The is a railway line in Japan operated by the

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 ar ...

(JR East). The Yokosuka Line connects Tokyo Station with in Yokosuka, Kanagawa. Officially, the name Yokosuka Line is assigned to the 23.9 km segment between and Kurihama stations, but the entire route is commonly referred to as the Yokosuka Line by JR East for passenger service.

Basic data

Official definition

*Operators, distances: **

(JR East) (Services and tracks) ***Ōfuna — Kurihama: ** Japan Freight Railway Company (JR Freight) (Services) ***Ōfuna — Zushi: *Double-tracked section: Ōfuna – Yokosuka *

Railway signalling Railway signalling (), also called railroad signaling (), is a system used to control the movement of railway traffic. Trains move on fixed rails, making them uniquely susceptible to collision. This susceptibility is exacerbated by the enormo ...

Centralized Traffic Control Centralized traffic control (CTC) is a form of railway signalling that originated in North America. CTC consolidates train routing decisions that were previously carried out by local signal operators or the train crews themselves. The system con ...

(CTC)

Route as operated by JR East

*Tokyo — Kurihama: *Double-tracked section: Tokyo – Yokosuka *

(CTC) *Maximum speed:

Route

The Yokosuka Line runs underground between Tokyo and Shinagawa (parallel to the

Tōkaidō Main Line The is a major Japanese railway line of the Japan Railways Group (JR Group) network, connecting and stations. It is long, not counting its many freight feeder lines around the major cities. The high-speed Tōkaidō Shinkansen largely parallel ...

, the

Yamanote Line The Yamanote Line ( ja, 山手線, Yamanote-sen) is a loop service in Tokyo, Japan, operated by the East Japan Railway Company (JR East). It is one of Tokyo's busiest and most important lines, connecting most of Tokyo's major stations and urban c ...

and the Keihin-Tōhoku Line) then branches to the west along the

Tōkaidō Shinkansen The is a Japanese high-speed rail line that is part of the nationwide Shinkansen network. Along with the Sanyo Shinkansen, it forms a continuous high-speed railway through the Taiheiyō Belt, also known as the Tokaido corridor. Opened in 19 ...

into the city of Kawasaki. (This alignment, technically known as the Hinkaku Line( ja, 品鶴線, links=no, ), was originally built for freight usage; see below.) It rejoins the Tōkaidō Main Line corridor near Tsurumi Station and follows the Tōkaidō Main Line to Ōfuna, where it branches off to the southeast along the original Yokosuka Line toward the Miura Peninsula.

Services

Yokosuka Line local trains make all stops. Most trains have 11 cars, with two of those being Green (first class) cars. Other trains between Tokyo and Zushi are made up of 15 cars—an 11-car set joined to a 4-car set. (Due to shorter platform length at stations south of Zushi, only 11-car trains are operated to Kurihama.) Some day-time trains operate between Zushi and Kurihama and these trains are made up of 4-car set without Green Cars. Shōnan-Shinjuku Line trains enter or exit the Yokosuka Line at Nishi-Ōi. Utsunomiya–Yokosuka Line through services make all stops on the Yokosuka Line between Nishi-Ōi and Zushi, while Takasaki–Tōkaidō Line through services operate Rapid service within the Yokosuka Line, between Nishi-Ōi and Ōfuna, skipping Nishi-Ōi, Shin-Kawasaki, Hodogaya and Higashi-Totsuka. For information on the ''

Narita Express , abbreviated as N'EX, is a limited express train service operated in Japan since 1991 by East Japan Railway Company (JR East), serving Narita International Airport from various Greater Tokyo Area stations. Services run approximately half-hour ...

'' and other limited express services, see their respective articles. The Yokosuka Line has through service onto the Sōbu Line to and beyond. Some trains travel as far as: * on the Sotobō Line * on the Uchibō Line * via on the

Narita Line The Narita Line ( ja, 成田線, ) is the name for a combination of three railway lines located in Chiba Prefecture, Japan, operated by the East Japan Railway Company (JR East). The main line connects Sakura Station and Matsugishi Station ( ...

* on the

Kashima Line The is a railway line operated by the East Japan Railway Company (JR East). It links Katori Station with Kashima Soccer Stadium Station by crossing and then following the Tone River, at the border between Chiba Prefecture and Ibaraki Prefectur ...

* on the Sōbu Main Line

Station list

The section between Yokosuka and Kurihama is single-tracked; trains can only pass one another at Kinugasa and Kurihama stations. Local trains stop at all stations, from Tokyo to Kurihama. Meanwhile, Shōnan–Shinjuku Line (Utsunomiya–Yokosuka Line) stop at all stations between Nishi-Ōi and Zushi. Shōnan–Shinjuku Line (Takasaki–Tōkaidō Line) operate Rapid service on the Yokosuka Line. Legends: * ● : Trains stop * , : Trains pass * ▲ : Shōnan–Shinjuku Line (Takasaki–Tōkaidō Line) trains use Tōkaidō Line platforms

Rolling stock

''Yokosuka Line (through service to the Sōbu Rapid Line)'' * E217 series (from December 1994) * E235-1000 series (from 21 December 2020) * E233 series E233-3000 series (from September 1992) * 211 series (from April 1992) '' ''Shōnan-Shinjuku Line through service''

History

The Yokosuka Line was constructed in response to the request to the

Cabinet Cabinet or The Cabinet may refer to: Furniture * Cabinetry, a box-shaped piece of furniture with doors and/or drawers * Display cabinet, a piece of furniture with one or more transparent glass sheets or transparent polycarbonate sheets * Filin ...

by the

Navy A navy, naval force, or maritime force is the branch of a nation's armed forces principally designated for naval and amphibious warfare; namely, lake-borne, riverine, littoral, or ocean-borne combat operations and related functions. It in ...

and the

Army An army (from Old French ''armee'', itself derived from the Latin verb ''armāre'', meaning "to arm", and related to the Latin noun ''arma'', meaning "arms" or "weapons"), ground force or land force is a fighting force that fights primarily on ...

