The Hachikō Line is a 92.0 km (57.2 mi) regional
railway line
Rail terminology is a form of technical terminology. The difference between the American term ''railroad'' and the international term ''railway'' (used by the International Union of Railways and English-speaking countries outside the United Sta ...
owned and operated by
East Japan Railway Company
The is a major passenger railway company in Japan and is the largest of the seven Japan Railways Group companies. The company name is officially abbreviated as JR-EAST or JR East in English, and as in Japanese. The company's headquarters are ...
(JR East). It is located within
Tokyo
Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, with an estimated 37.468 ...
,
Saitama, and
Gunma Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan located in the Kantō region of Honshu. Gunma Prefecture has a population of 1,937,626 (1 October 2019) and has a geographic area of 6,362 km2 (2,456 sq mi). Gunma Prefecture borders Niigata Prefecture and Fukushima ...
s in Japan. It connects
Hachiōji Station
is a junction passenger railway station located in the city of Hachiōji, Tokyo, Japan, operated by East Japan Railway Company (JR East). It opened on 11 August 1889.JR EasHachiōji Station informationRetrieved on 21 August 2008.
Lines
The ...
in
Hachiōji, Tokyo with
Kuragano Station
is a railway station in the city of Takasaki, Gunma, Japan, operated by the East Japan Railway Company (JR East), with a freight depot operated by the Japan Freight Railway Company (JR Freight).
Lines
Kuragano Station is a station on the Tak ...
in
Takasaki
is a city located in Gunma Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 372,369 in 167,345 households, and a population density of 810 persons per km². The total area of the city is . Takasaki is famous as the hometown of th ...
, Gunma Prefecture.
Services
Komagawa Station in
Hidaka, Saitama
is a city located in Saitama Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 55,294 in 24,328 households and a population density of 1200 persons per km². The total area of the city is .
Geography
Hidaka is located in south-centr ...
is the boundary point between two distinct sections. The southern section from Hachiōji to Komagawa is electrified at 1,500 V DC. Some trains terminate at Komagawa, while others continue over the
Kawagoe Line
The Kawagoe Line ( ja, 川越線, ) is a railway line in Japan operated by the East Japan Railway Company (JR East), which connects the cities of Saitama, Kawagoe, and Hidaka in Saitama Prefecture. The main transfer stations on the line are ...
to
Kawagoe Station
is an interchange passenger railway station in located in the city of Kawagoe, Saitama, Japan, operated by the private railway operator Tōbu Railway and East Japan Railway Company (JR East).
Lines
The Tōbu station is served by the Tōbu Tōj ...
.
The non-electrified northern section connects Komagawa with Kuragano. All trains continue on the
Takasaki Line
The Takasaki Line ( ja, 高崎線, ) is a Japanese railway line which connects Ōmiya Station in Saitama, Saitama Prefecture and Takasaki Station in Takasaki, Gunma Prefecture. It is owned and operated by the East Japan Railway Company (JR East) ...
to , where transfer to the
Jōetsu Shinkansen is available. There are no through services connecting the southern and northern halves of the line.
The Hachikō Line takes the first ''
kanji
are the logographic Chinese characters taken from the Chinese family of scripts, Chinese script and used in the writing of Japanese language, Japanese. They were made a major part of the Japanese writing system during the time of Old Japanese ...
'' of its name from the first character of and the second ''kanji'' from the first character of .
Stations
* All trains stop at every station.
* Stations marked "o" or "^" allow passing; stations marked"
, " do not. Stations marked "∥" are double-tracked.
Hachiōji - Komagawa
Komagawa - Takasaki
Rolling stock
*
209-3500 series 4-car EMUs x 5 (Kawagoe Line/Hachiko Line services since 7 May 2018)
*
E231-3000 series 4-car EMUs x 6 (Kawagoe Line/Hachiko Line services since 19 February 2018)
*
KiHa 110 series DMUs (formed as 1- to 3-car trains for services north of Komagawa) (since 18 March 1993)
From 2017, former E231-0 series ten-car sets based at Mitaka Depot for use on
Chūō–Sōbu Line
The 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 ...
services were reformed and converted to become four-car
E231-3000 series sets based at Kawagoe for use on Kawagoe Line and Hachiko Line services.
The first set entered revenue service on the line on 19 February 2018.
From 2018, former 209-500 series ten-car sets based at Mitaka Depot for use on Chūō–Sōbu Line services were reformed and converted to become four-car
209-3500 series sets based at Kawagoe for use on Kawagoe Line and Hachiko Line services.
Rolling stock previously used
*
KiHa 35
The , along with the similar KiHa 30 and KiHa 36 series, are Japanese diesel multiple unit (DMU) train types formerly operated by the Japanese National Railways (JNR) and JR Group of companies, and later operated by the private railway operato ...
DMUs (until 15 March 1996)
*
103-3000 series EMUs (from March 1985 until October 2005)
*
103-3500 series EMU (from March 1996 until March 2005)
*
201 series
1 (one, unit, unity) is a number representing a single or the only entity. 1 is also a numerical digit and represents a single unit (measurement), unit of counting or measurement. For example, a line segment of ''unit length'' is a line segment ...
