Chūō Main Line

It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with Chūō Rapid Line. (Discuss)

Chūō Line E233 series train in Tokyo, June 2007

Chūō Main Line

0 kilometer post at Tokyo station

The Chūō Main Line (中央本線, Chūō-honsen^?), commonly called the Chūō Line, is one of the trunk lines of JR in Japan. It runs between Tokyo and Nagoya, although it is the slowest railway connection between the two cities, with the Tōkaidō Shinkansen being much faster.

The eastern portion, the Chūō East Line (中央東線, Chūō-tōsen^?), is run by the East Japan Railway Company (JR East), while the western portion, the Chūō West Line (中央西線, Chūō-saisen^?), is run by the Central Japan Railway Company (JR Central). The dividing point between the two jurisdictions is Shiojiri Station, where express trains from both ends spur off to the Shinonoi Line, a route to the major cities of Matsumoto and Nagano. Despite the huge urban areas at either end of the Chūō Line, its central portion is very lightly travelled: the Shiojiri-Nakatsugawa corridor is only served by bi-hourly local trains and hourly express trains.

The route the Chūō Main Line takes is quite mountainous through the centre of Honshū. Its highest point (around Fujimi station) is about 900 meters above sea level and much of the line has a gradient of 25/1000. Along the Chūō East Line section, high mountain ranges (the Japan Alps), for example Mount Yatsugatake, can be seen from trains. Chūō West Line runs along the Nakasendō old highway famous for Tsumago-juku and Magome-juku historical towns, and the steep Kiso Valley.

Routes

• Entire Route (Tokyo - Nagoya including branch): 424.6 km
• East Line (Tokyo - Shiojiri): 222.1 km
  • Tokyo - Kanda: 1.3 km (officially Tōhoku Main Line)
  • Kanda - Yoyogi: 8.3 km
  • Yoyogi - Shinjuku: 0.7 km (officially Yamanote Line)
  • Shinjuku - Shiojiri: 211.8 km
• East Line Tatsuno Branch (Okaya - Tatsuno - Shiojiri): 27.7 km
• West Line (Shiojiri - Nagoya): 174.8 km
  • Shiojiri - Kanayama: 171.5 km
  • Kanayama - Nagoya: 3.3 km (alongside Tōkaidō Main Line)

Stations and services

This section lists all stations on the Chūō Main Line and generally explains regional services on the line. In addition, there are limited express services connecting major cities along the line, namely Azusa, Super Azusa, Kaiji, Hamakaiji, Narita Express and Shinano. For details of the limited express trains, see the relevant articles.

Tokyo - Mitaka

The section between Tokyo and Mitaka is grade-separated, with no level crossings. Between Ochanomizu and Mitaka, the Chūō Main Line has four tracks; two of them are local tracks (緩行線, kankō-sen^?) with platforms in every station and the other two are rapid tracks (快速線, kaisoku-sen^?) with some stations without platforms. The local tracks are used by the main line local trains (operated only in early morning and late night) and the Chūō-Sōbu Line local trains, while the rapid tracks carry rapid service and express trains. The Tokyo-Mitaka portion is a vital cross-town rail link, and also the city's best-known suicide location due to the high speed and cramped schedule of the trains.

The commuter services on the rapid tracks are collectively called the Chūō Rapid Line (中央快速線, Chūō Kaisoku-sen^?) or the Chūō Line (Rapid) (中央線快速, Chūō-sen Kaisoku^?) in comparison with the Chūō Line (Local) (中央線各停, Chūō-sen Kakutei^?) or the Chūō-Sōbu Line on the local tracks. Locals often (inaccurately) call the former as simply as the Chūō Line and the latter the Sōbu Line. Separate groups of trainsets are used for these two groups of services: cars with an orange belt for the rapid service trains and cars with a yellow belt for the local service trains, with the exception of early morning and late night local service trains which use cars with an orange belt. Signs at stations also use these colors to indicate the services.

This section is entirely in Tokyo.

Legends for the table

• Local trains:
  • S: Chūō-Sōbu Line local trains
  • L: Local trains from/to Tokyo operating during early morning and late night hours using rapid train cars
  • T: Local trains through to Tozai Line
• Rapid trains (Chūō Rapid Line):
  • R: Rapid (快速, Kaisoku^?)
  • C: Commuter Rapid (通勤快速, Tsūkin Kaisoku^?)
  • S: Chūō Special Rapid (中央特快, Chūō Tokkai^?) / Ōme Special Rapid (青梅特快, Ōme Tokkai^?) through to Ōme Line
  • T: Commuter Special Rapid (通勤特快, Tsūkin Tokkai^?)
• Trains pass stations marked with a vertical bar.

Notes:

1: Tōzai Line through trains stop at the Tōzai Line (Tokyo Metro) section of Iidabashi Station. They run on the Tōzai Line instead of the Chūō Line east of Nakano.

2: Chūō Special Rapid service down trains started from Shinjuku don't stop Nakano.

3: Rapid trains pass these stations on weekends.

Mitaka - Takao

The four-track section ends at Mitaka. Currently, construction is ongoing between Mitaka and Tachikawa to elevate the tracks and eliminate level crossings; this section of the line is notorious for its level crossings which can be shut for upwards of an hour during rush hour. Further plans have been proposed to add another two tracks as far as Tachikawa; however, this will not be included in the track elevation, due to be completed between 2008-2011.

