Keiyō Line

The Keiyō Line (京葉線, Keiyō-sen^?) is a railway line connecting Tokyo and Chiba, Japan, running mainly along the edge of Tokyo Bay. It is operated by the East Japan Railway Company (JR East).

It provides the main rail access to the Tokyo Disney Resort and the Makuhari Messe exhibition center. The terminus at Tōkyō Station is located underground, some distance to the south of the main station complex approximately halfway to Yūrakuchō Station. This means transfer between other lines at Tokyo Station can take between 15 and 20 minutes.

The name Keiyō is derived from the second characters of the names of the locations linked by the line, Tōkyō (東京^?) and Chiba (千葉^?). It is occasionally confused with the Keiō Line, a different railway line in western Tokyo.

History

The Keiyō Line was initially planned as a freight-only line. Its first segment opened in 1975 as a link between the Chiba Freight Terminal Station (now the Mihama New Port Resort between Inage-Kaigan and Chiba-Minato Stations) and the JFE Steel factory near Soga Station. Passenger service began in 1986 between Nishi-Funabashi and Chiba-Minato, and was extended eastward to Soga and westward to Shin-Kiba in 1988.

The final segment of the Keiyō Line between Tōkyō and Shin-Kiba opened in 1990. The platforms at Tokyo Station were originally built to accommodate the Narita Shinkansen, a planned (but never built) high-speed rail line between central Tokyo and Narita International Airport.

Planners originally envisioned the Keiyō Line interfacing with the Rinkai Line at Shin-Kiba, thus providing a through rail connection between Chiba and the Tokyo Freight Terminal in eastern Shinagawa, and also completing the outer loop for freight trains around Tokyo formed by the Musashino Line. This original plan would also allow through service with the Tōkaidō Main Line, allowing freight trains from central and western Japan to reach Chiba and points east.

However, in the 1990s, as the artificial island of Odaiba began developing as a commercial and tourist area in the middle of the Rinkai Line route, the Rinkai Line was re-purposed for use as a passenger line. While there is a through connection between the Rinkai Line and the Keiyō Line, it is only used by passenger trains in charter service, usually carrying groups to the Tokyo Disney Resort.

Services

• Keiyō Line local trains stop at all stations between Tōkyō and Soga except Nishi-Funabashi.
• Keiyō Line rapid service trains stop at Tōkyō, Hatchōbori, Shin-Kiba, Maihama, Shin-Urayasu, Minami-Funabashi, Kaihin-Makuhari and all stops to Soga.
• Musashino Line local trains stop at Nishi-Funabashi, Minami-Funabashi, Shin-Narashino, and Kaihin-Makuhari.
• Musashino Line rapid service trains stop at all stations between Tōkyō and Nishi-Funabashi before continuing to the Musashino Line.
• Commuter rapid service (通勤快速, tsūkin-kaisoku^?) trains stop at Tōkyō, Hatchōbori, Shin-Kiba, and Soga.

Station list

• All trains (except limited express services) stop at stations marked "●" and pass those marked "｜". Trains do not travel past those stations marked "∥".
• Musashino Line through services stop at stations marked "◆" on weekends and at stations marked "◆" and "○" during all-night services on New Year's Eve.
• For the Wakashio and Sazanami limited express services, please see their respective articles.

Rolling stock

All Keiyō Line rolling stock is based at the Keiyō Rolling Stock Center near Shin-Narashino Station

Rolling stock currently used

• 205 series 10-car EMUs (magenta stripe) (from March 1990)
• 209-500 series 10-car EMUs (magenta stripe) (from October 2008)
• E331 series 14-car EMU (x1) (magenta stripe) (from March 2007)
• E233 series 10-car EMUs (magenta stripe) (from summer 2010)^[1]

Rolling stock used in the past

• 103 series 4/6/10-car EMUs (sky blue livery) (from 1986 until November 2005)
• 165 series 3-car EMU (x1) "Shuttle Maihama" (from 1990 until 1995)
• 201 series 10-car EMUs (sky blue livery) (from August 2000 until 20 June 2011)^[2]

References

External links

• Stations of the Keiyō Line (JR East) (Japanese)