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Musashino Line
武蔵野線 |
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205 series EMU at Nishi-Funabashi Station |
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| Overview | |||
| Type | Heavy rail | ||
| Locale | Tokyo, Kanagawa, Saitama, Chiba prefectures | ||
| Termini | Fuchū-Hommachi Nishi-Funabashi |
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| Operation | |||
| Opened | 1973 | ||
| Owner | JR East | ||
| Operator(s) | JR East, JR Freight | ||
| Rolling stock | 205 series, 209-500 series EMUs | ||
| Technical | |||
| Line length | 100.6 km (62.51 mi) | ||
| Track gauge | 1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in) | ||
| Electrification | 1,500 V DC overhead catenary | ||
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The Musashino Line (武蔵野線 Musashino-sen) is a railway line operated by the East Japan Railway Company (JR East). It links Tsurumi Station in Yokohama with Nishi-Funabashi Station in Chiba Prefecture, forming a 100.6 km unclosed loop around central Tokyo. Passenger operations are limited to the 71.8 km portion between Fuchū-Hommachi and Nishi-Funabashi; the Tsurumi to Fuchū-Hommachi portion, called the Musashino South Line, is normally used only by freight trains.
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Most services on the Musashino Line are local trains making all stops, but there are some rapid services which run on the Keiyō Line through Nishi-Funabashi to continue to Tokyo or Minami-Funabashi; others run to Kaihin-Makuhari via Minami-Funabashi.
Other services include:
Tsurumi Station is considered to be the origin of the Musashino Line; trains going clockwise (toward Nishi-Funabashi) are therefore referred to as heading "down" (下り kudari), while trains going counter-clockwise (toward Fuchū-Hommachi) are heading "up" (上り nobori). This is often counterintuitive, as it results in through trains to Tokyo being labeled and numbered as "down" trains while on the Musashino Line; however, such trains switch to "up" after joining the Keiyō Line.
All passenger trains begin service at Fuchū-Hommachi Station; details on the Musashino South Line freight-only section can be found below the passenger station list.
Ōmekaidō Station is approximately 10 minutes walk from Shin-Kodaira Station.
| Name | Japanese | Distance (km) | Transfers | Location | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Between Stations |
Total | |||||
| Tsurumi | 鶴見 | - | 0.0 | Tōkaidō Line, Keihin Tohoku Line, Tsurumi Line, Tōkaidō Freight Line, Takashima Freight Line | Tsurumi-ku, Yokohama | Kanagawa |
| Shin-Tsurumi Signalbox (formerly Shin-Tsurumi Yard) |
新鶴見信号場 | 3.9 | 3.9 | Hinkaku Line, Nambu Line Freight Branch (for Shitte) | ||
| Kajigaya Freight Terminal | 梶ヶ谷貨物ターミナル駅 | 8.8 | 12.7 | Miyamae-ku, Kawasaki | ||
| Fuchū-Hommachi | 府中本町 | 16.1 | 28.8 | Musashino Line (towards Nishi-Kokubunji), Nambu Line | Fuchū | Tokyo |
Trains on the Musashino Line are normally formed of 205 series and 209-500 series 8-car electric multiple units.
Rolling stock previously used includes 101-1000 series 6-car EMUs, 201 series 6-car EMUs, and 103 series 8-car EMUs (until 2005).
165 and 169 series EMUs were used on Shinkansen Relay services and later Musashino rapid services until 2002. 115 series EMUs were used on Musashino services from 2002 until the services were downgraded to all-stations "Local" status in December 2010.
Locomotive types seen hauling freight trains include the EF64, EF65, EF66, EF81, EF200, EF210, EH200, EH500, and DE10.
The Musashino Line was initially envisioned as a "Tokyo Outer Loop Line" in a 1927 railway appropriations bill, but was not built for several decades due to World War II and its aftermath. Construction finally began in 1964.
In 1967, a train carrying jet fuel to Tachikawa Air Base in western Tokyo exploded while passing through Shinjuku Station. This disaster led to the banning of freight trains on railway lines in central Tokyo and sped the development of the Musashino Line as an alternative route. Because most of the line passed through sparsely populated areas, it was initially envisioned as a freight-only line: however, opposition from local residents, at the same time as the violent landowner battles plaguing Narita International Airport, led the railway authorities to agree to passenger service as well.
The northern portion of the line (Fuchū to Funabashi) was completed in 1973; the southern freight-only portion (Fuchū to Tsurumi) was completed in 1976. The line remains in use for transporting US military jet fuel from Yokohama to west Tokyo, among other purposes.
Media related to [//commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Musashino_Line Musashino Line] at Wikimedia Commons
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