The Chūō-Sōbu Line (Japanese: 中央・総武緩行線, Hepburn: Chūō-Sōbu-kankō-sen) is a railway line that runs through Tokyo and Chiba Prefecture, Japan. Part of the East Japan Railway Company (JR East) network, the line operates on separate tracks along the right-of-way of the Chūō Main Line (Chūō Line (Rapid)) and Sōbu Main Line (Sōbu Line (Rapid)), providing service between Mitaka Station in the cities of Mitaka and Musashino and Chiba Station in Chiba.
| Chūō-Sōbu Line | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| JB | |||
 An E231-500 series EMU on the Chuo-Sobu Line in August 2022 | |||
| Overview | |||
| Native name | 中央・総武緩行線 | ||
| Status | Operational | ||
| Owner | .svg){kind=logo} JR East | ||
| Locale | Tokyo, Chiba Prefecture | ||
| Termini | |||
| Stations | 39 | ||
| Service | |||
| Type | Commuter rail | ||
| Depot(s) | Mitaka | ||
| Rolling stock | E231-0 series, E231-500 series, E231-800 series | ||
| Daily ridership | 2,359,390 (2015)[1] | ||
| History | |||
| Opened | 1932 | ||
| Technical | |||
| Line length | 60.2 km (37.4 mi) | ||
| Track gauge | 1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in) | ||
| Electrification | 1,500 V DC overhead catenary | ||
| |||
The term Kankō (緩行, lit. "slow run") distinguishes local trains on the Chūō-Sōbu line from rapid service trains running on the Chūō Main Line between Mitaka and Ochanomizu and on the Sōbu Main Line between Kinshichō and Chiba.
Service patterns
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Chūō-Sōbu Line
edit- Regularly, trains terminate at Chiba or Tsudanuma at the east side, and terminate at Nakano or Mitaka at the west side
- All trains stop at every station.
- For station information on the parallel rapid/express lines, see the Chūō Line (Rapid) and Sōbu Line (Rapid) articles.
Tōzai Line through service
editAll through service trains enter the Tōzai Line at either Nakano, or Nishi-Funabashi. These trains operate within the following routes:
- Mitaka – Nakano – (Tōzai Line) – Nishi-Funabashi – Tsudanuma (weekday mornings/evenings only)
- Nakano – (Tōzai Line) – Nishi-Funabashi – Tsudanuma (weekday mornings/evenings only)
- Mitaka – Nakano – (Tōzai Line) – Nishi-Funabashi
- Mitaka – Nakano – (Tōzai Line) – Nishi-Funabashi – (Tōyō Rapid Railway Line) – Tōyō-Katsutadai
Limited express
editCertain limited express and seasonal trains run through, or stop at stations on this line. For information on the Shinjuku Wakashio and the Shinjuku Sazanami that make stops on the Chūō-Sōbu Line at Akihabara, see their respective articles.
Former Early morning / Late night
editAt around 9 -10pm, a few westbound trains headed beyond Mitaka onto the Chūō Line (Rapid), with some terminating at Musashi-Koganei, and the others at Tachikawa. The other trains during the hour operated regularly.
At around 4 - 6am and 11pm - 1am, Chūō-Sōbu Line services were divided at Ochanomizu Station, into two sections.
- At the western section (Mitaka – Ochanomizu), Chūō Line (Rapid) trains ran through the Chūō-Sōbu Line tracks between Nakano and Ochanomizu, with services serving between Tokyo and as far as Takao, or even Ōme, which stops at all stations.
- At the eastern section (Ochanomizu – Chiba), local trains operated and terminated at the two ends of the section.
