Jōban Line

Joban Line
Overview
Native name	常磐線
Type	Heavy rail
Locale	Tokyo, Chiba, Ibaraki, Fukushima, Miyagi prefectures
Termini	Nippori Iwanuma
Stations	85
Operation
Opened	1889
Owner	JR East
Operator(s)	JR East, JR Freight
Technical
Track length	368.0 km (228.7 mi)
Track gauge	1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in)
Electrification	1,500 V DC & 20 kV AC 50 Hz overhead catenary
Route map

Joban Line

Legend Tohoku Main Line 0.0 Nippori 37.4 Toride 63.8 Tsuchiura Tsukuba Railway Tsukuba Line Tsuchiura stabling yard 69.9 Kamidatsu 76.4 Takahama Kashima Railway Line 80.0 Ishioka 86.5 Hatori 91.9 Iwama Mito Line 98.8 Tomobe 101.4 Kohara (Signal Box) Uchihara stabling yard Taiheiyō Cement industry line 103.5 Uchihara 109.3 Akatsuka 113.4 Kairakuen (Temporary) Ibaraki Kotsū Suihin Line Mito rail yard 115.3 0.0# Mito Suigun Line 1.1# Nakagawa Until 1984 343.1 Iwanuma

E531 series EMU between Minami-Kashiwa and Kita-Kogane stations

(video) Riding in a Jōban Line train as another Jōban Line train passes in the other direction

The Jōban Line (常磐線, Jōban-sen) is a railway line in Japan operated by East Japan Railway Company (JR East). It begins at Nippori Station in Taitō, Tokyo and follows the Pacific coasts of Chiba, Ibaraki, and Fukushima Prefectures before the line officially ends at Iwanuma Station in Iwanuma, Miyagi. However, most trains originate at Ueno rather than Nippori; likewise, many trains continue past Iwanuma onto the Tōhoku Main Line tracks to Sendai.

The name "Jōban" is derived from the names of the former provinces of Hitachi (常陸) and Iwaki (磐城), which the line connects to Tokyo.

As of August 2014, two segments of the Joban Line are closed in the wake of the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami and Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster. The segment between Tatsuta and Haranomachi, which runs through the exclusion zone surrounding the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear meltdown, is closed indefinitely, while the segment between Hamayoshida and Sōma is under reconstruction and served by an interim bus service.^[1][2][3] JR East is currently inspecting the segments between Hirono and Tomioka and between Namie and Haranomachi in preparation for the surrounding areas being cleared for re-settlement,^[4] and plans to reconstruct the track and stations between Hamayoshida and Komagamine in new positions located farther inland, targeting completion by 2017.^[5] As of January 31, 2015, sections between Tatsuta and Haranomachi are replaced by a bus service.

As of March 14, the line has been extended to Tokyo Station via the Ueno-Tokyo Line.

Basic data

• Operators, distances:
  • East Japan Railway Company (JR East) (Services and tracks)
    • Nippori – Haranomachi – Iwanuma: 343.1 km (213.2 mi)
    • Mikawashima – Sumidagawa – Minami-Senju (Sumidagawa freight branch): 5.7 km (3.5 mi)
    • Mikawashima – Tabata (Tabata freight branch): 1.6 km (1.0 mi)
  • Japan Freight Railway Company (JR Freight) (Services)
    • Mikawashima – Haranomachi – Iwanuma: 341.9 km (212.4 mi)
    • Mikawashima – Sumidagawa – Minami-Senju (Sumidagawa freight branch): 5.7 km (3.5 mi)
    • Mikawashima – Tabata (Tabata freight branch): 1.6 km (1.0 mi)
• Double/quadruple tracking:
  • Quadruple: Ayase – Toride
  • Double: Nippori – Ayase, Toride – Yotsukura, Hirono – Kido, Ōno – Futaba
• Electrification:
  • 1,500 V DC: Nippori – Toride, Mikawashima – Sumidagawa – Minami-Senju, Mikawashima – Tabata
  • 20 kV AC, 50 Hz: Fujishiro – Iwanuma. This section of the line, along with a nearby section of the Tsukuba Express, uses alternating current in order to minimize interference with the nearby Kakioka Magnetic Observatory in Ishioka.^[6]
  • The dead section is located between Toride and Fujishiro
• Railway signalling:
  • Automatic Train Control (ATC): Ayase – Toride
  • Automatic Signaling Block for all other sections
• operation control
  • ATOS: Ueno – Hatori, local train track Ayase – Toride
  • CTC: All other sections

