F Liner

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.^[1][2]

F Liner

The F Liner Logo (Top) Tobu 9000 series train on an F Liner service (Bottom)
Overview
Status	Operational
Locale	Tokyo, Kanagawa Prefecture, Saitama Prefecture
First service	26 March 2016
Current operator(s)	Tobu Railway Seibu Railway Tokyo Metro Tokyu Corporation Yokohama Minatomirai Railway
Route
Termini	Hannō (Seibu) Ogawamachi (Tōbu) Motomachi-Chūkagai
Line(s) used	Seibu Railway Yurakucho Line Ikebukuro Line Tobu Railway Tōjō Line Tokyo Metro Fukutoshin Line Tokyu Corporation Tōyoko Line Yokohama Minatomirai Railway Minatomirai Line
Technical
Rolling stock	See § Rolling stock
Track gauge	1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in)
Electrification	1,500 V DC overhead

This name is trademarked by the aforementioned five companies (No. 5885630).^[3]

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.^[2] 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
   • Seibu Yurakucho Line and Ikebukuro Line: Rapid Express (快速急行)
   • Tokyo Metro Fukutoshin Line: Express (急行)
   • Tōkyū Tōyoko Line and Minatomirai Line: Limited Express (特急)
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.^[4]

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.^[5] 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	Yurakucho & 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	TJ Tōjō Line	Rapid Express	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	∥	●
			TJ11F01	Wakōshi	和光市	∥	●
Tokyo Metro	F Fukutoshin Line	Express
			SI37F06	Kotake-Mukaihara	小竹向原	●	●
			F09	Ikebukuro	池袋	●	●
			F13	Shinjuku-Sanchōme	新宿三丁目	●	●
			F15	Meiji-Jingumae 'Harajuku'	明治神宮前〈原宿〉	●	●
			F16TY01	Shibuya	渋谷	●	●
Tokyu Corporation	TY Tōyoko Line	Limited Express
			TY03	Naka-Meguro	中目黒	●	●
			TY07	Jiyūgaoka	自由が丘	●	●
			TY11	Musashi-Kosugi	武蔵小杉	●	●
			TY16	Kikuna	菊名	●	●
			TY21	Yokohama	横浜	●	●
Yokohama Minatomirai Railway	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.

• Tobu 9000 series, Tobu 9050 series EMUs, and Tobu 50070 series EMUs
• Seibu 6000 series EMUs, and Seibu 40050 series EMUs
• Tokyo Metro 17000 series EMUs,^[6] and Tokyo Metro 10000 series EMUs
• Tokyu 5050-4000 series EMUs
• Yokohama Minatomirai Railway Y500 series EMUs (Temporary 8-car service)^[7]

Former

• Tokyo Metro 7000 series EMUs (10 car sets only)

Namesake

The F in F Liner stands for 3 English words 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

• S-Train
• Shonan-Shinjuku Line, a major competitor for passenger train services between Ikebukuro / Shinjuku / Shibuya and Yokohama.
• TJ Liner

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. "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.