This service pattern last operated on 13 March 2020. To prepare for the eventual installation of platform doors on Chūō-Sōbu Line platforms and the future addition of Green Cars on the Rapid line, Chūō Line Rapid service trains no longer regularly operate on the Chūō-Sōbu Line tracks.[2]
Station list
edit- Legend
- ●: All trains stop
- ■: Some trains pass
- ▲: All trains pass on weekends and holidays
- ｜: All trains pass
| Official Line name | Station No. | Station | Japanese | Distance (km) | Local | Rapid | Transfers | Location | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Between stations | Total | Chūō-Sōbu Line | Tozai Line through | Chūō Line | Sōbu Line | ||||||||
| Sōbu Main Line | JB39 | Chiba | 千葉 | - | From Chiba 0.0 | From Tokyo 39.2 | ● | ↑ To Tokyo | ● |
| Chūō-ku, Chiba | Chiba | |
| JB38 | Nishi-Chiba | 西千葉 | 1.4 | 1.4 | 37.8 | ● | ｜ | ||||||
| JB37 | Inage | 稲毛 | 1.9 | 3.3 | 35.9 | ● | ■ | Inage-ku, Chiba | |||||
| JB36 | Shin-Kemigawa | 新検見川 | 2.7 | 6.0 | 33.2 | ● | ｜ | Hanamigawa-ku, Chiba | |||||
| JB35 | Makuhari | 幕張 | 1.6 | 7.6 | 31.6 | ● | ｜ | KS Keisei Chiba Line (Keisei Makuhari: KS53) | |||||
| JB34 | Makuharihongō | 幕張本郷 | 2.0 | 9.6 | 29.6 | ● | ｜ | KS Keisei Chiba Line (Keisei Makuharihongō: KS52) | |||||
| JB33 | Tsudanuma | 津田沼 | 2.9 | 12.5 | 26.7 | ● | ● | ■ | SL Shin-Keisei Line (Shin-Tsudanuma: SL23) | Narashino | |||
| JB32 | Higashi-Funabashi | 東船橋 | 1.7 | 14.2 | 25.0 | ● | ● | ｜ | Funabashi | ||||
| JB31 | Funabashi | 船橋 | 1.8 | 16.0 | 23.2 | ● | ● | ● |
| ||||
| JB30 | Nishi-Funabashi | 西船橋 | 2.6 | 18.6 | 20.6 | ● | ● | ｜ |
| ||||
| JB29 | Shimōsa-Nakayama | 下総中山 | 1.6 | 20.2 | 19.0 | ● | Through to | ｜ | |||||
| JB28 | Moto-Yawata | 本八幡 | 1.6 | 21.8 | 17.4 | ● | ｜ | S Toei Shinjuku Line (S-21) | Ichikawa | ||||
| JB27 | Ichikawa | 市川 | 2.0 | 23.8 | 15.4 | ● | ■ | ||||||
| JB26 | Koiwa | 小岩 | 2.6 | 26.4 | 12.8 | ● | ｜ | Edogawa | Tokyo | ||||
| JB25 | Shin-Koiwa | 新小岩 | 2.8 | 29.2 | 10.0 | ● | ■ | Katsushika | |||||
| JB24 | Hirai | 平井 | 1.8 | 31.0 | 8.2 | ● | ｜ | Edogawa | |||||
| JB23 | Kameido | 亀戸 | 1.9 | 32.9 | 6.3 | ● | ｜ | TS Tōbu Kameido Line (TS44) | Kōtō | ||||
| JB22 | Kinshichō | 錦糸町 | 1.5 | 34.4 | 4.8 | ● | ● |
| Sumida | ||||
| Sōbu Main Line Branch | From Kinshichō 0.0 | ||||||||||||
| JB21 | Ryōgoku | 両国 | 1.5 | 35.9 | 1.5 | ● | To Tokyo and JO Yokosuka Line | E Toei Ōedo Line (E-12) | |||||
| JB20 | Asakusabashi | 浅草橋 | 0.8 | 36.7 | 2.3 | ● | A Toei Asakusa Line (A-16) | Taitō | |||||
AKBJB19 | Akihabara | 秋葉原 | 1.1 | 37.8 | 3.4 | ● |
| Chiyoda | |||||
| JB18 | Ochanomizu | 御茶ノ水 | 0.9 | 38.7 | 4.3 | ● | ● |
| |||||
| Chūō Main Line | From Tokyo 2.6 | ||||||||||||
| JB17 | Suidōbashi | 水道橋 | 0.8 | 39.5 | 3.4 | ● | ｜ | I Toei Mita Line (I-11) | |||||
| JB16 | Iidabashi | 飯田橋 | 1.1 | 40.6 | 4.5 | ● | ｜ |
| |||||
| JB15 | Ichigaya | 市ケ谷 | 1.3 | 41.9 | 5.8 | ● | ｜ |
| |||||
| JB14 | Yotsuya | 四ツ谷 | 0.8 | 42.7 | 6.6 | ● | ● |
| Shinjuku | ||||
| JB13 | Shinanomachi | 信濃町 | 1.3 | 44.0 | 7.9 | ● | ｜ | ||||||
| JB12 | Sendagaya | 千駄ケ谷 | 0.7 | 44.7 | 8.6 | ● | ｜ | E Toei Ōedo Line (Kokuritsu-kyogijo: E-25) | Shibuya | ||||
| JB11 | Yoyogi | 代々木 | 1.0 | 45.7 | 9.6 | ● | ｜ |
| |||||
| Yamanote Line | |||||||||||||
SJKJB10 | Shinjuku | 新宿 | 0.7 | 46.4 | 10.3 | ● | ● |
| Shinjuku | ||||
| Chūō Main Line | |||||||||||||
| JB09 | Ōkubo | 大久保 | 1.4 | 47.8 | 11.7 | ● | ｜ | JY Yamanote Line (Shin-Ōkubo: JY16) | |||||
| JB08 | Higashi-Nakano | 東中野 | 1.1 | 48.9 | 12.8 | ● | ｜ | E Toei Ōedo Line (E-31) | Nakano | ||||
| JB07 | Nakano | 中野 | 1.9 | 50.8 | 14.7 | ● | ● | ■ | T Tokyo Metro Tozai Line (T-01) (some trains through to Mitaka) | ||||
| JB06 | Kōenji | 高円寺 | 1.4 | 52.2 | 16.1 | ● | ● | ▲ | Suginami | ||||
| JB05 | Asagaya | 阿佐ケ谷 | 1.2 | 53.4 | 17.3 | ● | ● | ▲ | |||||
| JB04 | Ogikubo | 荻窪 | 1.4 | 54.8 | 18.7 | ● | ● | ■ | M Tokyo Metro Marunouchi Line (M-01) | ||||
| JB03 | Nishi-Ogikubo | 西荻窪 | 1.9 | 56.7 | 20.6 | ● | ● | ▲ | |||||
| JB02 | Kichijōji | 吉祥寺 | 1.9 | 58.6 | 22.5 | ● | ● | ■ |  Keiō Inokashira Line (IN17) | Musashino | |||
| JB01 | Mitaka | 三鷹 | 1.6 | 60.2 | 24.1 | ● | ● | ■ | JC Chūō Line (JC12) | Mitaka | |||
Rolling stock
editChūō-Sōbu Line
editTrains used on the line are based at Mitaka Depot.
