Keio

Keio Corporation is a Japanese private railway operator and the central company of the Keio Group. Its principal business is urban and suburban rail transport linking western Tokyo with central Tokyo, especially the Shinjuku area. The railway network serves communities including Chofu, Fuchu, Hachioji, Hino, Inagi and Tama, as well as Sagamihara in Kanagawa Prefecture. The network is built around the Keio Line, which runs between Shinjuku and the western suburbs, and the separate Keio Inokashira Line, which connects Shibuya and Kichijoji and intersects the Keio Line at Meidaimae. The name Keio combines characters associated with Tokyo and Hachioji, reflecting the railway’s historic role in connecting the capital with western suburban communities. The company’s origins date to Nippon Electric Railway, established in 1905. After an early reorganization and renaming, the business became Keio Electric Tramway in 1910 and began operating an interurban route between Sasazuka and Chofu in 1913. By 1923, the principal route between Shinjuku and Hachioji had been completed. Part of the western route had originally been built by Gyokunan Electric Railway using a different gauge before being converted to the gauge used by the main Keio network. The Inokashira Line has a separate corporate origin. It was opened in 1933 by Teito Electric Railway, an independent company that was later combined with Odakyu Electric Railway and then absorbed into the government-directed Tokyo Kyuko Dentetsu structure during the Second World War. Following the postwar reorganization of Japan’s private railway sector, the Keio and Inokashira lines were separated from Tokyu in 1947. A new company, Keio Teito Electric Railway, was established to operate them. The Teito name was eventually removed from the corporate name in 1998, and the English corporate name changed from Keio Electric Railway to Keio Corporation in 2005. Railway operations remain the group’s core activity, but Keio also operates or is associated with businesses in bus transportation, taxis, retail, department stores, supermarkets, real estate, construction, travel and hotels. Related group businesses include Keio Dentetsu Bus, Nishi Tokyo Bus, Keio Jidosha, Keio Department Store, Keio Store, Keio Realty and Development, Keio Travel Agency and Keio Plaza Hotel. This portfolio reflects the typical strategy of major Japanese private railway groups: using transport infrastructure as a foundation for commercial, property and hospitality businesses around stations and in served communities. Keio’s rolling stock has primarily been designed for high-frequency commuter use, with longitudinal seating across its trains. The fleet has included the 7000, 8000, 9000 and second-generation 5000 series on the 1,372 mm-gauge lines, and the second-generation 1000 series on the 1,067 mm-gauge Inokashira Line. In 2017, Keio introduced a new generation of 5000-series ten-car electric multiple units in connection with the planned launch of reserved-seat evening commuter services from Shinjuku. Beyond vehicle modernization, the company has been associated with passenger-accessibility initiatives, including the introduction of priority seating in 1973, then called Silver Seats and renamed in 1993. Keio is therefore best understood not as a consumer-product label but as a regional mobility and infrastructure brand. Its identity is tied to reliable metropolitan commuting, station-centered development and a broad group of services supporting everyday life in western Tokyo.

Keio’s corporate history begins with Nippon Electric Railway, founded in 1905. The company was reorganized as Musashi Electric Railway in 1906 and renamed Keio Electric Tramway in 1910. Its first interurban railway section, between Sasazuka and Chofu, opened in 1913. The main route was progressively extended westward, and the Shinjuku–Hachioji railway was completed by 1923. The Fuchu–Hachioji section had originally been constructed by Gyokunan Electric Railway with a 1,067 mm gauge; it was subsequently converted to the 1,372 mm gauge used on the main Keio route. A second major component of today’s network, the Inokashira Line, was developed separately. Teito Electric Railway began operating the line in 1933. Its original plans included a connection from Oimachi toward the area now known as Koto Ward, but that extension was not built. In 1940, Teito Electric Railway was merged with Odakyu Electric Railway. In 1942, the combined railway businesses were incorporated into Tokyo Kyuko Dentetsu, the company now known as Tokyu Corporation, as part of wartime government-directed consolidation. After the war, Tokyu shareholders approved the separation of the Keio and Inokashira lines in 1947. The lines were placed under a new company named Keio Teito Electric Railway. This corporate structure restored Keio as an independent private railway operator while preserving the operational connection between its principal western-Tokyo route and the Inokashira Line. The Teito element was removed from the Japanese corporate name in 1998, when the company adopted Keio Electric Railway. In 2005, its English name was changed to Keio Corporation. Keio developed as more than a railway operator. Like other major private railway companies in Japan, it expanded into businesses that could benefit from the passenger flows and land values generated by its network. The Keio Group came to include bus and taxi operations, retail companies, real-estate and construction businesses, travel services and hotels. Keio Department Store, Keio Store, Keio Plaza Hotel, Keio Realty and Development, Keio Dentetsu Bus, Nishi Tokyo Bus and Keio Jidosha are among the associated businesses identified with the group. The railway’s operating identity has been shaped by dense commuter demand in western Tokyo. Its lines connect suburban municipalities with major urban interchange points, most importantly Shinjuku, while the Inokashira Line provides a separate east-west connection between Shibuya and Kichijoji. The network uses two track gauges: the main Keio and related 1,372 mm-gauge lines, and the 1,067 mm-gauge Inokashira Line. Passenger trains have generally used longitudinal seating suited to frequent urban commuting. Keio has also made selected service and fleet changes over time. It introduced priority seating in 1973, an early accessibility measure within the Japanese railway sector; the designation was changed from Silver Seats to priority seats in 1993. Rolling-stock generations have included the 7000, 8000, 9000 and 5000 series on the main-gauge lines, together with the second-generation 1000 series on the Inokashira Line. A new second-generation 5000 series entered service in 2017 as part of preparations for evening reserved-seat commuter services. Through these developments, Keio has remained an active regional railway and a diversified station-centered services group.

