It is rose season in Tokyo now, and we can see beautiful blossoms in many places. This year, I visited the Toei (Bureau of Transportation, Tokyo Metropolitan Government) Arakawa Line and enjoyed the roses along the tracks. As a rail fan who loves flowers, it was a perfect place for me.
First, let me briefly introduce the Arakawa Line and its rose history.
Tokyo once had a tram network of 181 km, but most routes were closed because of heavy traffic. The Arakawa Line is a precious survivor, since most of it was built on an exclusive track. It runs between Waseda and Minowabashi, with a total length of 12.2 km. The entire route is double-track. The track gauge is 1,372 mm, and the electric system is 600 V DC.
The Arakawa Line is also known for its roses. Rose planting began in 1985 by Arakawa Ward. Later, Toshima Ward and local volunteers joined, and they have continued planting and taking care of many kinds of roses along the tracks.
Now, let’s stop and smell the roses! Please look at the photo above.
I took it near Otsuka-ekimae Stop. Roses are planted in the narrow space between the tracks and the road, using the fence as support. The deep red roses were in full bloom. When the tramcar slowly passed by, a gentle breeze carried their sweet fragrance. It was wonderful.
Next, please check out the photo below. I took it at Minowabashi Stop, which is a must-visit spot. This year, I photographed a different flower bed from the one I saw eleven years ago. There are so many flowers that the tramcar looks a bit modest. Maybe that is too much to say, since this is a railway blog.
By the way, the tramcar in both photos is Unit 8502 of the 8500 series. It is a mid-sized 13-meter tramcar equipped with Toei’s first VFD traction system and two 60 kW induction motors.
The 8500 series began service in 1990, but production stopped after only five cars because of financial issues in the Tokyo Metropolitan Government.
Finally, I have some news. The first unit of the 8500 series, Unit 8501, was recently refurbished. I am running out of space here, so I will write about it in a future post. Please look forward to it!
