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Nambu Line
南武線 |
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205-0 series EMU near Inadazutsumi bound for Kawasaki |
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| Overview | |||
| Type | Heavy rail | ||
| Locale | Tokyo, Kanagawa prefectures | ||
| Termini | Kawasaki Tachikawa |
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| Stations | 26 (main line), 3 (branch line) | ||
| Operation | |||
| Opened | 1927 | ||
| Owner | JR East | ||
| Rolling stock | 205 series, 209 series | ||
| Technical | |||
| Line length | 45.0 km (28.0 mi) | ||
| Track gauge | 1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in) | ||
| Electrification | 1,500 V DC overhead catenary | ||
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The Nambu Line (南武線 Nanbu-sen) is a Japanese railway line which connects Tachikawa Station in Tachikawa, Tokyo and Kawasaki Station in Kawasaki, Kanagawa Prefecture. For most of its length, it parallels the Tama River, the natural border between Tokyo and Kanagawa prefectures. It is part of the East Japan Railway Company (JR East) network. The name refers to the southern (南 nan) part of the ancient province of Musashi (武蔵) (now Tokyo and northern Kanagawa prefectures), through which the Nambu Line runs.
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Rapid service trains (two trains per hour between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m) do not stop at Shitte, Yakō, Hirama, Mukaigawara, Tsudayama, Kuji and Shukugawara. All other trains except for some seasonal services are local trains, stopping at all stations.
| Station | Japanese | Distance (km) | Transfers | Location | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Between Stations |
Total | |||||
| Shitte | 尻手 | - | 0.0 | Nambu Line (main line), Nambu Line (freight branch) | Saiwai-ku, Kawasaki | |
| Hatchōnawate | 八丁畷 | 1.1 | 1.1 | Keikyū Main Line Tōkaidō Main Line freight branch (for Tsurumi) |
Kawasaki-ku, Kawasaki | |
| Kawasaki-Shinmachi | 川崎新町 | 0.9 | 2.0 | |||
| Hama-Kawasaki | 浜川崎 | 2.1 | 4.1 | Tsurumi Line, Tōkaidō Main Line freight branch (for Kawasaki Freight Terminal) | ||
The "Shitte crossover" (尻手短絡線 Shitte-tanraku-sen) connects Shitte Station and Shin-Tsurumi Yard on the Tōkaidō Main Line (Hinkaku Line) and the Musashino Line. Freight trains operating between Tokyo Freight Terminal and northern Japan operate on both branch lines.
The private Nambu Railway opened the line in five phases between 1927 and 1930 (freight branches are omitted)[1]:
Passenger trains used electric multiple units from the beginning. Major freight was initially gravel from the Tama River. When the railway reached Tachikawa and made connection with the Ōme Electric Railway, limestone became one of main freight. The railway was controlled by Asano zaibatsu, which was enabled by the railway to transport limestone from its own quarry in Western Tokyo to its cement plant in Kawasaki without using the government railways.[2]
On April 1, 1944, the railway was forcibly purchased by the imperial government and became the Nambu Line of Japanese Government Railways. After the end of World War II, there were several movements to denationalize the line, but the line had been a part of the Japanese National Railways until its privatization in 1987.[2]
The postwar sprawl of the Tokyo urban area turned the most of the farmlands along the Nambu Line into residential areas and multiplied the passenger traffic on the line. On the other hand, freight traffic has been reduced after the opening of the Musashino Line in parallel to the Nambu Line in 1976 and the discontinuance of the limestone freight in 1998, except for the Nambu Branchline, which is a part of main freight route.[2]
Rapid services between Kawasaki and Noborito with stops at Musashi-Kosugi and Musashi-Mizonokuchi started on December 15, 1969, but were discontinued by the timetable revision on October 2, 1978.[3] After 33 years, rapid services between Kawasaki and Tachikawa with more stops started on April 9, 2011, postponed from originally scheduled March 12 due to the earthquake in Tōhoku on March 11.[4]
The current EMU fleet used on Nambu Line services is based at Nakahara Depot.
Media related to [//commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Nambu_Line Nambu Line] at Wikimedia Commons
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