Keisei Electric Railway Co. will offer faster, more direct Skyliner rail service between Tokyo's Nippori Station, next to Ueno, and Narita International Airport in Chiba Prefecture beginning in July.
The Skyliner express trains will run exclusively on what is now the Hokuso Railway line and a new extension from Inba-Nihon-Idai Station to the airport. The entire line will adopt the new name Narita Sky Access. Once the new, and pricier, service starts, the current Keisei Line will no longer have Skyliner runs.
The new service is expected to be a boon for travelers while representing a step forward in Narita's drive to better compete on the world stage, people in the industry say. The nearly straight line will connect Nippori Station to Airport Terminal 2 Station in 36 minutes, compared with the 51 minutes Keisei's current Skyliner takes to travel a more round-about route.