- E231-0 series 10-car EMUs (yellow stripe) (since February 2000)[3]
- E231-500 series 10-car EMUs (yellow stripe) (since 1 December 2014)[4]
Tozai Line - Toyo Rapid Line through service
editTrains run between Mitaka and Tsudanuma (Chūō-Sōbu Line) or Toyo-Katsutadai (Toyo Rapid Line), all via the Tokyo Metro Tozai Line between Nakano and Nishi-Funabashi.
- E231-800 series 10-car EMUs (light blue and blue stripe) (Does not run on the Toyo Rapid Line)
- Tokyo Metro 05 series 10-car EMUs (light blue stripe)
- Tokyo Metro 07 series 10-car EMUs (light blue stripe)
- Tokyo Metro 15000 series 10-car EMUs (light blue stripe)
JR East E231-0 series
JR East E231-500 series
Tokyo Metro 05 series
Tokyo Metro 15000 series
Tokyo Metro 07 series
JR East E231-800 series
Former rolling stock
editChūō-Sōbu Line
edit- 101 series EMUs (yellow livery) (from 1963 until November 1988)[3]
- 103 series 10-car EMUs (yellow livery) (from 1979 until March 2001)[3]
- 201 series 10-car EMUs (yellow livery) (from 1982 until November 2001)[3]
- 205 series 10-car EMUs (yellow stripe) (from August 1989 until November 2001)[3]
- 209-500 series 10-car EMUs (yellow stripe) (from December 1998 until 19 April 2019)[citation needed]
- E231-900 series 10-car EMU (yellow stripe) (from 27 March 1999 as 209-950 series, until 25 February 2020)[5]
Tozai Line - Toyo Rapid Line through service
edit- 301 series 10-car EMUs (light blue stripe) (on Tozai Line inter-running services from 1966 until 2003)
Chūō Line (Early morning / Late night)
edit- See Chūō Line (Rapid)#Rolling stock for the train types which operated this service until 13 March 2020.
A Chūō-Sōbu Line 101 series EMU in August 1978
A Chūō-Sōbu Line 201 series EMU in May 2001
A Chūō-Sōbu Line 301 series EMU in February 2003
A Chūō-Sōbu Line 205 series EMU
A Chūō-Sōbu Line 209-500 series EMU in April 2009
The sole E231-900 series EMU in June 2019
Timeline
editHistory
editThis section needs additional citations for verification. (January 2023) |
Women-only cars, designed to prevent gropers, were introduced on this line during morning peak periods starting on 20 November 2006.
On 20 August 2016, station numbering was introduced to the Chuo-Sobu line with stations being assigned station numbers between JB01 and JB39.[6][7] Numbers increase towards in the eastbound direction towards Chiba.
References
edit- ^ "平成27年 大都市交通センサス 首都圏報告書" (PDF). P.92. 国土交通省.
- ^ "2020年3月ダイヤ改正について (Schedule changes for March 2020)" (PDF). 13 December 2019.
- ^ a b c d e JR首都圏通勤電車図鑑. Japan Railfan Magazine. Vol. 48, no. 570. Koyusha Co., Ltd. October 2008. p. 27.
- ^ 中央総武緩行線でE231系500番台が営業運転を開始 [E231-500 series enters revenue service on Chuo-Sobu Line]. Japan Railfan Magazine Online (in Japanese). Japan: Koyusha Co., Ltd. 2 December 2014. Retrieved 2 December 2014.
- ^ 特集 209系 第２章へ [209 series - The second chapter]. Japan Railfan Magazine. Vol. 49, no. 576. Koyusha Co., Ltd. April 2009. pp. 9–47.
- ^ "⾸都圏エリアへ 「駅ナンバリング」を導⼊します" [Introduce “station numbering” to the Tokyo metropolitan area] (PDF). jreast.co.jp (in Japanese). 6 April 2016. Archived from the original (PDF) on 7 December 2022. Retrieved 7 January 2023.
- ^ Kusamachi, Yoshikazu (7 April 2016). "JA・JK・JT・AKB…JR東日本、首都圏で駅ナンバリングなど導入へ" [JA, JK, JT, AKB … JR East to introduce station numbering in the Tokyo metropolitan area]. Response Automotive Media (in Japanese). Archived from the original on 6 August 2022. Retrieved 7 January 2023.
External links
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- Chūō-Sōbu Line (Japan Visitor) (in English)