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
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 (陸) and Iwaki (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.

In March 14, 2015, the line was extended to Tokyo Station via the Ueno-Tokyo Line.

Basic data

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.

Exceptions:

Station list

Legend
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
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 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 ×[* 6]   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 ×[* 7]   Namie, Futaba District
Momouchi 桃内 4.9 273.5 ×[* 7]   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 ×[* 8]   Shinchi, Sōma District
Shinchi 新地 4.4 315.8 ×[* 8]  
Sakamoto 坂元 5.4 321.2 ×[* 8]   Yamamoto, Watari District Miyagi
Yamashita 山下 4.5 325.7 ×[* 8]  
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 Tohoku Shinkansen, Akita Shinkansen, Tohoku Main Line (for Ichinoseki and Rifu), Senzan Line, Senseki Line
Sendai Subway Namboku Line, Sendai Subway Tōzai Line
Aoba-ku, Sendai
  1. All trains through to/from Yoyogi-Uehara; some trains continue through on the Odakyu Odawara Line to/from Hon-Atsugi and the Odakyu Tama Line to/from Karakida
  2. Local trains to/from the Tokyo Metro Chiyoda Line use the underground Chiyoda Line platforms.
  3. Some rapid trains run between Ueno and Narita via Abiko
  4. 1 2 Only mornings and evenings between Abiko and Toride
  5. Daytime Mito-bound trains stop here only during the Japanese plum blossom season
  6. Scheduled to reopen at end of 2017
  7. 1 2 Scheduled to reopen in 2017
  8. 1 2 3 4 Scheduled to reopen in December 2016

Rolling stock

Commuter stock

Outer suburban stock

Limited express stock

Past

History

The Mito Railway 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, tsunami-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

Former connecting lines

Tsukuba Railway train at Iwase station
Kashima Light Railway RM3 (see Mito station entry)
Kashima Sangu Railway train

References

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

  1. JR East press release: http://www.jrmito.com/press/111214/20111214_press03.pdf
  2. Hongo, Jun, "A year on, Tohoku stuck in limbo", The Japan Times, 11 March 2012, p. 1.
  3. http://www.jrmito.com/eq/index.html
  4. http://www.jreast.co.jp/pdf/damage03.pdf
  5. "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on November 29, 2014. Retrieved September 20, 2014.
  6. 河尻, 定 (24 April 2015). "座れぬ・行き先?… 乗客の声で検証、上野東京ライン". Nihon Keizai Shimbun. Retrieved 24 April 2015.
  7. 203系が営業運転から離脱 [203 series withdrawn from revenue service]. Japan Railfan Magazine Online (in Japanese). Japan: Koyusha Co., Ltd. 28 September 2011. Retrieved 28 September 2011.
  8. Briginshaw, David (January 8, 2014). "JR East selects Thales to design first Japanese CBTC". hollandco.com. Holland. Retrieved January 9, 2014.
  9. JR常磐線、広野―竜田で試運転を開始 [Test-running starts on JR Joban Line between Hirono and Tatsuta]. Asahi Shimbun Digital (in Japanese). Japan: The Asahi Shimbun Company. 2014-05-11. Retrieved 2014-05-12.
  10. "Train services resume in evacuation zone". The Japan news. Japan: The Yomiuri Shimbun Company. 2014-06-01. Archived from the original on 2014-06-06. Retrieved 2014-06-07.
  11. "Evacuation order lifted in Minami-Soma after 5 years". The Asahi Shimbun. Japan: The Asahi Shimbun. 2016-07-12. Retrieved 2016-07-12.

External links

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