Keihin-Tōhoku Line

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A Keihin-Tōhoku Line E233-1000 series train near Saitama-Shintoshin Station, September 2007
A Keihin-Tōhoku Line E233-1000 series train near Saitama-Shintoshin Station, September 2007

The Keihin-Tōhoku Line—Negishi Line (京浜東北線・根岸線 Keihin Tōhoku-sen—Negishi-sen?) is an 81 km railway line in Japan that connects the cities of Saitama, Warabi, Kawaguchi, Tokyo, Kawasaki, and Yokohama. The origins of its name are Tokyo( 東) - Yokohama (横) and Tohoku Main Line (東北本線). Although it is a contiguous service, it is officially divided into 2 segments as follows:

  • Keihin-Tōhoku Line (京浜東北線 Keihin Tōhoku-sen?) is the segment between Omiya and Yokohama stations. It runs along portions of the Tōhoku Main Line, and Tōkaidō Main Line. The name literally means "Tokyo-Yokohama and Tōhoku Line."
  • Negishi Line (根岸線 Negishi-sen?) is the segment between Yokohama and Ōfuna stations.

However, because the service is contiguous, the entire service (including the "Negishi Line" portion) is often simply called the Keihin-Tōhoku Line for convenience. The Keihin-Tōhoku Line—Negishi Line trains are recognizable by their light blue stripe (the line's color on maps is also light blue).

Contents

[edit] History

The Keihin Line opened in 1914 as an electrified passenger line connecting Tokyo Station to Takashimacho Station in Yokohama. (The latter station was renamed Yokohama Station in 1915, when the former Yokohama Station was renamed Sakuragicho Station). The Keihin Line service was extended north through the Tohoku Main Line to Akabane Station in 1928 and to Omiya Station in 1932: this service was initially called the Tohoku-Keihin Line in announcements.

The Keihin Line initially had third-class and second-class cars, analogous to today's ordinary cars and Green Cars respectively. Second-class service ended in 1938 in order to accommodate special military cars during World War II. The military seating was converted to seating for women and children after the war, and back to ordinary seating in 1973 amid overcrowding concerns: second-class service was briefly restored in the 1950s but abandoned shortly thereafter.

In 1956, the Keihin-Tohoku Line was physically separated from the Yamanote Line between Tamachi and Tabata, allowing more frequent service. Through service with the Negishi Line began in 1964. The frequency increased again in 1968 when the Tohoku Main Line moved to separate tracks. Rapid service trains were introduced in 1988 to further ease congestion in the Yamanote Line corridor.

[edit] Service

Rush hour at Ueno station, Yamanote line and Keihin-Tōhoku line
Rush hour at Ueno station, Yamanote line and Keihin-Tōhoku line

Trains run every 2–3 minutes at peak hours, every 5 minutes during the daytime, and less frequently the rest of the time. In most instances, these trains are classified as futsū (local), stopping at all stations en-route. However, during the daytime, trains are classified as kaisoku (rapid). These rapid trains skip some stations in central Tokyo, where it runs parallel to the Yamanote Line.

Presently, 209 series EMUs run on all Keihin-Tōhoku Line services. From autumn 2007, these will be gradually replaced by new E233 series 10-car EMUs.

[edit] Rolling stock

All Keihin-Tohōku Line rolling stock is based at Urawa Depot.

A northbound Keihin-Tōhoku line rapid train (209 series) bound for Minami-Urawa pauses at Ueno Station
A northbound Keihin-Tōhoku line rapid train (209 series) bound for Minami-Urawa pauses at Ueno Station

[edit] Rolling stock currently used

[edit] Rolling stock used in the past

  • 72 series 8-car EMUs (brown livery) (until October 1970)
  • 101 series 10-car EMUs (sky blue livery) (from December 1970 until March 1978)[2]
  • 103 series 10-car EMUs (sky blue livery) (from October 1965 until March 1998)[1]
  • 205 series 10-car EMU (sky blue stripe) (from October 1989 until February 1996)[1]
  • 209-900 series 10-car EMUs (sky blue stripe) (from May 1992 until August 2007)[1]


