F Liner

F Liner
The F Liner Logo (Top)
Tobu 9000 series train on an F Liner service (Bottom)
Overview
StatusOperational
LocaleTokyo, Kanagawa Prefecture, Saitama Prefecture
First service26 March 2016
Current operators
Route
TerminiHannō or Ogawamachi
Motomachi-Chūkagai
Lines used
Technical
Rolling stockSee § Rolling stock
Track gauge1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in)
Electrification1,500 V DC overhead

F Liner (Fライナー, Efu Rainā) is the name for the fastest through service train among five railway companies: the Tobu Railway, Seibu Railway, Tokyo Metro, Tokyu Corporation and Yokohama Minatomirai Railway.

This name is trademarked by the aforementioned five companies (No. 5885630).

Service pattern

The name "F Liner" is given to trains under the two route systems explained below. The service type of trains may change once across boundary stations for two different lines. Therefore, systematically, the name "F Liner" will be added before the service type; this means all F Liner trains are referred to as "F Liner, (Service type on current line)". For instance: Within the Fukutoshin Line → "F Liner, Express", bound for Motomachi-Chūkagai; Within the Toyoko Line → "F Liner, Limited Express", bound for Shinrin-Kōen.

  1. Seibu Line system: Hannō / Kotesashi - Motomachi-Chūkagai
  2. Tōbu Line system: Ogawamachi / Shinrin-Kōen - Motomachi-Chūkagai
    • Tōbu Tōjō Line: Rapid Express (快速急行)
    • Tokyo Metro Fukutoshin Line: Express (急行)
    • Tōkyū Tōyoko Line and Minatomirai Line: Limited Express (特急)

Within the Fukutoshin Line, the Tōyoko Line and the Minatomirai Line, four F Liner trains operate every hour at 15-minute intervals during daytime: two operate on the Tōbu Line system from/to Shinrin-Kōen, and the other two operate on the Seibu Line system, with one operating from/to Hannō, and the other from/to Kotesashi, each operating at 1-hour intervals. For northbound trains on weekend mornings, only one F Liner train operates every hour which terminates at Hannō.

The longest distance travelled for an F Liner journey is 100.1 kilometres (62.2 mi), from Ogawamachi to Motomachi-Chūkagai.

From 18 March 2023, F Liner services now operate as Rapid Express services on the Tobu Tojo Line instead of Express services, skipping Shiki and Fujimino. Previously, F Liner trains did not operate as the fastest possible through service on the Tojo Line, as faster Rapid Express through services ran alongside the F Liner's Express services.

Stations served

Legend
  • ● : Stops
  • ∥ : Does not run through here
Company Route Service type Station No. Station Japanese Seibu Line system Tōbu Line system
Seibu Railway

Seibu Yūrakuchō Line & Ikebukuro Line

 Rapid Express SI26 Hannō 飯能 ●  
SI23 Irumashi 入間市 ●
SI19 Kotesashi 小手指 ●
SI17 Tokorozawa 所沢 ●
SI13 Hibarigaoka ひばりヶ丘 ●
SI10 Shakujii-Kōen 石神井公園 ●
SI06 Nerima 練馬 ●
Tobu Railway

Tōjō Line

 TJ33 Ogawamachi 小川町 ∥ ●
TJ32 Musashi-Ranzan 武蔵嵐山 ∥ ●
TJ31 Tsukinowa つきのわ ∥ ●
TJ30 Shinrin-Kōen 森林公園 ∥ ●
TJ29 Higashi-Matsuyama 東松山 ∥ ●
TJ28 Takasaka 高坂 ∥ ●
TJ27 Kita-Sakado 北坂戸 ∥ ●
TJ26 Sakado 坂戸 ∥ ●
TJ25 Wakaba 若葉 ∥ ●
TJ24 Tsurugashima 鶴ヶ島 ∥ ●
TJ23 Kasumigaseki 霞ヶ関 ∥ ●
TJ22 Kawagoeshi 川越市 ∥ ●
TJ21 Kawagoe 川越 ∥ ●
TJ13 Asakadai 朝霞台 ∥ ●
TJ11F-01 Wakōshi 和光市 ∥ ●
Tokyo Metro

Fukutoshin Line

 Express
SI37F-06 Kotake-Mukaihara 小竹向原 ● ●
F-09 Ikebukuro 池袋 ● ●
F-13 Shinjuku-Sanchōme 新宿三丁目 ● ●
F-15 Meiji-Jingumae 'Harajuku' 明治神宮前〈原宿〉 ● ●
F-16TY-01 Shibuya 渋谷 ● ●
Tokyu Corporation

Tōyoko Line

 Limited Express
TY-03 Naka-Meguro 中目黒 ● ●
TY-07 Jiyūgaoka 自由が丘 ● ●
TY-11 Musashi-Kosugi 武蔵小杉 ● ●
TY-16 Kikuna 菊名 ● ●
TY-21 Yokohama 横浜 ● ●
Yokohama Minatomirai Railway MM

Minatomirai Line

Minatomirai みなとみらい ● ●
Motomachi-Chūkagai 元町・中華街　 ● ●

Rolling stock

LED displays, from left to right: Tokyo Metro 10000 series, Tokyu 5050-4000 series, Seibu 6000 series

Regularly, all F Liner trains are operated in 10-car sets.

Former

Namesake

The F in F Liner stands for 2 English words, and one Japanese word starting with the letter F, which are:

  • Fast, which this train is envisioned to become.
  • Five, referring to through services between 5 railway companies.
  • Fukutoshin (副都心), Japanese for secondary city center.

See also

Notes & references

Notes

References

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

  1. ↑ "新愛称「Fライナー」、メトロ副都心線系統に来春導入" [New service "F Liner" to be introduced to Tokyo Metro Fukutoshin Line next spring]. Norimono News (Media Vague). 18 December 2015. Retrieved 7 March 2016.
  2. 1 2 "副都心線で運転する、速達性の高い直通列車の愛称名を『Fライナー』といたします。" [The new fast through service train that will operate on the Fukutoshin Line will be named the "F Liner"]. Tokyo Metro. Retrieved 6 March 2016.
  3. ↑ "Reg.No.5885630". Japan Platform for Patent Information. Retrieved 27 May 2023.
  4. ↑ "時刻表 | 元町・中華街駅 | みなとみらい線 | 横浜高速鉄道株式会社" [Timetable | Motomachi-Chūkagai Station | Miratomirai Line | Yokohama Minatomirai Railway].
  5. ↑ "2023年3月18日（土）ダイヤ改正に係る各列車の時刻変更について" [March 18, 2023 (Saturday) Timetable change for each train due to timetable revision]. Tobu Railway. Archived from the original on 14 March 2023. Retrieved 27 May 2023. Ｆライナーの種別を急行から快速急行に変更することで、新宿、渋谷、横浜方面への速達性向上を図ります [By changing the service of F Liner trains from Express to Rapid Express, we will improve travel times to Shinjuku, Shibuya, and Yokohama.]
  6. ↑ 東京メトロ「兄弟車」有楽町線・副都心線17000系と半蔵門線18000系 [Tokyo Metro "Brother Car" Yurakucho Line & Fukutoshin Line 17000 series and Hanzomon Line 18000 series]. Mynavi News (in Japanese). Mynavi Corporation. 25 September 2021. Retrieved 7 June 2022.
  7. ↑ "横浜高速鉄道Y500系が10両編成の運用を代走" [Yokohama Minatomirai Railway Y500 series operates temporary service]. railf.jp. 6 May 2017.