Tōkaidō Main Line
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Tōkaidō Main Line (東海道本線 Tōkaidō-honsen?) is the busiest trunk line of Japan Railway (JR), connecting Tokyo Station and Kobe Station. It is 589.5 km (366 miles) long, not counting its many freight feeder lines around the major cities. The Tōkaidō Shinkansen runs largely parallel to the line.
The term "Tōkaidō Main Line" is largely a holdover from pre-Shinkansen days: now, various portions of the line have different names, which are officially used in JR. Today, there are no passenger trains that operate over the entire length of the line (other than certain overnight services; see below), so longer intercity trips require several transfers along the way.
The Tōkaidō Main Line is operated by three JR companies:
- East Japan Railway Company (Tokyo-Atami)
- Central Japan Railway Company (Atami-Maibara)
- West Japan Railway Company (Maibara-Kobe)
Contents |
[edit] Route Data
Image:JNR201.JPG Image:JR-West223 New.JPG Image:JR-West321(1).JPG
- East Japan Railway Company, Central Japan Railway Company, West Japan Railway Company
- Total distance: 713.6km (Tōkyō — Kōbe)
- East Japan Railway Company
- 104.6km (Tōkyō — Atami)
- 17.8km (Shinagawa — Shin-Kawasaki — Tsurumi)
- 20.6km (Hamamatsuchō — Tōkyō Freight Terminal — Kawasaki Freight Terminal — Hama-Kawasaki)
- 2.3km (Tsurumi — Hacchō-Nawate)
- 8.5km (Tsurumi — Higashi-Takashima — Sakuragichō)
- 2.7km (Irie Signalbox — Shin-Kyō) (not used by passenger trains, currently being removed)
- 16.0km (Tsurumi — Yokohama-Hazawa — Higashi-Totsuka)
- Central Japan Railway Company
- 341.3km (Atami — Maibara) (3.3km Kanayama — Nagoya section is considered part of the Chūō Main Line; however, the Chūō Main Line does not stop at Otōbashi)
- 5.0km (Ōgaki — Mino-Akasaka)
- 13.8km (Ōgaki — (Shin-Tarui) — Sekigahara)
- West Japan Railway Company
- 143.6km (Maibara — Kōbe)
- 3.3km (Umekōji — Tambaguchi) (not used by passenger trains)
- 10.7km (Suita — (Miyahara Switchyard) — Amagasaki) (this section is also known as the Hoppō Freight Line)
- 8.5km (Suita — Umeda — Fukushima) (not used by passnger trains; this section is also known as the Umeda Freight Line)
- Japan Freight Railway Company
- First Type Railway Operation (holds each lines and operate freight trarins)
- 6.2km (Sannō Signalbox — Nagoya-Minato)
- 8.7km (Suita Signalbox — Ōsaka Freight Terminal)
- Second Type Railway Operation (borrows each lines from other JR companies and operate freight trarins)
- 97.8km (Shinagawa — Atami)
- 13.9km (Shinagawa — Shin-Tsurumi Signalbox)
- 12.9km (Tōkyō Freight Terminal — Hama-Kawasaki)
- 16.0km (Tsurumi — Yokohama-Hazawa — Higashi-Totsuka)
- 2.3 (Tsurumi — Hacchō-Nawate)
- 11.2km (Tsurumi — Shin-Kyō — Sakuragichō) (these lines are borrowed from East JR)
- 341.3km (Atami — Maibara)
- 10.7km (Minami-Arao Signalbox — Sekigahara)
- 1.9km (Minami-Arao Signalbox — Mino-Akasaka) (these lines are borrowed from Central JR)
- 139.0km (Maibara — Kōbe) (via Hoppō Freight Line)
- 3.3km (Umekōji — Tambaguchi)
- 8.5km (Suita — Umeda — Fukushima) (these lines are borrowed from West JR)
- First Type Railway Operation (holds each lines and operate freight trarins)
- East Japan Railway Company
- Rail gauge: 1,067 mm
- Stations: 161 (not including branch line stations other than Shinagawa — Shin-Kawasaki and Ōgaki — Mino-Akasaka sections)
- JR East: 34
- JR Central: 80
- JR West: 47
- Tracks
- Three-track or more
- 83.9 km (Tōkyō — Odawara)
- 98.1 km (Kusatsu — Kōbe)
- Dual-track
- Odawara — Kusatsu
- Shinagawa — Shin-Kawasaki — Tsurumi
- Hamamatsuchō — Tōkyō Freight Terminal — Kawasaki Freight Terminal — Hama-Kawasaki
- Tsurumi — Hacchō-Nawate
- Tsurumi — Higashi-Takashima
- Tsurumi — Yokohama-Hazawa — Higashi-Totsuka
- Suita — Umeda
- Suita — (Miyahara Switchyard) — Amagasaki
- Single-track
- Irie Signalbox — Shin-Kyō
- Higashi-Takashima — Sakuragichō
- Sannō Signalbox — Nagoya-Minato
- Ōgaki — Mino-Akasaka
- Ōgaki — (Shin-Tarui) — Sekigahara
- Umekōji — Tambaguchi
- Suita — Ōsaka Freight Terminal
- Umeda — Fukushima
- Three-track or more
- Electrification: All (except Sannō Signalbox — Nagoya-Minato section) (Direct Current 1,500 V)
[edit] Stations
[edit] Tokyo Area
This section is operated by East Japan Railway Company (East JR).