, dated June 22, 1886, citing the lack of ground transportation to Yokosuka, one of the most important military bases in the country. On April 22, 1887 the Cabinet ordered the Government Railways to build the line with the budget diverted from the fund for the Tōkaidō Line construction. After the survey from July to December 1887, the construction of the railway between Ōfuna and Yokosuka started in January 1888 and completed in June 1889 spending 408,480 yen in total. The operation of the line started on June 16, 1889.

Chronology

* June 16, 1889: Line opens between Ōfuna and Yokosuka with intermediate stations at Kamakura and Zushi * April 1, 1895: Line becomes part of the Tōkaidō Line * May 1, 1904: Taura Station opens * October 12, 1909: Line renamed the Yokosuka Line * August 12, 1914: Line doubled-tracked between Zushi and Numama Signal Box (newly built between Zushi and Taura) * September 13, 1916: Line doubled-tracked between Ōfuna and Kamakura * March 1917: Line doubled-tracked between Kamakura and Zushi * October 20, 1920: Line doubled-tracked between Numama Signal Box and Taura * December 25, 1924: Line doubled-tracked between Taura and Yokosuka * December 23, 1925: Entire line electrified; electric locomotives begin operation between Tokyo and Yokosuka * May 20, 1927: Kita-Kamakura Station (temporary) opens * March 15, 1930: Service with electric multiple units (EMU) begins * October 1, 1930: Kita-Kamakura Station becomes a permanent station * April 1, 1944: Line was extended to Kurihama; Kinugasa Station opens * April–August 1945: Sagami-Kanaya Station (temporary) is operated to serve a military base between Yokosuka and Kinugasa * April 1, 1952: Higashi-Zushi Station opens * June 16, 1968: Luggage on a Yokosuka Line train exploded near Ōfuna Station, killing one and injuring 14. The culprit, a man in his 20s, testified that he had not meant to kill anyone, but to frighten his ex-fiancée, who had left him for an acquaintance; however, he was ultimately convicted and sentenced to death. * October 1, 1974: Freight service abolished between Yokosuka and Kurihama * October 1, 1976: New double-tracked underground line between Tokyo and Shinagawa opens;

Sōbu Line (Rapid) The Sōbu Line (Rapid) ( ja, 総武快速線, ) is a railway service on the Sōbu Main Line in Tokyo and Chiba Prefecture, Japan, operated by East Japan Railway Company (JR East). It connects Tokyo Station in Chūō, Tokyo with Chiba Station ...

trains terminate at Shinagawa * October 1, 1980: Separated Tōkaidō Line tracks between Tokyo and Ōfuna opened for Yokosuka Line service; Shin-Kawasaki, Higashi-Totsuka stations open; Hodogaya Station served only by Yokosuka Line trains * February 1, 1984: Freight service abolished between Yokosuka and Zushi * April 2, 1986: Nishi-Ōi station opens * May 2, 1998: Through service to Zushi from the

Yokohama is the second-largest city in Japan by population and the most populous municipality of Japan. It is the capital city and the most populous city in Kanagawa Prefecture, with a 2020 population of 3.8 million. It lies on Tokyo Bay, south of T ...

and Negishi lines are operated on weekends and holidays * December 1, 2001: Shōnan-Shinjuku Line begins operation * October 16, 2004: Major revision of Shōnan-Shinjuku Line services; Shinjuku-terminating trains abolished * May 1, 2006: JR Freight ceases operations between Taura and Zushi * March 15, 2008: Weekend/holiday through service to Zushi from the

and Negishi lines is abolished; new Yokosuka Line platform installed at Shinagawa Station * March 13, 2010: Yokosuka Line service at Musashi-Kosugi Station commences * March 13, 2015: Ohayō Liner Zushi and Home Liner Zushi are discontinued. * March 17, 2018: '' Airport Narita'' services are discontinued.

Hinkaku Line

The was originally built to divert freight traffic from the busy

, providing an alternate route between and . After a 1967 explosion, freight trains were banned from portions of the central Tokyo rail network, providing the impetus for the construction of the orbital

Musashino Line The 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 a ...

. The new Musashino Line was connected to the Hinkaku Line roughly 6 km north of Tsurumi Station near , siphoning off nearly all freight traffic after its opening in 1975. This left a substantial chunk of the double-tracked, mostly grade-separated Hinkaku Line disused. In order to put the line back into passenger service, a new 6 km track was installed between Tsurumi Station and the Musashino Line, where it was connected to the now-disused portion of the Hinkaku Line. Two new stations were constructed: one () adjacent to the existing

Kashimada Station is a passenger railway station located in Saiwai-ku, Kawasaki, Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan, operated by the East Japan Railway Company (JR East). Lines Kashimada Station is served by the Nambu Line. The station is from the southern terminus ...

on the Nambu Line in 1980 and another at in 1986. Musashi-Kosugi Station, the third station in this section opened in 2010 and provides a transfer to the Nambu Line as well as the Tōkyū Tōyoko and

Meguro is a special ward in Tokyo, Japan. The English translation of its Japanese self-designation is Meguro City. The ward was founded on March 15, 1947. Meguro is predominantly residential in character, but is also home to light industry, corporat ...

lines.

References

External links

Stations of the Yokosuka Line
(JR East) {{Authority control Lines of East Japan Railway Company Railway lines in Tokyo Railway lines in Kanagawa Prefecture 1067 mm gauge railways in Japan Railway lines opened in 1889