odakyu continued developing interline services, including operation onto Tokyo Metro routes and connections with other regional railways. From 2000 onward, major construction works added track capacity around the Tokyo metropolitan bottleneck between Izumi-Tamagawa and the area near Setagaya-Daita. The works eventually enabled two- or four-track operation throughout the Odakyu sections within Tokyo by March 2018. This allowed more frequent express and commuter services and addressed one of the company's longest-running infrastructure constraints. Rolling-stock development also continued, with new Romancecar generations such as the 60000 series MSE, introduced in 2008, and the 70000 series GSE, introduced in 2018. The older 50000 series VSE, launched in 2005, was retired from regular service in 2022. Odakyu marked its eightieth anniversary in 2007 and the fiftieth anniversary of the Romancecar in the same year. Station numbering was introduced across the network in 2014. In addition to railway transportation, the company remains the central transportation enterprise of the Odakyu Group, whose associated businesses extend into railways, tourism, real estate, retail, and related services. Its network continues to serve both daily metropolitan mobility and travel to destinations such as Hakone and Enoshima.

1. 202250000 series VSE retired from regular service

   The VSE Romancecar, introduced in 2005, ends regular service.

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2. 2021Passenger stabbing on commuter service

   A mass stabbing and attempted fire occur on an Odakyu commuter train on 6 August.

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3. 2018Tokyo track-capacity project reaches completion

   Odakyu completes the long-delayed expansion that leaves all of its Tokyo Metropolitan sections operating with two or four tracks.

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4. 201870000 series GSE introduced

   The GSE becomes a new generation of Romancecar limited express rolling stock.

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5. 2014Station numbering introduced

   All Odakyu stations receive identifiers using the OH prefix.

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6. 200860000 series MSE introduced

   The MSE Romancecar enters service and supports limited express operation involving Tokyo Metro connections.

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7. 2007Eightieth anniversary and Romancecar fiftieth anniversary

   Odakyu commemorates eighty years since the opening of its first line and fifty years since the debut of the SE Romancecar.

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8. 2001Mukogaoka-Yuen Monorail closes

   The 1.1-kilometre monorail closes following the shutdown of the Mukogaoka-Yuen amusement park.

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9. 1974Tama Line begins operation

   Odakyu opens the Tama Line to serve the Tama New Town area.

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10. 1957SE Romancecar speed testing

    The 3000 series SE reaches 145 kilometres per hour in testing, setting a notable narrow-gauge railway speed record.

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11. 1951First Romancecar enters service

    The first Romancecar limited express, the 1710 series, begins operation.

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12. 1948Independence restored

    Odakyu regains corporate independence and restarts non-stop limited express service between Shinjuku and Odawara.

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13. 1942Merged into Tokyo-Yokohama Electric Railway

    Odakyu is absorbed into the Tokyo-Yokohama Electric Railway system during wartime railway consolidation.

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14. 1941Odakyu name becomes official

    The widely used abbreviation Odakyu becomes the railway company's official name.

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15. 1929Enoshima Line opens

    Odakyu opens its second railway line, extending service toward Enoshima.

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16. 1927Shinjuku–Odawara line opens

    The 83-kilometre electrified and double-tracked railway between Shinjuku and Odawara begins service on 1 April.

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A private metropolitan railway combining high-frequency commuter transportation with premium reserved-seat services to prominent leisure and tourism destinations.

• Odawara LineRailway line1927

  Odakyu's principal railway route connects Shinjuku with Odawara across western Tokyo and Kanagawa Prefecture. It carries dense commuter traffic while also serving as a gateway to Odawara, Hakone, and connecting regional railways. The route supports ordinary, express, and Romancecar limited express services and forms the central spine of the company's network.

• Enoshima LineRailway line1929

  Opened in 1929, the Enoshima Line branches from the Odakyu system toward the coastal destination of Enoshima. It serves local communities and leisure travel, with connections to the wider Odakyu network and limited express services aimed at visitors travelling from central Tokyo.

• Tama LineRailway line1974

  The Tama Line serves communities in the Tama New Town area and provides an additional northwestern corridor within the Odakyu network. Its services connect with the Odawara Line and, through interline operation, with Tokyo Metro and other metropolitan railway routes.

• RomancecarLimited express rail service1951

  Romancecar is Odakyu's reserved-seat limited express brand. It offers faster and more comfortable journeys from Shinjuku toward Odawara, Hakone, Enoshima, and related destinations. The service has been associated with successive generations of purpose-built rolling stock, distinctive exterior designs, panoramic viewing features on selected trains, and the combination of commuter accessibility with leisure-oriented travel.