Services

The Jōban Line connects Tokyo and the Tōhoku region. After the opening of the Tōhoku Shinkansen in 1982, the Jōban Line was split into two parts at Iwaki: south of Iwaki is double track, and north of Iwaki is single track.

From 2007, until the Fukushima disaster in 2011, the Jōban Line was typically split into four parts for operational purposes.

• Ueno – Toride: local and rapid services
• Toride – Iwaki: suburban and intercity service beyond Toride
• Iwaki – Haranomachi: few trains travelling beyond Iwaki from either direction
• Haranomachi – Sendai: Greater Sendai area.

Exceptions:

• Selected Super Hitachi limited express services which operated between Ueno and Sendai/Haranomachi.
• Before 2007, there were local trains which connected Iwaki and Ueno/Sendai directly.

Station list

• For information on limited express services (e.g. Hitachi and Tokiwa), see their respective pages.

Legend

• Trains stop at stations marked "●" and pass those marked "｜".
• Stations marked "∥" are double-tracked; those marked "◇" are single-tracked and allow trains to pass.
•      sections closed since the March 2011 Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster

Official line name	Station	Japanese	Distance (km)		Local		Rapid	Special Rapid	Transfers	Tracks	Location	Prefecture
			Between stations	Total (from Nippori)	Jōban Kankō	Other (medium distance)
Tōkaidō Main Line	Shinagawa	品川	–	12.6	to/from Tokyo Metro Chiyoda Line[* 1]	●	●	●	(For details, see the article for the station)		Minato	Tokyo
	Shimbashi	新橋	4.9	7.7		●	●	●
	Tokyo	東京	1.9	5.8		●	●	●			Chiyoda
Tōhoku Main Line
	Ueno	上野	3.6	2.2		●	●	●	Tohoku Shinkansen, Yamagata Shinkansen, Akita Shinkansen, Jōetsu Shinkansen, Hokuriku Shinkansen, Yamanote Line, Keihin-Tōhoku Line, Takasaki Line, Tohoku Main Line (Utsunomiya Line) Tokyo Metro Ginza Line (G-16), Tokyo Metro Hibiya Line (H-17) Keisei Main Line (Keisei-Ueno)	Two	Taitō
	Nippori	日暮里	2.2	0.0		●	●	●	Yamanote Line, Keihin-Tōhoku Line Keisei Main Line Nippori-Toneri Liner (01)		Arakawa
Jōban Line
	Mikawashima	三河島	1.2	1.2		●	●	｜
	Minami-Senju	南千住	2.2	3.4		●	●	｜	Tokyo Metro Hibiya Line (H-20) Tsukuba Express (04)
	Kita-Senju	北千住	1.8	5.2	●[* 2]	●	●	●	Tokyo Metro Chiyoda Line (C-18), Tokyo Metro Hibiya Line (H-21) Tobu Skytree Line Tsukuba Express (05)		Adachi
	Ayase	綾瀬	2.5	7.7	●	｜	｜	｜	Tokyo Metro Chiyoda Line (C-19, Kita-Ayase branch)	Four
	Kameari	亀有	2.2	9.9	●	｜	｜	｜			Katsushika
	Kanamachi	金町	1.9	11.8	●	｜	｜	｜	Keisei Kanamachi Line
	Matsudo	松戸	3.9	15.7	●	●	●	●	Shin-Keisei Line		Matsudo	Chiba
	Kita-Matsudo	北松戸	2.1	17.8	●	｜	｜	｜
	Mabashi	馬橋	1.3	19.1	●	｜	｜	｜	Nagareyama Line
	Shin-Matsudo	新松戸	1.6	20.7	●	｜	｜	｜	Musashino Line Nagareyama Line (Kōya)
	Kita-Kogane	北小金	1.3	22.0	●	｜	｜	｜
	Minami-Kashiwa	南柏	2.5	24.5	●	｜	｜	｜			Kashiwa
	Kashiwa	柏	2.4	26.9	●	●	●	●	Tobu: Urban Park Line
	Kita-Kashiwa	北柏	2.3	29.2	●	｜	｜	｜