• 2017

  Second-generation 5000 series enters service

  [1]Keio Corporationen.wikipedia.org

  Keio introduces a new ten-car 5000-series fleet ahead of reserved-seat evening commuter operations.

• 2005

  English corporate name becomes Keio Corporation

  [1]Keio Corporationen.wikipedia.org

  The company adopts Keio Corporation as its English name.

• 1998

  Teito name removed

  [1]Keio Corporationen.wikipedia.org

  The company changes its Japanese corporate name from Keio Teito Electric Railway to Keio Electric Railway.

• 1973

  Priority seating introduced

  [1]Keio Corporationen.wikipedia.org

  Keio establishes designated seats for passengers needing additional assistance.

• 1947

  Keio lines are separated from Tokyu

  [1]Keio Corporationen.wikipedia.org

  Shareholders approve the spin-off of the Keio and Inokashira lines into an independent company.

• 1933

  Inokashira Line begins operation

  [1]Keio Corporationen.wikipedia.org

  The separately established Teito Electric Railway opens the line that later becomes part of Keio’s network.

• 1923

  Shinjuku–Hachioji main route completed

  [1]Keio Corporationen.wikipedia.org

  Keio completes the principal railway connection between central Tokyo and Hachioji.

• 1913

  First interurban section opens

  [1]Keio Corporationen.wikipedia.org

  Service begins between Sasazuka and Chofu.

• 1910

  Renamed Keio Electric Tramway

  [1]Keio Corporationen.wikipedia.org

  The company adopts the name that establishes the historical Keio identity.

• 1906

  Reorganization as Musashi Electric Railway

  [1]Keio Corporationen.wikipedia.org

  The predecessor company is reorganized under the Musashi Electric Railway name.

• 1905

  Nippon Electric Railway is founded

  [1]Keio Corporationen.wikipedia.org

  The earliest corporate predecessor of Keio is established.

A regional Japanese private railway group combining commuter mobility with station-area retail, property, hospitality and related services.

• Railway transportation

  Keio Line

  Keio’s principal railway corridor links Shinjuku with western Tokyo, serving suburban communities including Chofu, Fuchu and Hachioji. The line is the core of the company’s commuter network and the main transport spine around which several group businesses have developed.

• Railway transportation · 1933

  Keio Inokashira Line

  The Inokashira Line is a separate-gauge urban railway connecting Shibuya and Kichijoji. Although it originated with Teito Electric Railway, it became part of the independent Keio railway structure after the postwar separation from Tokyu. It intersects the Keio Line at Meidaimae.

• Railway rolling stock · 2017

  Keio 5000 series

  The second-generation 5000 series is a ten-car electric multiple-unit fleet introduced in 2017. Its deployment was associated with Keio’s move toward reserved-seat evening commuter services from Shinjuku, combining ordinary commuter capacity with a more premium seating offer.

• Bus transportation

  Keio Dentetsu Bus

  Keio Dentetsu Bus is a group transport business extending the company’s mobility offering beyond the railway network. It supports local and feeder transportation in areas associated with the Keio railway corridor.

• Retail

  Keio Department Store and Keio Store

  Keio’s retail businesses provide department-store and supermarket services within the broader station-centered group model. These operations connect everyday shopping and commercial activity with the passenger traffic generated by the railway network.

• Hospitality

  Keio Plaza Hotel

  Keio Plaza Hotel represents the group’s hospitality business. It forms part of Keio’s diversification beyond transport into hotels and visitor services, complementing the group’s retail, real-estate and travel operations.

• 2017

  Launch of the second-generation 5000 seriesProduct launch

  Background

  Keio planned to introduce reserved-seat evening commuter services from Shinjuku while continuing to serve high-volume commuter demand.

  Action taken

  The first of five new ten-car 5000-series electric multiple units entered service on September 29, 2017.

  Aftermath

  The new fleet was positioned to support the start of evening reserved-seat commuter services in spring 2018.

  Source

• 1973

  Introduction of priority seatingStrategy

  Background

  Keio sought to provide more appropriate seating for elderly and disabled passengers, pregnant women and passengers with infants.

  Action taken

  The company introduced designated Silver Seats on Respect for the Aged Day, creating a dedicated priority-seating policy on its trains.

  Aftermath

  The seats were later renamed priority seats in 1993 and became part of the railway’s passenger-service identity.

  Source

1. 1Keio Corporationen.wikipedia.org
2. 2Keio Corporation official English websitekeio.co.jp