• 60000 series MSERomancecar rolling stock2008

  Introduced in 2008, the 60000 series MSE is a Romancecar train designed to support both Odakyu operations and through services involving Tokyo Metro. It extended the limited express concept beyond Odakyu's own tracks and helped integrate destination-oriented reserved-seat travel into the metropolitan subway network.

• 70000 series GSERomancecar rolling stock2018

  The 70000 series GSE entered service in 2018 as a newer Romancecar generation. It represents Odakyu's continuing investment in branded limited express equipment for travel between central Tokyo and destinations in western Kanagawa, including the Hakone area.

• Odakyu commuter train fleetCommuter rolling stock1983

  Odakyu's commuter fleet has included multiple generations such as the 1000, 2000, 3000, 4000, 5000, and 8000 series. These trains support high-frequency urban and suburban services across the Odawara, Enoshima, and Tama lines, as well as through operation with other metropolitan railway systems.

• Machida Zelvia shirt sponsorship

  Japan

  Odakyu has served as a shirt sponsor of Japanese football club Machida Zelvia, extending the brand's visibility beyond railway stations and transport services into local sports engagement.

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• 2018Introduction of the 70000 series GSEProduct launch

  Odakyu continued renewing and differentiating its premium limited express fleet.

  What changed. The company placed the 70000 series GSE into Romancecar service.

  Aftermath. The GSE became one of the current generations of Romancecar rolling stock serving tourism and intercity markets.

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• 2008Introduction of the 60000 series MSEProduct launch

  Odakyu was expanding the reach of its reserved-seat limited express services through metropolitan railway connections.

  What changed. The company introduced the 60000 series MSE Romancecar.

  Aftermath. The MSE enabled Romancecar-branded limited express services involving Tokyo Metro routes.

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• 1974Opening of the Tama LineProduct launch

  Odakyu needed to serve the growing Tama New Town area and expand its suburban transport coverage.

  What changed. The company opened the Tama Line.

  Aftermath. The line became part of Odakyu's metropolitan network and later supported through services toward Tokyo Metro and other connecting routes.

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• 1964Long-term Tokyo capacity expansion programmeStrategy

  Rapid population growth produced severe congestion on Odakyu's Tokyo approaches, while land acquisition and local opposition complicated a proposed four-track expansion.

  What changed. Odakyu pursued major station reconstruction and track expansion, including work around Shinjuku and the Setagaya bottleneck.

  Aftermath. The programme took decades to complete, with the Tokyo sections reaching two- or four-track operation by March 2018.

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• 1957High-speed testing of the 3000 series SEOther

  Odakyu was developing higher-speed electric multiple units for its limited express business on 1,067-millimetre-gauge tracks.

  What changed. The company tested the 3000 series SE at speeds up to 145 kilometres per hour.

  Aftermath. The test results provided technical information later used in the development of Japanese high-speed electric multiple-unit trains.

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• 1951Launch of the Romancecar limited expressProduct launch

  Odakyu sought to provide a distinctive premium service linking central Tokyo with regional and tourism destinations.

  What changed. The company introduced the first Romancecar limited express using the 1710 series.

  Aftermath. Romancecar became Odakyu's best-known service brand and continued through successive generations of rolling stock.

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• 2021Mass stabbing on an Odakyu commuter trainControversy

  On 6 August 2021, a man stabbed nine passengers on an Odakyu commuter service, seriously injuring one woman, and attempted to ignite a fire inside the train. He fled after leaving the service and was arrested later. The incident was a serious passenger-safety event associated with the railway operator, although the supplied reference does not identify a corporate misconduct finding.

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• 2018Completion of long-delayed Tokyo capacity improvements

  After decades of construction affected by land-acquisition difficulties and local opposition, all Odakyu lines within Tokyo were operating on sections with either two or four tracks by March 2018, improving capacity for commuter and express services.

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• 2018Introduction of the 70000 series GSE Romancecar

  Odakyu introduced the 70000 series GSE as a new generation of Romancecar limited express rolling stock.

  Product launchProduct generation
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• 2014Station numbering introduced across Odakyu lines

  Odakyu introduced station numbering across its railway network, using the OH prefix to make stations easier to identify within the wider Tokyo transport system.

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1. Odakyu Electric Railway