	Abiko	我孫子	2.2	31.3	●	●	●[* 3]	｜	Narita Line (Abiko Branch Line through service for Chiba)		Abiko
	Tennōdai	天王台	2.7	34.0	○[* 4]	●	●	｜
	Toride	取手	3.4	37.4	○[* 4]	●	●	●	Jōsō Line		Toride	Ibaraki
	Fujishiro	藤代	6.0	43.4		●		●		Two
	Sanuki	佐貫	2.1	45.5		●		●	Ryūgasaki Line		Ryūgasaki
	Ushiku	牛久	5.1	50.6		●		●			Ushiku
	Hitachino-Ushiku	ひたち野うしく	3.9	54.5		●		●
	Arakawaoki	荒川沖	2.7	57.2		●		●			Tsuchiura
	Tsuchiura	土浦	6.6	63.8		●		●
	Kandatsu	神立	6.1	69.9		●
	Takahama	高浜	6.5	76.4		●					Ishioka
	Ishioka	石岡	3.6	80.0		●
	Hatori	羽鳥	6.5	86.5		●					Omitama
	Iwama	岩間	5.4	91.9		●					Kasama
	Tomobe	友部	6.9	98.8		●			Mito Line (some trains through to Mito)
	Uchihara	内原	4.7	103.5		●					Mito
	Akatsuka	赤塚	5.8	109.3		●
	Kairakuen	偕楽園	4.1	113.4		●[* 5]
	Mito	水戸	1.9	115.3		●			Suigun Line Kashima Rinkai Railway Ōarai Kashima Line
	Katsuta	勝田	5.8	121.1		●			Minato Line		Hitachinaka
	Sawa	佐和	4.2	125.3		●
	Tōkai	東海	4.7	130.0		●					Tōkai, Naka District
	Ōmika	大甕	7.4	137.4		●					Hitachi
	Hitachi-Taga	常陸多賀	4.6	142.0		●
	Hitachi	日立	4.9	146.9		●
	Ogitsu	小木津	5.5	152.4		●
	Jūō	十王	4.2	156.6		●
	Takahagi	高萩	5.9	162.5		●					Takahagi
	Minami-Nakagō	南中郷	4.5	167.0		●					Kitaibaraki
	Isohara	磯原	4.6	171.6		●
	Ōtsukō	大津港	7.1	178.7		●
	Nakoso	勿来	4.5	183.2		●					Iwaki	Fukushima
	Ueda	植田	4.6	187.8		●
	Izumi	泉	7.2	195.0		●
	Yumoto	湯本	6.5	201.5		●
	Uchigō	内郷	3.5	205.0		●
	Iwaki	いわき	4.4	209.4		●			Banetsu East Line	∥
	Kusano	草野	5.4	214.8		●				∥
	Yotsukura	四ツ倉	4.4	219.2		●				v
	Hisanohama	久ノ浜	4.8	224.0		●				◇
	Suetsugi	末続	3.6	227.6		●				◇
	Hirono	広野	4.8	232.4		●				^	Hirono, Futaba District
	Kido	木戸	5.4	237.8		●				v	Naraha, Futaba District
	Tatsuta	竜田	3.1	240.9		●				◇
	Tomioka	富岡	6.9	247.8		●				◇	Tomioka, Futaba District
	Yonomori	夜ノ森	5.2	253.0		●				◇
	Ōno	大野	4.9	257.9		●				^	Ōkuma, Futaba District
	Futaba	双葉	5.8	263.7		●				v	Futaba, Futaba District
	Namie	浪江	4.9	268.6		●				◇	Namie, Futaba District
Momouchi	桃内	4.9	273.5	●					◇	Minamisōma
Odaka	小高	4.0	277.5	●					◇
Iwaki-Ōta	磐城太田	4.9	282.4	●					◇
Haranomachi	原ノ町	4.5	286.9	●					◇
Kashima	鹿島	7.5	294.4	●					◇
Nittaki	日立木	6.7	301.1	●					◇	Sōma
Sōma	相馬	5.9	307.0	●					◇
Komagamine	駒ヶ嶺	4.4	311.4	●					◇	Shinchi, Sōma District
Shinchi	新地	4.4	315.8	●					◇
Sakamoto	坂元	5.4	321.2	●					◇	Yamamoto, Watari District	Miyagi
Yamashita	山下	4.5	325.7	●					◇
Hamayoshida	浜吉田	3.9	329.6	●					◇	Watari, Watari District
Watari	亘理	5.0	334.6	●					◇
Ōkuma	逢隈	3.2	337.8	●					◇
Iwanuma	岩沼	5.3	343.1	●		Tōhoku Main Line (for Fukushima)			^	Iwanuma
												Tōhoku Main Line
Tatekoshi	館腰	3.7	346.8	●					Two	Natori
Natori	名取	3.5	350.3	●		Sendai Airport Line
Minami-Sendai	南仙台	2.7	353.0	●		Taihaku-ku, Sendai
Taishidō	太子堂	2.2	355.2	●
Nagamachi	長町	1.0	356.2	●	Sendai Subway Namboku Line
Sendai	仙台	4.5	360.7	●	Tōhoku Shinkansen, Akita Shinkansen, Tōhoku Main Line (for Ichinoseki and Rifu), Senzan Line, Senseki Line Sendai Subway Namboku Line, Sendai Subway Tōzai Line	Aoba-ku, Sendai

