The is a railway line in Japan operated by the

East Japan Railway Company The is a major passenger railway company in Japan and 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 in ...

(JR East). The Yokosuka Line connects

Tokyo Station Tōkyō Station (, ) is a major railway station in Chiyoda, Tokyo, Japan. The original station is located in Chiyoda's Marunouchi business district near the Tokyo Imperial Palace, Imperial Palace grounds. The newer Eastern extension is not far ...

with in

Yokosuka, Kanagawa is a city in Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan. , the city has a population of 373,797, and a population density of . The total area is . Yokosuka is the 11th-most populous city in the Greater Tokyo Area, and the 12th in the Kantō region. The city is ...

. Officially, the name Yokosuka Line is assigned to the 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 , or , is one of the seven constituent companies of Japan Railways Group (JR Group). It provides transportation of cargo nationwide throughout Japan. Its headquarters are in Shibuya, Tokyo near Shinjuku Station. The Japan Railways Group was foun ...

(JR Freight) (Services) ***Ōfuna — Zushi: *Double-tracked section: Ōfuna – Yokosuka *

Railway signalling Railway signalling (), or 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 enormous weight ...

: Centralized Traffic Control (CTC)

Route as operated by JR East

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

: Centralized Traffic Control (CTC) *Maximum speed:

Route

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

Tōkaidō Main Line The Tōkaidō Main Line () is one of the most important railway corridors in Japan, connecting the major cities of Tokyo and Kobe via Shizuoka (city), Shizuoka, Nagoya, Kyoto and Osaka. The line, with termini at Tokyo Station, Tokyo and Kōbe St ...

, the

Yamanote Line The Yamanote Line () is a railway Circle route, 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 centres ...

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 San'yō Shinkansen, it forms a continuous high-speed railway through the Taiheiyō Belt, also known as the Tokaido corridor. Opening in 19 ...

into the city of Kawasaki. (This alignment, technically known as the Hinkaku Line (, ), was originally built for freight usage; see below.) It rejoins the Tōkaidō Main Line corridor near

Tsurumi Station is a railway station in Tsurumi-ku, Yokohama, Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan, operated by East Japan Railway Company (JR East). Lines Tsurumi Station is an interchange station, interchange between the Keihin-Tōhoku Line and the Tsurumi Line (of whi ...

and follows the Tōkaidō Main Line to Ōfuna, where it branches off to the southeast along the original Yokosuka Line toward the

Miura Peninsula is a peninsula located in Kanagawa, Japan. It lies south of Yokohama and Tokyo and divides Tokyo Bay, to the east, from Sagami Bay, to the west. Cities and towns on the Miura Peninsula include Yokosuka, Miura, Hayama, Zushi, and Kamak ...

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, any 15-car trains operated to Kurihama have the first 4 cars detatched at Zushi station.) 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 The , 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 hal ...

'' 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 The is a railway line in Japan operated by the East Japan Railway Company (JR East) adjacent to the Pacific Ocean, on the eastern (i.e., outer) side of the Bōsō Peninsula. It connects Chiba Station in Chiba, Chiba, Chiba to Awa-Kamogawa Sta ...

* on the

Uchibō Line The is a railway line operated by the East Japan Railway Company (JR East) adjacent to Tokyo Bay, paralleling the western (i.e., inner) shore of the Bōsō Peninsula. It connects Soga Station in the city of Chiba to Awa-Kamogawa Station in t ...

* via on the

Narita Line The Narita Line () 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 (Chiba), Sakura Station and Matsugishi Stati ...

* 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 The is a Japanese railway line operated by the East Japan Railway Company (JR East) in Japan. It connects Tokyo with the east coast of Chiba Prefecture, passing through the cities of Funabashi, Chiba, and Chōshi. Its name derives from the ...

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 The was a suburban electric multiple unit (EMU) train type operated by East Japan Railway Company (JR East) in the Kantō region of Japan from 1994 to 2025. Design Introduced in 1994 to replace the 113 series EMUs running on the Sōbu Line (R ...

( December 1994~December 2024) * E235-1000 series (from 21 December 2020) *

211 series The is a suburban electric multiple unit (EMU) train type introduced in 1985 by the Japanese National Railways (JNR). The trains are still being used by the East Japan Railway Company (JR East). They were formerly used by the West Japan Railwa ...