EMUs (Chūō Line (Rapid) through services between Komagawa and Haijima, until March 2008)
*
205-3000 series 4-car EMUs x 5 (Kawagoe Line/Hachiko Line services since 11 November 2003 until July 2018)
*
209-3000 series 4-car EMUs x 4 (Kawagoe Line/Hachiko Line services from 16 March 1996 until February 2019)
*
209-3100 series 4-car EMUs x 2 (Kawagoe Line/Hachiko Line services since 17 April 2005
until 2022
)
*
E233 series
The is a commuter and suburban electric multiple unit (EMU) train type developed by East Japan Railway Company (JR East) from the earlier E231 series and the E531 series design. The first train was introduced in December 2006 for use on the C ...
EMUs (
Chūō Line (Rapid)
The is the name given to rapid services on the eastern section of the Chūō Main Line operated by the East Japan Railway Company (JR East) between and stations. The official map shows services travel as far as Otsuki.
Basic data
*Operat ...
through services between Komagawa and Haijima, from 17 March 2007 until 11 March 2022)
History
The first section of the line, named the Hachikō North Line ( ja, 八高北線, links=no,
Hepburn: Hachikō-kita-sen), opened from Kuragano to Kodama on 1 July 1931, followed by the section from Hachioji to Higashi-Hanno, named the Hachikō South Line ( ja, 八高南線, links=no, Hepburn: Hachikō-minami-sen), on 10 December 1931.
The Hachiko North Line was extended southward from Kodama to Yorii on 25 January 1933, and the Hachiko South Line was extended northward from Higashi-Hanno to Ogose on 15 April 1933.
The Hachiko South Line was further extended northward from Ogose to Ogawamachi on 24 March 1934, and the last section between Ogawamachi and Yorii opened on 6 October 1934, connecting the north and south sections, and completing the entire line, which became known simply as the Hachiko Line.
All passenger operations were switch from steam haulage to electric trains from 20 November 1958.
was commissioned over the entire line from 27 February 1985.
On 1 April 1987, with the privatization and splitting of
Japanese National Railways
The abbreviated JNR or , was the business entity that operated Japan's national railway network from 1949 to 1987.
Network Railways
As of June 1, 1949, the date of establishment of JNR, it operated of narrow gauge () railways in all 46 pref ...
(JNR), the Hachiko Line was transferred to the ownership of JR East.
From 16 March 1996, the Hachioji to section was electrified at 1,500 V DC, and services on the non-electrified section north of Komagawa to and from were operated separately as
one-man driver only operation services using
KiHa 110 series DMUs,
and the southern section began through service operations to the
Kawagoe Line
The Kawagoe Line ( ja, 川越線, ) is a railway line in Japan operated by the East Japan Railway Company (JR East), which connects the cities of Saitama, Kawagoe, and Hidaka in Saitama Prefecture. The main transfer stations on the line are ...
to
Kawagoe Station
is an interchange passenger railway station in located in the city of Kawagoe, Saitama, Japan, operated by the private railway operator Tōbu Railway and East Japan Railway Company (JR East).
Lines
The Tōbu station is served by the Tōbu Tōj ...
. Also from the same date until 11 March 2022, some morning rush hour services left the Hachikō Line at
Haijima Station
is an interchange passenger railway station located in the city of Akishima, Tokyo, Japan, jointly operated by East Japan Railway Company (JR East) and the private railway operator Seibu Railway. The station is also a freight depot for the Japa ...
and travel to
Tokyo
Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, with an estimated 37.468 ...
via the
Ōme Line
The is a railway line operated by East Japan Railway Company (JR East) in western Tokyo, Japan. It links Tachikawa and the Chūō Line with the town of Okutama. Many Chūō Line trains operate via the Ōme Line to Ōme Station, providing non ...
and
Chūō Line; the reverse happened during the evening rush.
Starting 12 March 2022, the southern section from Hachiōji to Komagawa (and through services to the Kawagoe Line) began
one-man driver only operation services using the existing 209-3500 and E231-3000 series EMUs.
Former connecting lines
* Komagawa station – A freight-only line serving the Nippon Cement works in
Hidaka operated from 1963 until 1984, which also connected to Nishi-Oya on the
Tobu Ogose Line
The is a 10.9 km mostly single-track branchline in Saitama Prefecture, Japan, operated by the private railway operator Tobu Railway. It runs from Sakado Station on the Tobu Tojo Line to Ogose Station, connecting with the JR East Hachikō ...
.
Accidents
In 1945, a head-on collision at the Tamagawa bridge resulted in 105 fatalities.
The
Hachiko Line derailment in 1947 is Japan's worst rail accident since World War II in terms of fatalities.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hachiko Line
Lines of East Japan Railway Company
Railway lines in Tokyo
Rail transport in Saitama Prefecture
Rail transport in Gunma Prefecture
1067 mm gauge railways in Japan
Railway lines opened in 1931
1931 establishments in Japan