Rolling stock

Commuter stock

• 209–1000 series 10-car EMUs (x2) (from December 1999) (Tokyo Metro Chiyoda Line through-running services, emerald green stripe)
• E231 series 10+5-car EMUs (emerald green/light green stripe) (from March 2002)
• E501 series 10+5-car EMUs (emerald green/white stripe) (from December 1995)
• E233-2000 series 10-car EMUs (Tokyo Metro Chiyoda Line through-running services, emerald green stripe) (from September 2009)

• 

  A Joban Line 209–1000 series EMU, November 2011

• 

  A Joban Line E231 series EMU, July 2008

• 

  A Joban Line E233-2000 series EMU, June 2012

• 

  An E501 series EMU, April 2003

Outer suburban stock

• 415–1500 series 4-car EMUs (blue stripe) (from 1986)
• E531 series 10+5-car EMUs (blue stripe) (from July 2005)

• 

  A 415-1500 series EMU, July 2009

• 

  An E531 series EMU, July 2005

Limited express stock

• 651 series 7+4-car EMUs (x9) (Hitachi services) (from March 1989)
• E657 series 10-car EMUs (Hitachi/Tokiwa services) (from 17 March 2012)

• 

  A 651 series EMU on a Super Hitachi service, July 2008

• 

  An E657 series EMU on a Super Hitachi service, July 2011

Past

• 80 series DMUs (Hitachi services) (from October 1969 until October 1972)
• 401 series EMUs (cream with blue stripe) (from June 1961 until 1987)
• 485 series EMUs (Hitachi services) (from October 1972 until December 1998)
• 103 series 10+5-car EMUs (emerald green livery) (from December 1967 until March 2006)
• 403 series/415 series 7+4+4-car EMUs (cream with blue stripe) (from 1965 until March 2007)
• 207–900 series 10-car EMU (x1) (Tokyo Metro Chiyoda Line through-running services, emerald green stripe) (from 1986 until December 2009)
• 203 series 10-car EMUs (Tokyo Metro Chiyoda Line through-running services, emerald green stripe) (from 1982 until 26 September 2011)^[7]
• E653 series 7+4-car EMUs (Fresh Hitachi services) (from October 1997 until March 2013)

