Keio Corporation
lead=yes is a private railway operator in Tokyo, Japan and the central firm of the Keio Group that is involved in transport, retail, real estate and other industries. The Keio railway network connects western suburbs of Tokyo and Sagamihara in Kanagawa with central Tokyo at Shinjuku Station.
The name 'Keio' is derived from taking one character each from the places through which the railway runs: Tokyo and Hachiōji.
Network overview
Lines
The Keio network is based around the central Keiō Line,, 32 stations.| Line | Section | Station No. | Length | Stations | Date opened | Maximum speed |
| Keiō Line | - | 01, 04-34 | 37.9 | 32 | April 15, 1913 | 110 |
| Keiō Sagamihara Line | - | 18, 35-45 | 22.6 | 12 | 1916 | 110 |
| Keiō Takao Line | - | 33, 48-53 | 8.6 | 7 | March 20, 1931 | 105 |
| Keiō Inokashira Line | - | 01-17 | 12.7 | 17 | 1934 | 90 |
| Keiō New Line | - | 01-04 | 3.6 | 4 | 1980 | |
| Keiō Dōbutsuen Line | - | 29, 47 | 2.0 | 2 | April 29, 1964 | |
| Keiō Keibajō Line | - | 23, 46 | 0.9 | 2 | April 29, 1955 | |
| Total | 7 lines | 88.3 |
The Keio Inokashira Line does not share track with the Keio Main Line. It intersects with the Keio Line at Meidaimae Station.
History
The company's earliest predecessor was the Nippon Electric Railway founded in 1905. In 1906 the company was reorganized as the Musashi Electric Railway, and in 1910 was renamed yet again to Keio Electric Tramway. It began operating its first stretch of interurban between Sasazuka and Chōfu in 1913. By 1923, Keiō had completed its main railway line between Shinjuku and Hachiōji. Track along the Fuchū - Hachiōji section was originally laid in 1,067 mm gauge by the Gyokunan Electric Railway; it was later changed to match the rest of the line's 1,372 mm gauge.The Inokashira Line began operating in 1933 as a completely separate company, Teito Electric Railway. This company had also planned to link with Suzaki, though this never materialized. In 1940, Teito merged with the Odakyu Electric Railway, and in 1942 the combined companies were merged by government order into Tōkyō Kyūkō Dentetsu.
In 1947, the shareholders of Tokyu voted to spin off the Keio and Inokashira lines into a new company, Keiō Teito Electric Railway. The Teito name was dropped in 1998 in favor of Keio Electric Railway, though "KTR" placards and insignia can still be seen occasionally. The company's English name was changed to Keio Corporation on June 29, 2005.
Priority seats
Keiō was among the first railway companies to introduce priority seats on its trains. Priority seats are those reserved for the physically handicapped, elderly, pregnant women, and people with infants. These special seats, which were initially called "Silver seats" but renamed in 1993, were inaugurated on Respect for the Aged Day on September 15, 1973.Rolling stock
All Keio trains have longitudinal seating.gauge lines
The first of a fleet of five new ten-car 5000 series EMUs was introduced on 29 September 2017, ahead of the start of new evening reserved-seat commuter services from Shinjuku in spring 2018.gauge lines
- 1000 series
Former rolling stock
gauge lines
- 5000 series
- 6000 series
gauge lines
- 1000 series
- 3000 series
Related companies
Transport
- Mitake Tozan Railway
- Keio Dentetsu Bus
- Nishi Tokyo Bus
Taxi
Retail
- Keio Department Store
- Keio Store
Other
- Keio Realty and Development
- Keio Travel Agency
- Keio Plaza Hotel
- Keio Construction