Tokyu Corporation

Tokyu Corporation is a large company in Japan. It used to be called Tokyo Express Electric Railway Stock Company, but changed its name on September 2, 2019. The company is based in Shibuya, Tokyo, and is part of a larger group of companies called a keiretsu or conglomerate.

Its main business is running trains. It owns Tokyu Railways Co., Ltd., which helps people travel in the Greater Tokyo Area. The trains run smoothly for millions of passengers every day.

History

The company started in 1908 as the Musashi Electric Railway. It became an official company in 1910. In 1920, Keita Gotō became the leader and helped the company grow.

An important part of the company began in 1922 as the Meguro-Kamata Electric Railway, linked to building the area of Den-en-chōfu. It was bought by the Musashi Electric Railway in 1924. Around that time, Musashi changed its name to Tokyo-Yokohama Electric Railway, also called Toyoko.

After this, Meguro-Kamata operated under Toyoko. In 1939, Toyoko and Meguro-Kamata joined together under the Toyoko name.

In 1942, the company changed to its current name, Tokyu, after the government asked it to take over some railways during World War II. After the war, Tokyu sold some of these companies. They are now known as Odakyu Electric Railway, Keikyu Corporation, and Keio Corporation. The years from 1943 to 1948 were called Dai-Tokyu, meaning Great Tokyu.

Tokyu lines

Tokyu also operates the Kodomonokuni Line and Minatomirai Line under contract with and on behalf of Yokohama Minatomirai Railway Company.

Related businesses

The Tokyu Group owns several smaller railroad companies, including Ueda Kōtsū and Izukyū Corporation, along with many bus companies. It also operates a fancy department store chain called the Tokyu Department Store in Japan and runs the MBK Center in Bangkok, Thailand. The group manages many hotels under the names Tokyu/Pan Pacific in Japan.

Tokyu used to own an airline called Japan Air System and was once the biggest shareholder in Japan Airlines Holdings. The group also runs upscale Tokyu Hotels and more affordable Tokyu Inns. In the past, Tokyu owned a department store company named Shirokiya and an island called Mago Island until it was sold. Today, Tokyu is the biggest shareholder in the Shizuoka Railway Company, though this railway is not part of the Tokyu Group.

Rolling stock

Tokyu Corporation has many types of trains on its railway lines. Some of these trains include the Tokyu 9000 series, which started in 1986, and the Tokyu 1000 series, which began service in 1988.

Newer trains like the Tokyu 2020 series and Tokyu 6020 series started running in early 2018. These trains help carry people around the Tokyo area.