• 

  A 485 series EMU on a Hitachi service, August 1998

• 

  A Joban Line 103 series EMU, January 2003

• 

  A Joban Line 415 series EMU, July 2006

• 

  The sole 207-900 series EMU, May 2006

• 

  A 203 series EMU, July 2009

• 

  An E653 series EMU on a Fresh Hitachi service, April 2003

History

The Mito Railway Co. opened the line in sections between 1889 and 1905. The dates of the individual section openings are given below. After the line was nationalised in 1906, a program of double-tracking commenced in 1910, with the 219 km section between Nippori and Yotsukura completed in 1925. The Hirono - Kido and Ono - Futaba sections were double-tracked in 1976.

The first section electrified was Nippori - Matsudo (at 1,500 V DC) in 1936, and extended to Toride in 1949. The Toride - Kusano section was electrified at 20 kV AC between 1961 and 1963, and extended to Iwanumi in 1967.

The 2011 Tohoku earthquake and tsunami caused severe disruption to the line, with services to Iwaki disrupted for a month, services to Yotsukura disrupted for two months, and services to Hirono disrupted for six months. Services on the isolated Haranomachi - Soma section were restored 9 months after the disaster, and services from Iwanuma to Hamayoshida took two years to be restored. Services on the Hirono - Tatsuta section returned on 1 June 2014. The Hamayoshida - Soma section is being rebuilt at a higher, tsumani-proof level, and is scheduled to be reopened in March 2017. It is not known when the Haranomachi - Tatsuta section will be reopened, as it is largely within the exclusion zone declared following the meltdown of the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power-station, with the Ono - Futaba section of the line within approximately 2 km of the epicentre of the meltdown.