This section is also all in Tokyo. For legends on train types, see the preceding section.

Takao - Shiojiri

Most of the rapid service trains from Tokyo turn at Takao where the line exits the large urban area of Tokyo. The section between Takao and Ōtsuki still carries some commuter trains as well as long distance local trains and Limited Express trains. The Kaiji LE turns at Kōfu, the capital of Yamanashi Prefecture, while the Azusa and Super Azusa continue beyond Shiojiri to the Shinonoi Line.

Okaya – Shiojiri

The Okaya-Shiojiri branch is an old route of the Chūō Main Line. It carries a small number of shuttle trains and trains from/to the Iida Line, which branches off at Tatsuno.

Higashi-Shiojiri signal box

There was Higashi-Shiojiri signal box (東塩尻信号場, Higashi-Shiojiri Shingōjō^?) with a zig zag layout in Shiojiri, Nagano between Ono and Shiojiri . 36°5′11.3″N 137°58′35.1″E / 36.086472°N 137.976417°E / 36.086472; 137.976417

It was closed after the opening of the new route between Okaya and Shiojiri.

History

• 1939-07-01 Opened
• 1948-01-28 Freight service for an industrial railway started.
• 1949-10-01 Passenger service for surrounding residents started.
• 1953-09-01 Freight service stopped.
• 1983-07-05 Midoriko Station on new route opened and passenger service stopped.
• 1983-10-12 Closed.

Shiojiri - Nakatsugawa

Shiojiri is the dividing point of the East Line and the West Line; no train continues from one to the other. The Shinano limited express is the main player of the rural Shiojiri-Nakatsugawa section.

Nakatsugawa - Nagoya

Local and rapid service trains run on the line from Nakatsugawa to Nagoya. This section carries urban traffic of the Greater Nagoya Area.

Legends:

• R: Rapid
• CL: Central Liner
• HL: Home Liner (Only part of Home Liner trains stop at stations marked with an asterisk.)

Signal Box

Fumonji S. B.

Fumonji S.B. lay out
A:Kamisuwa B:Chino

Sannō S.B. layout
A:Nagoya B:Kanayama C:Nagoyakō

Fumonji signal box

Fumonji signal box (普門寺信号場, Fumonji Shingōjō^?) is a signal box between Chino and Kami-Suwa in Suwa, Nagano.36°01′25″N 138°07′55″E / 36.023717°N 138.131912°E / 36.023717; 138.131912  It was opened at 2 Sep, 1970.

Sannō Junction

Sannō Junction (山王信号場, Sannō Shingōjō^?) is a junction between Kanayama and Nagoya in Nagoya, Aichi. 35°09′06″N 136°53′18″E / 35.15173°N 136.888222°E / 35.15173; 136.888222   At this junction Tōkaidō freight branch line to Nagoyakō is divided from Chūō Main Line. It was opened at 10 Oct, 1962.

Rolling stock

Chūō East Line

E233 series

115 series

E351 series

New E233 series trains entered service on Tokyo-area commuter services from December 26, 2006. These trains are a development of the E231 series used on other commuter lines in the Tokyo area, and are replacing the aging 201 series rolling stock introduced on the line in 1981.

• Chūō Rapid Line
  • 201 series
  • E233 series
• Chūō-Sōbu Line
  • 209-500 series
  • E231 series
• Tokyo Metro Tōzai Line
  • 05 series
  • 07 series
• Local Trains
  • 115 series
  • 119 series
  • 123 series
  • 313 series
• Limited Express
  • E257 series (Azusa, Kaiji, Chūō Liner, Ōme Liner)
  • E351 series (Super Azusa)
  • 253 series (Narita Express) (One train per day starts/terminates at Takao)
• Seasonal services
  • 183 series (Azusa, Wing Azusa, Moonlight Shinshū)
  • 185 series (Hamakaiji)
  • 215 series (View Yamanashi)

Chūō West Line

383 series trainset on Shinano service

• Local Trains
  • 313 series
  • 115 series
  • 211 series
  • 213 series
  • 311 series
  • 313 series
• Limited Express
  • 383 series (Shinano)
  • 381 series

Freight train

• JNR Class EF64
• JR Freight Class EH200

History

The oldest portion of the Chūō Line is the segment from Shinjuku Station to Tachikawa Station, which dates back to 1889. The extension westward continued through the turn of the century, with Hachiōji Station and eastern Yamanashi prefecture in 1901, and Kōfu in 1903. The West Line from Nagoya started in 1900. The East and West lines were connected in 1911.

The section between Iidamachi Station (formerly located between Suidōbashi Station and Iidabashi Station) and Nakano Station was the first urban electric railway in Japan.

Notes:

• The section between Okaya Station and Shiojiri Station is the new route that replaced the old route opened on June 11, 1906 by JGR.
• Station names in parentheses are original names.
• Stations marked † are now closed.
• Prior to the connection of the East Line and the West Line in 1911, the section between Shiojiri Station and Miyanokoshi Station belonged to the East Line.

External links

• Detailed information on the various Chuo Lines

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