Major private railways rolling stock roster sizes

[bikkuri bahn]

Rolling stock quantities for major Japanese private railways (as of April 2013)

 

1. Tokyo Metro           2719 (cars)

2. Kintetsu                 1952

3. Tobu                      1948

4. Hankyu                  1319

5. Seibu                     1286

6. Tokyu                     1257

7. Meitetsu                 1069

8. Odakyu                  1062

9. Keio Rlwy                 849

10. Keikyu                    796

11. Keihan                    718

12. Nankai                    706

13. Keisei                     598

14. Sotetsu                   412

15. Hanshin                  361

16. Nishitetsu                331        

 

Source: Tetsudou Fan, August 2013

[miyakoji]

Very interesting Bikkuri, thanks. Kintetsu and Tobu make sense being at the top, they're the two largest private railways as far as I know. I had never thought about Tokyo Metro, but I'm surprised to see that they have such a large lead. I would have thought that Meitetsu would not have so many. I'd also have thought that Keikyu and Keihan would have more.

[bikkuri bahn]

Yes, I was surprised about Keihan and Keikyu too, but then when you think about it, their networks are very trunk line centered, except for a few branch lines. I was most surprised about Nankai, I imagined them having a larger roster of rolling stock.

[bill937ca]

Proportionately Tokyo Metro would have more stock off-line on mutual direct through service than any other major private railway. Tokyo Metro has 14 direct service connections on 7 lines.

[Kabutoni]

I'm surprised to see Odakyū having so many rolling stock with so few lines (Odawara, Enoshima, Tama and Hakone lines). Then again, they do run an extremely tight schedule and have a large four-track section in the Metropolitan area as well. Standard trains are 10 cars long, with only locals at 6/8-cars long. Very very rarely you see a 4-car train in operation (the only regulars are on the Hakone line).

 

Keikyū didn't surprise me that much, since their network is also very heavily congested and they run trains up to 12 cars long in rush hours.

 

There is also this awesome annual book series from ジェー・アール・アール (J.R.R.), called 「私鉄車両編成表」(Shitetsu Sharyō Hensei-hyō) where all consists of that time are depicted in. I'm lucky to have a copy from 1998 where trains of now extinct companies are in (Chiba Kyūkō RR, Shimokita Kōtsu, Nambu Jūkan RR, Iwate Kaihatsu RR, Niigata Kōtsu, Maibara RR, etc.). Very useful and interesting.

[Sacto1985]

Not surprised Kintetsu has so many trains, especially given their 1435 and 1067 network covers the central to southeastern Osaka metro areas and then east to the Shima Peninsula (including the Ise shrines) and then up to Nagoya. Tobu also has a lot of rolling stock because their network goes north from Tokyo a pretty long way (up to Nikko and some even beyond Utsunomiya).