Timelines

• January 16, 1889: Mito Railway (Mito — Oyama) begins operation.
• November 26, 1890: Mito Railway Freight Line (Mito — Nakagawa) begins operation.
• March 1, 1892: Mito Railway becomes part of the Nippon Railway.
• November 4, 1895: Nippon Railway Tsuchiura Line (Tsuchiura — Tomobe) begins operation.
• December 1, 1895: Hatori Station opens.
• December 25, 1896: Tsuchiura Line (Tabata — Tsuchiura), Sumidagawa Line (Tabata — Sumidagawa) begin operation.
• February 25, 1897: Iwaki Line (Mito — Taira [present-day Iwaki]) begins operation.
• May 17, 1897: Tsuchiura Line Kameari Station opens.
• August 29, 1897: Iwaki Line (Taira — Kunohama) begins operation.
• November 10, 1897: Iwaki Line (Nakamura [present-day Sōma] — Iwanuma) begins operation.
• December 27, 1897: Tsuchiura Line Kanamachi Station opens.
• January 1898: Kitasenju — Sumidagawa connection opens.
• April 1, 1898: Ishigami Station opens.
• April 3, 1898: Iwaki Line (Haranomachi — Nakamura) begins operation.
• May 11, 1898: Iwaki Line (Odaka — Haranomachi) begins operation.
• August 6, 1898: Tsuchiura Line Mabashi Station opens.
• August 23, 1898: Iwaki Line (Kunohama — Odaka) begins operation, connecting Tabata and Iwanuma. Tsuchiura Line and Mito Line (Tomobe — Mito) and Iwaki Line are collectively renamed the Kaigan Line.
• December 1, 1898: Taka Station is renamed Iwaki-Ōta Station.
• August 4, 1900: Sanuki Station opens.
• November 22, 1904: Ōno Station opens.
• April 1, 1905: With the completion of Mikawashima — Nippori connection, the present-day route is finished. Nippori and Mikawashima Stations open. Service from Ueno to Tabata and back is abolished.
• November 1, 1906: Nippon Railway is nationalized.
• March 25, 1909: Tatsuta Station opens.
• October 12, 1909: Kaigan Line split and renamed: Jōban Line (Nippori — Iwanuma) and Sumidagawa Line (Tabata — Sumidagawa). Jōban Line also handles freight services.
• February 16, 1910: Minami-Nakagō Station opens.
• March 18, 1910: Katsuta and Ogitsu Stations open.
• May 1, 1911: Kita-Kogane Station opens.
• May 5, 1911: Sumidagawa Line is merged into the Jōban Line.
• June 1, 1915: Yoshida Station is renamed Hamayoshida Station.
• March 15, 1921: Yonomori Station opens.
• August 15, 1922: Nittaki Station opens.
• February 2, 1925: Kōen-Shimo Station opens, but only operates during the ume blossom-viewing season.
• October 28, 1925: Nippori — Taira connection finished (joined with northern tracks in 1965).
• December 11, 1936: Nippori — Matsudo tracks are electrified.
• October 1, 1939: Shimomago Station is renamed Hitachi-Taga Station.
• October 20, 1939: Sukegawa Station is renamed Hitachi Station.
• February 15, 1944: Momouchi signal box is built between Namie and Odaka.
• February 20, 1944: Suetsugi signal box is built between Kunohama and Hirono.
• June 1, 1947: Suetsugi signal box becomes Suetsugi Station.
• August 10, 1948: Momouchi signal box becomes Momouchi Station.
• May 10, 1949: Shimoyama Station opens.
• June 1, 1949: Matsudo — Toride tracks are electrified.
• July 6, 1949: In what is known as the Shimoyama incident, JNR president at the time, Shimoyama Sadanori, is mysteriously found dead between Kita-Senju and Ayase Stations.
• May 10, 1950: Sekimoto Station is renamed Ōtsukō Station.
• May 1, 1952: Kita-Matsudo Station opens.
• July 10, 1952: Komagamine Station opens.
• October 1, 1953: Minami-Kashiwa Station opens.
• December 20, 1956: Tsuzura Station is renamed Uchigō Station.
• April 1, 1957: Ishigami Station is renamed Tōkai Station.
• June 1, 1958: Semi-express Tokiwa begins operation.
• October 10, 1958: The Limited express Hatsukari begins operation (Ueno — Aomori). It stops at Ueno, Mito, Taira, and Sendai Stations when it runs on the Jōban Line tracks.
• October 1, 1959: Nagatsuka Station is renamed Futaba Station.
• October 1, 1960: Kanayama signal box is built between Tatsuta and Tomioka. Ōkuma signal box is built between Watari and Iwanuma.
• March 20, 1961: Nakamura Station is renamed Sōma Station.
• June 1, 1961: Toride — Katsuta tracks are electrified.
• May 3, 1962: The Mikawashima Rail Crash occurs between Mikawashima and Minami-Senju when an Iwaki-bound passenger train crashes into the wreckage of a crash between an Ueno-bound passenger train and an Ueno-bound freight train. 160 people die and 296 are injured in the incident.
• October 1, 1962: Katsuta — Takahagi tracks are electrified.
• May 1, 1963: Takahagi — Taira tracks are electrified.
• April 20, 1963: Takahira signal box is built between Haranomachi and Kashima.
• September 30, 1963: Taira — Kusano tracks are electrified.
• March 5, 1966: Tokiwa semi-express becomes an express.
