Most of the line is underground, only Urawa Misono Station and adjacent depots are on the surface. It connects the eastern and northern part of Kawaguchi to Tokyo; areas that were previously only served by buses.
Planning for the line stated in 1972 as an extension of the Tokyo Metro Namboku Line. The original alignment was planned to serve eastern Urawa and central Kawaguchi in Saitama. In 1985, the alignment was shifted east to Hatogaya. In 1992, the third sector Saitama Railway Corporation was established by Saitama Prefecture, and construction began in 1995. The line opened on 28 March 2001, ahead of the 2002 FIFA World Cup, which held several matches at the Saitama Stadium, half an hour on foot from the terminating Urawa-Misono Station.
The total cost of construction is 256.1 billion yen, making the cost per kilometer at 17.5 billion yen. Since its opening, the line used six-car trains with all stations (except Urawa-Misono Station) equipped with platforms long enough support future expansion into eight-car trains. Urawa-Misono Station was built as a temporary terminal as the line was planned to be extended further north in the future so it only has platforms long enough for six car trains.[citation needed]
^ abcdefTerada, Hirokazu (19 January 2013). データブック日本の私鉄 [Databook: Japan's Private Railways]. Japan: Neko Publishing. p. 56. ISBN978-4-7770-1336-4.
^東急目黒線・東京メトロ南北線・埼玉高速鉄道線で8両編成の運転開始 [8-car trains begin operating on the Tokyu Meguro Line, Tokyo Metro Namboku Line, and Saitama Rapid Railway Line]. Japan Railfan Magazine Online (in Japanese). Japan: Koyusha Co., Ltd. 2022-04-09. Retrieved 2022-05-27.