TOKYO – New express trains linking Narita airport outside Tokyo with the Tokyo Skytree broadcasting tower in just over 30 minutes are slated to begin service in fiscal 2028 at the earliest, the operator’s president said in a Kyodo News interview.
The plan comes as Keisei Electric Railway Co. seeks to meet record inbound tourist demand, which is expected to grow with the ongoing expansion of Narita airport, while improving access to one of Tokyo’s most popular attractions.
The new direct services will shorten the current 45-minute trip to Keisei’s nearest station to the tower by about 10 minutes and allow passengers to reach Tokyo Skytree without transferring to a local line, Keisei Electric Railway President Takao Amano said in the recent interview.
Keisei Electric Railway runs some train operations linking Tokyo and Narita airport, a major air transportation hub located outside the capital in neighboring Chiba Prefecture.
The airport currently receives around 40 million passengers a year, with an additional 35 million projected once work on a new runway and the expansion of another is completed by the end of fiscal 2028.
Amano, who became president in June, said the expected increases mean “it will be necessary for us to make large investments and improvements to equipment.”
Implementation of the new services is projected to cost around 40 billion yen ($272.4 million), according to the company.
Keisei Skyliner express services are a major transportation link to Narita airport, receiving up to 8.4 million passengers annually.
Regarding the decision to introduce new trains, Amano said the firm is “reaching the limit of our ability to increase Skyliner capacity.”
Opened in 2012 in the capital’s eastern “downtown” district, the 634-meter Tokyo Skytree is a broadcasting and observation tower. It has a shopping mall, aquarium and other attractions at its base.
AloJapan.com