• February 1, 1967: Kōen-Shimo Station is renamed Kairakuen Station.
• August 20, 1967: With the electrification of the Kusano — Iwanuma tracks, the entire Jōban Line becomes electrified.
• October 1, 1968: Hatsukari express is rerouted to the Tōhoku Main Line.
• October 1, 1969: Kairakuen Station becomes a temporary station. Seasonal Hitachi express begins operation.
• April 10, 1970: Freight line Kita-Kashiwa Station opens.
• October 1, 1970: Hitachi operates as a regular express.
• April 20, 1971: Construction of the Kita-Senju — Abiko Joban Local Line is finished and runs through service to the Eidan Subway Chiyoda Line (present-day Tokyo Metro Chiyoda Line). (The Chiyoda Line only ran as far as Kasumigaseki at the time). Tennōdai Station opens and Kita-Kashiwa Station is open to passengers.
• April 1, 1973: Shin-Matsudo Station opens.
• March 31, 1978: With the extension of its tracks to Yoyogi-Uehara Station, the Chiyoda Line shares tracks with the Odakyu Odawara Line up to Hon-Atsugi Station. 203 series trains are introduced to run through service to the Chiyoda Line.
• November 15, 1982: Jōban Local Line extended from Abiko — Toride.
• February 1, 1984: Mito — Nakagawa freight line is closed.
• March 14, 1985: Bampaku-Chūō Station is temporarily opened (until September 16) for the Tsukuba Expo '85. The Uchigō-System-ku is abolished. The Tokiwa express is discontinued.
• April 1, 1987: With the split of JNR, the Joban Line becomes part of JR East.
• August 2, 1988: Ōkuma signal box becomes Ōkuma Station.
• March 11, 1989: 651 series Super Hitachi limited-express EMUs enter service.
• February 1, 1993: Kanayama signal box is abolished.
• February 10, 1993: Takahira signal box is abolished.
• December 3, 1994: Taira Station is renamed Iwaki Station.
• December 1, 1995: E501 series begins service between Ueno and Tsuchiura.
• October 1, 1997: E653 series Fresh Hitachi limited-express EMUs enter service.
• March 14, 1998: Hitachino-Ushiku Station opens where Bampaku-Chūō Station used to stand.
• December 7, 1998: 485 series Hitachi limited-express EMUs are retired.
• March 3, 2002: New E231 series EMUs introduced on commuter services.
• March 13, 2004: Kawajiri Station is renamed Jūō Station. Regular trains begin making stops at Mikawashima and Minami-Senju Stations throughout the day.
• October 16, 2004: Medium-distance trains are called rapid trains for the section between Ueno and Toride.
• July 9, 2005: New E531 series dual-voltage EMUs enter service on line. Special Rapid Service begins between Ueno — Tsuchiura. Commuter Rapid service from Ueno ends. One Commuter Rapid service still runs from Mito to Ueno.
• March 17, 2006: All Commuter Rapid Service ends.
• May 15, 2006: Women-only cars introduced on Joban Local Line trains [7:10 – 9:30 AM measured by the time the trains pass through Ayase station] from Toride running through to Yoyogi-Uehara on the Tokyo Metro Chiyoda Line.
• January 6, 2007: Double-deck Green cars are phased in on E531 series EMUs running between Ueno and Takahagi. No Green car supplement required until start of new timetable on 2007-03-18.
• February 21, 2007: E501 series EMUs removed from Ueno – Tsuchiura services.
• March 18, 2007: Full Green car service commences on E531 series EMUs running between Ueno and Takahagi; E501 series EMUs reassigned to Mito Line and Jōban services north of Tsuchiura become 10-car or 5-car formations only
• March 15, 2008: Suica use extended to stations between Hitachi and Takahagi
• March 14, 2009: Suica use extended to Takahagi – Iwaki and Haranomachi – Yamashita sections
• September 9, 2009: E233 series 10-car EMUs introduced on Chiyoda Line through services
• March 11, 2011: During the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami, a 4-car train on the line was picked up off the tracks by the tsunami surge and overturned at Shinchi and Tomioka stations. All passengers from the train were evacuated before the tsunami came ashore. Tomioka was affected by the Fukushima nuclear disaster and was prohibited entrance without legal permission.
• January 8, 2014: Thales is selected to design Japan's first communications-based train control system (CBTC) on the line.^[8]
• May 2014: Test-running commenced on the section of the line between Hirono and Tatsuta stations closed since the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami, with the intention of resuming passenger services on this section from 1 June.^[9]
• June 1, 2014: Train operations were resumed Sunday on a section of the Joban Line that had been suspended due to the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami, and the subsequent nuclear crisis.^[10]