The Tōkaidō Main Line in the Greater Tokyo Area is often referred to as Shonan densha (湘南電車). It has rapid services called Rapid Acty (快速アクティ Kaisoku Akuthi?) and Commuter Rapid (通勤快速). It runs on dedicated tracks parallel to the Yamanote Line in central Tokyo, the Keihin-Tohoku Line between Tokyo and Yokohama, and the Yokosuka Line between Tokyo and Ofuna.
All trains along this section of the line have double-decker "Green Cars" with forward-facing seats, which can be used for by paying an additional fee.
Shonan-Shinjuku Line trains also run on this segment north from Yokohama through west-central Tokyo to Saitama.
- Shonan Liner (湘南ライナー) trains are special, all-reserved commuter express trains with comfortable seating. They operate from Odawara to Tokyo on weekday mornings, with a few services terminating in Shinagawa, run on fraight line. Return services run from Tokyo to Odawara on weekday evenings. Like Commuter Rapid trains, Shonan Liners normally do not stop between Shinagawa and Fujisawa. Between Fujisawa and Odawara, varying stops are made. A reserved seat fee of ¥500 is required to use the Shonan Liner, in addition to the standard fare.
[edit] Tōkaidō Line
[edit] Biwako Line
Beyond Maibara, the Biwako Line also turns into Nagahama Station on the Hokuriku Main Line. (Japanese)
- Special Rapid Service (新快速) stop at Nagahama, Tamura, Sakata, Maibara, Hikone, Notogawa, Omi-Hachiman, Yasu, Moriyama, Kusatsu, Ishiyama, Otsu, Yamashina, and Kyoto
- Rapid Service (快速) stop at all stations between Nagahama and Kyoto
- Local trains (普通) stop at all stations between Yasu and Kyoto
- Nagahama Station (Hokuriku Line)
- Tamura Station (Hokuriku Line)
- Sakata Station (Hokuriku Line)
- Maibara Station
- Hikone Station
- Minami-Hikone Station
- Kawase Station
- Inae Station
- Notogawa Station
- Azuchi Station
- Omihachiman Station
- Shinohara Station
- Yasu Station
- Moriyama Station
- Ritto Station
- Kusatsu Station
- Minami-Kusatsu Station
- Seta Station
- Ishiyama Station
- Zeze Station
- Otsu Station
- Yamashina Station
- Kyoto Station
[edit] Kyoto Line
JR Kyoto Line(JR京都線)
- Special Rapid Service (新快速) stop at Kyoto, Takatsuki, Shin-Osaka, and Osaka.
- Rapid Service (快速) stop at every station between Kyoto and Takatsuki except JR Katsura and Shimamoto, including Ibaraki, Shin-Osaka, and Osaka. They pass through Nishi-Oji, Mukomachi, and Yamazaki in the morning and at night on weekdays.
- Local trains (普通) stop at all stations except JR Katsura and Shimamoto.
- Kyoto Station
- Nishi-Oji Station
- JR Katsura Station (under construction)
- Mukomachi Station
- Nagaokakyo Station
- Yamazaki Station
- Shimamoto Station (under construction)
- Takatsuki Station
- Settsu-Tonda Station
- Ibaraki Station
- Senrioka Station
- Kishibe Station
- Suita Station
- Higashi-Yodogawa Station
- Shin-Osaka Station
- Osaka Station
[edit] Kobe Line
The JR Kobe Line continues as far west as Himeji Station, although the line between Kobe and Himeji is technically part of the Sanyo Main Line (which goes all the way to Hakata Station in Fukuoka).
- Osaka Station
- Tsukamoto Station
- Amagasaki Station
- Tachibana Station
- Koshienguchi Station
- Nishinomiya Station
- Ashiya Station
- Konan-Yamate Station
- Settsu-Motoyama Station
- Sumiyoshi Station
- Rokkomichi Station
- Nada Station
- Sannomiya Station
- Motomachi Station
- Kobe Station
[edit] Trains
In addition to standard local, rapid, and special rapid service trains, the Tōkaidō Main Line also hosts a number of limited express services.
[edit] Daytime trains
- Biwako Express (Maibara-Osaka)
- Fujikawa (Shizuoka-Fuji)
- Haruka (Maibara-Kansai International Airport)
- Hida (Nagoya-Gifu, Gifu-Osaka)
- Odoriko (Tokyo-Atami-(Itō Line)Itō-(Izu Kyuko)Shimoda) (Tokyo-Mishima-(Izu-Hakone Railway Sunzu Line)Shuzenji)
- Super-view Odoriko, Resort Odoriko, Fleur Odoriko (Tokyo-Atami-(Itō Line)Itō-(Izu Kyuko)Shimoda)
- Shinano (Nagoya-Osaka)
- Shirasagi (Nagoya-Maibara)
- Tōkai (Tokyo-Shizuoka)
[edit] Overnight trains
Most overnight trains on the Tōkaidō Line go from Tokyo to western Honshū, or even as far as Kyūshū.
- Fuji (Tokyo-Ōita)
- Ginga (Tokyo-Osaka)
- Hayabusa (Tokyo-Kumamoto)
- Moonlight Nagara (Tokyo-Ogaki) (Rapid service; Ltd. express ticket not needed)
- Sunrise Izumo (Tokyo-Izumo via Okayama)
- Sunrise Seto (Tokyo-Takamatsu)
The Izumo (Tokyo-Izumo via Tottori) was discontinued as of March, 2006.