[edit] Stations

Station Dist. from Ōmiya (km) Transfers Line Location
Ōmiya 0.0 Tōhoku Shinkansen, Akita Shinkansen, Yamagata Shinkansen, Jōetsu Shinkansen, Nagano Shinkansen, Tōhoku Main Line (Utsunomiya Line), Takasaki Line, Shōnan-Shinjuku Line, Saikyō Line, Kawagoe Line, Noda Line, Ina Line Keihin-Tōhoku Line
(Tōhoku Main Line)
Ōmiya-ku, Saitama Saitama
Saitama-Shintoshin 1.6 Utsunomiya Line, Takasaki Line
Yono 2.7 Urawa-ku, Saitama
Kita-Urawa 4.3
Urawa 6.1 Utsunomiya Line, Takasaki Line
Minami-Urawa 7.8 Musashino Line Minami-ku, Saitama
Warabi 10.6 Warabi
Nishi-Kawaguchi 12.5 Kawaguchi
Kawaguchi 14.5
Akabane 17.1 Utsunomiya Line, Takasaki Line, Shōnan-Shinjuku Line, Saikyō Line Kita-ku Tokyo
Higashi-Jūjō 18.9
Ōji 20.4 Tokyo Metro Namboku Line, Toden Arakawa Line
Kami-Nakazato 21.5
Tabata 23.2 Yamanote Line
*Nishi-Nippori 24.0 Yamanote Line, Tokyo Metro Chiyoda Line, Nippori-Toneri Liner Arakawa-ku
*Nippori 24.5 Yamanote Line, Jōban Line, Keisei Line, Nippori-Toneri Liner
*Uguisudani 25.6 Yamanote Line Taitō-ku
Ueno 26.7 Yamanote Line, Tokyo Metro Ginza Line, Tokyo Metro Hibiya Line, Utsunomiya Line, Jōban Line, Takasaki Line, Akita Shinkansen, Hokuriku Shinkansen, Jōetsu Shinkansen, Tōhoku Shinkansen, Yamagata Shinkansen
*Okachimachi 27.3 Yamanote Line
Akihabara 28.3 Yamanote Line, Chūō-Sōbu Line, Sōbu Main Line, Tokyo Metro Hibiya Line, Tsukuba Express Chiyoda-ku
*Kanda 29.0 Yamanote Line, Chūō Main Line, Tokyo Metro Ginza Line
Tokyo 30.3 Yamanote Line, Chūō Main Line, Keiyō Line, Sōbu Main Line, Tōkaidō Main Line, Yokosuka Line, Tōhoku Shinkansen, Yamagata Shinkansen, Akita Shinkansen, Jōetsu Shinkansen, Nagano Shinkansen, Tōkaidō Shinkansen, Tokyo Metro Marunouchi Line
Keihin-Tōhoku Line
(Tōkaidō Main Line)
*Yūrakuchō 31.1 Yamanote Line, Tokyo Metro Yūrakuchō Line
*Shimbashi 32.2 Yamanote Line, Tōkaidō Main Line, Yokosuka Line, Tokyo Metro Ginza Line, Asakusa Line, Yurikamome Minato-ku
Hamamatsuchō 33.4 Yamanote Line, Tokyo Monorail
Tamachi 34.9 Yamanote Line
Shinagawa 37.1 Yamanote Line, Keikyū Main Line, Tōkaidō Shinkansen, Tōkaidō Main Line, Yokosuka Line
Ōimachi 39.5 Rinkai Line, Tōkyū Ōimachi Line Shinagawa-ku
Ōmori 41.7 Ōta-ku
Kamata 44.7 Tōkyū Tamagawa Line, Tōkyū Ikegami Line
Kawasaki 48.5 Tōkaidō Main Line, Nambu Line Kawasaki Kanagawa
Tsurumi 52.0 Tsurumi Line Tsurumi-ku, Yokohama
Shin-Koyasu 55.1 Kanagawa-ku, Yokohama
Higashi-Kanagawa 57.3 Yokohama Line
Yokohama 59.1 Tōkaidō Main Line, Yokosuka Line, Shōnan-Shinjuku Line, Keikyū Main Line, Sōtetsu Main Line, Tōkyū Tōyoko Line, Minato Mirai Line, Yokohama City Subway Line 3 Nishi-ku, Yokohama
Negishi Line
Sakuragichō 61.1 Yokohama City Subway Line 3 Naka-ku, Yokohama
Kannai 62.1 Yokohama City Subway Line 3 and Line 1
Ishikawachō 62.9
Yamate 64.1
Negishi 66.2 Isogo-ku, Yokohama
Isogo 68.6
Shin-Sugita 70.2 Kanazawa Seaside Line
Yōkōdai 73.2
Kōnandai 75.1 Kōnan-ku, Yokohama
Hongōdai 77.6 Sakae-ku, Yokohama
Ōfuna 81.2 Tōkaidō Main Line, Shōnan-Shinjuku Line, Yokosuka Line, Shōnan Monorail Kamakura

* Station is skipped when trains are in rapid service.

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b c d 鉄道友の会 東京支部 JR電車部会 (December 2007). "京浜東北線を駆け抜けた車両たち 後編". Japan Railfan Magazine 48 (562): p.77–84. 
  2. ^ 鉄道友の会 東京支部 JR電車部会 (November 2007). "京浜東北線を駆け抜けた車両たち 前編". Japan Railfan Magazine 48 (561): p.86–93. 

[edit] External links