(from April 1992~ 2012) '' ''Shōnan-Shinjuku Line through service'' # E231-1000 series # E233-3000 series

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, military maritime fleet, war navy, or maritime force is the military branch, branch of a nation's armed forces principally designated for naval warfare, naval and amphibious warfare; namely, lake-borne, riverine, littoral z ...

and the

Army An army, ground force or land force is an armed force that fights primarily on land. In the broadest sense, it is the land-based military branch, service branch or armed service of a nation or country. It may also include aviation assets by ...

, 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.

Time line of the Yokosuka line

* 16 June 1889: Line opens between Ōfuna and Yokosuka with intermediate stations at Kamakura and Zushi * 1 April 1895: Line becomes part of the Tōkaidō Line * 1 May 1904: Taura Station opens * 12 October 1909: Line renamed the Yokosuka Line * 12 August 1914: Line doubled-tracked between Zushi and Numama Signal Box (newly built between Zushi and Taura) * 13 September 1916: Line doubled-tracked between Ōfuna and Kamakura * March 1917: Line doubled-tracked between Kamakura and Zushi * 20 October 1920: Line doubled-tracked between Numama Signal Box and Taura * 25 December 1924: Line doubled-tracked between Taura and Yokosuka * 23 December 1925: Entire line electrified; electric locomotives begin operation between Tokyo and Yokosuka * 20 May 1927: Kita-Kamakura Station (temporary) opens * 15 March 1930: Service with electric multiple units (EMU) begins * 1 October 1930: Kita-Kamakura Station becomes a permanent station * 1 April 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 * 1 April 1952: Higashi-Zushi Station opens * 16 June 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. * 1 October 1974: Freight service abolished between Yokosuka and Kurihama * 1 October 1976: New double-tracked underground line between Tokyo and Shinagawa opens;

Sōbu Line (Rapid) The Sōbu Line (Rapid) () 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 in Chūō-ku, Chiba via ...

trains terminate at Shinagawa * 1 October 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 * 1 February 1984: Freight service abolished between Yokosuka and Zushi * 2 April 1986: Nishi-Ōi station opens * 2 May 1998: Through service to Zushi from the

Yokohama is the List of cities in Japan, second-largest city in Japan by population as well as by area, and the country's most populous Municipalities of Japan, municipality. It is the capital and most populous city in Kanagawa Prefecture, with a popu ...

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

and Negishi lines is abolished; new Yokosuka Line platform installed at Shinagawa Station * 13 March 2010: Yokosuka Line service at Musashi-Kosugi Station commences * 13 March 2015: Ohayō Liner Zushi and Home Liner Zushi are discontinued. * 20 August 2016: Station numbering was introduce with stations being assigned station numbers between JO01 and JO19. Numbers increase towards in the northbound direction towards Tokyo. * 17 March 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 unclosed loop around central Tokyo Tokyo, officially the Tok ...

. The new Musashino Line was connected to the Hinkaku Line roughly 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 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 of ...

on the

Nambu Line The Nambu Line () is a Japanese railway line which connects Tachikawa Station in Tachikawa, Tokyo and Kawasaki Station in Kawasaki, Kanagawa. For most of its length, it parallels the Tama River, the natural border between Tokyo and Kanagawa prefec ...

in 1980 and another at in 1986.

Musashi-Kosugi Station is a pair of physically separated interchange passenger railway stations, a block from each other, located in Nakahara Ward of eastern Kawasaki, Kanagawa, Japan, operated by East Japan Railway Company (JR East) and the private-sector railway op ...

, the third station in this section, opened in 2010; it provides a transfer to the Nambu Line as well as the

Tōkyū The , a contraction of and formerly until 2 September 2019, is a Japanese ''keiretsu'' or conglomerate headquartered in Shibuya, Tokyo. While a multinational corporation, its main operation is , a wholly-owned subsidiary operating railways i ...

Tōyoko and

Meguro is a Special wards of Tokyo, special ward in the Tokyo, Tokyo Metropolis in 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 ...

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

Basic data

Official definition

Route as operated by JR East

Route

Services

Station list

Rolling stock

History

Time line of the Yokosuka line

Hinkaku Line

See also

References

External links