Former connecting lines

Tsukuba Railway train at Iwase station

Kashima Light Railway RM3 (see Mito station entry)

Kashima Sangu Railway train

• Tsuchiura Station: The Tsukura Railway opened a 40 km line to Iwase on the Mito Line in 1918. Freight services ceased in 1981, and the line closed in 1987.

• Ishioka Station: The Kashima Sangu Railway opened a 27 km line to Hokota between 1924 and 1929. Freight services ceased in 2002 and the line closed in 2007.
• Akatsuka Station: A 25 km line to Gozenyama was opened by the Ibaraki Railway Co. in 1926/27. In 1944/45 the first 4 km of the line to Minami Hakamatsuka was electrified. The line closed in sections between 1965 and 1971.
• Tokai Station: The Ibaraki Prefectural Government operated a 4 km 762 mm (2'6") gauge line to Muramutsu between 1926 and 1933.
• Omika Station: An 11 km line to Johoku Ota (now Hitachi-Ota on the Suigun Line) was opened by the Johoku Electric Railway in 1928/29. In 1944 the company merged with the Hitachi Electric Railway, and a 7 km line to Akukawa was opened in 1947. Both lines were electrified at 600 V DC from opening. CTC signalling was commissioned in 1969, and in 1971 the lines became the first electric railway in Japan converted to one-person operation. Both lines closed in 2005.
• Izumi Station: The Onahama Horse tram opened a 762 mm gauge line 5 km to its namesake town in 1907, and extended the line a further 5 km to Ena in 1916. The Onahama - Ena section closed in 1936, the company renamed itself the Onahama Port Railway in 1939, and converted the line to 1,067 mm gauge in 1941. The Ena Railway rebuilt the Onahama - Ena section as 1,067 mm gauge in 1953. In 1965 a typhoon caused the collapse of a retaining wall, and the Onahama - Ena section formally closed in 1967. The passenger service on the Izumi - Onahama section ceased in 1972, the line is now freight-only operated by the Fukushima Rinkai Railway.

References

This article incorporates material from the corresponding article in the Japanese Wikipedia

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Jōban Line.

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

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JR East lines Shinkansen Hokuriku Jōetsu Tōhoku Akita Yamagata Main Chūō Ōu Shin'etsu Sōbu Tōhoku Tōkaidō Uetsu Local Agatsuma Aterazawa Ban'etsu East Ban'etsu West Echigo Gonō Hachikō Hachinohe Hakushin Hanawa Iiyama Ishinomaki Itō Itsukaichi Jōban Jōetsu Kamaishi Karasuyama Kashima Kawagoe Keiyō Kesennuma Kitakami Koumi Kururi Mito Musashino Nambu Narita Negishi Nikkō Ōfunato Oga Ōito Ōme Ōminato Rikuu East Rikuu West Ryōmō Sagami Senseki Senzan Shinonoi Sotobō Suigun Tadami Takasaki Tazawako Tōgane Tsugaru Tsurumi Uchibō Utsunomiya Yahiko Yamada Yamanote Yokohama Yokosuka Yonesaka Others Chūō Rapid Chūō-Sōbu Gala-Yuzawa Keihin-Tōhoku Saikyō (incl. Akabane) Senseki-Tōhoku Shōnan-Shinjuku Sōbu Rapid Ueno-Tōkyō Past Aizu Ashio Iwaizumi Kihara Marumori Mōka Nagai Shin'etsu Main (Shinano / Echigo Tokimeki) Tōhoku Main (Aoimori / Iwate Galaxy)