TOKYO - A new limited express train service directly linking Narita and Haneda airports is expected to start operating in the 2030s and should reduce the current travel time of about 90 minutes between the two, sources close to the matter said Friday.
The move aims to make it easier for inbound tourists arriving at Narita airport in Chiba Prefecture to transfer to domestic flights at Tokyo's Haneda airport and travel onward to destinations across Japan.
Keisei Electric Railway Co. plans to introduce a new limited express service in fiscal 2028 between Narita Airport Station and Oshiage Station in Tokyo's Sumida Ward, before extending it in the 2030s through the Toei Asakusa and Keikyu lines to Haneda airport.
The project also calls for the construction of a new elevated station and tracks for Keisei's Narita Sky Access Line at Narita airport, which links the airport with central Tokyo.
The plan aims to increase transport capacity by adding a second track to single-track sections on the Keisei and East Japan Railway Co., or JR East, networks, allowing trains to pass each other.
With the new station and additional track, the number of limited express trains per hour is likely to nearly double, the sources said.
Narita International Airport Corp., the transport ministry, and railway and airline operators have been discussing upgrades to Narita airport facilities, including the construction of a new terminal. They are expected to finalize the project's overall framework in the near future.
