Tobu Railway

Tobu Railway Company, Ltd. is a Japanese commuter railway and keiretsu holding company in the Greater Tokyo Area that also runs intercity and regional services in the Kanto region. Excluding the Japan Railways Group companies, its 463.3 km rail system is the second longest in Japan after Kintetsu, and it serves large parts of Saitama, Gunma and Tochigi prefectures as well as northern Tokyo and western Chiba. The company was established in November 1897 and began operating between Kita-Senju and Kuki in August 1899. Nezu Kaichiro became president in 1905 and helped it grow into one of the largest private rail operators in the Kanto region. Tobu ran its first electric train on the Isesaki Line in 1924 and in 1974 became the first Kanto railway to adopt quadruple tracks, between Kita-Senju and Takenotsuka. The wider group is also engaged in road transportation, real estate and retail, owns the Tokyo Skytree, and belongs to the Fuyo Group keiretsu. The company is listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange and is a constituent of the Nikkei 225 index.