Minobu Line

Minobu Line

JR Central 313 series EMU on the Minobu Line
Overview
Type Heavy rail
Termini Fuji
Kōfu
Stations 39
Operation
Opened 1890
Owner JR Central
Technical
Line length 88.4 km
Track gauge 1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in)
Electrification 1,500 V DC overhead line
Operating speed 85 km/h (55 mph)
Route Map of Minobu Line

The Minobu Line (身延線 Minobu-sen) is a railway line in the Tōkai region of Japan operated by the Central Japan Railway Company (JR Central). It connects Fuji Station in Fuji, Shizuoka to Kōfu Station in Kōfu, Yamanashi, and the Tōkaidō Main Line with the Chūō Main Line trunk railroads.

History

The Fuji Horse Tramway (富士馬車鉄道 Fuji Basha Tetsudō) opened a line from Suzukawa (present Yoshiwara) on the Tōkaidō Main Line to Ōmiya (present Fujinomiya) (the southern end of the current route) in 1890.

The Fuji Minobu Railway (富士身延鉄道 Fuji Minobu Tetsudō) purchased the tramway in 1912, and converted it to a steam railway the following year, gradually extending the line to Minobu, a distance of 26.9 miles (43.3 km) by 1920. In 1927, the line was electrified, and in 1928 extended to Kōfu on the Chūō Main Line completing the line with a distance of 54.7 miles (88.0 km).

In 1938 the Minobu line was leased by the government, and nationalized in 1941. The alignment at Fuji was changed in 1968 to allow through trains to operate from Tokyo without requiring a reversal of direction, and the Fuji - Fujinomiya section was duplicated between 1969 and 1974.

CTC signalling was commissioned in 1982, and freight services ceased in 1987, the year that Central Japan Railway Company (JR Central) took over operations of the Minobu Line following privatization of the Japanese National Railways.

Former connecting lines

Operation

The Fujikawa limited express service operates between Kōfu and Shizuoka via Fuji using JR Central 373 series EMU trains. Other trains are all-stations "Local" services, with higher frequencies on the Fuji - Nishi-Fujinomiya and Kajikazawaguchi - Kōfu sections compared to the section in between. 313 series and 211 series EMUs are used on local services.

Stations

Name Distance
(km)		 Connections Location
Fuji 富士 0.0 Tōkaidō Main Line Fuji Shizuoka
Prefecture
Yunoki 柚木 1.5  
Tatebori 竪堀 2.8  
Iriyamase 入山瀬 5.6  
Fujine 富士根 8.0  
Gendōji 源道寺 9.3   Fujinomiya
Fujinomiya 富士宮 10.7  
Nishi-Fujinomiya 西富士宮 11.9  
Numakubo 沼久保 16.9  
Shibakawa 芝川 19.2  
Inako 稲子 24.0  
Tōshima 十島 26.3   Nanbu Yamanashi
Prefecture
Ide 井出 29.4  
Yorihata 寄畑 31.9  
Utsubuna 内船 34.1  
Kai-Ōshima 甲斐大島 39.8   Minobu
Minobu 身延 43.5  
Shionosawa 塩之沢 45.7  
Hadakajima 波高島 50.2  
Shimobe-onsen 下部温泉 51.7  
Kai-Tokiwa 甲斐常葉 54.1  
Ichinose 市ノ瀬 56.1  
Kunado 久那土 58.8  
Kai-Iwama 甲斐岩間 60.3   Ichikawamisato
Ochii 落居 61.8  
Kajikazawaguchi 鰍沢口 66.8  
Ichikawa-Daimon 市川大門 69.8  
Ichikawa-Hommachi 市川本町 70.7  
Ashigawa 芦川 71.7  
Kai-Ueno 甲斐上野 72.8  
Higashi-Hanawa 東花輪 76.3   Chūō
Koikawa 小井川 77.5  
Jōei 常永 78.9   Shōwa
Kokubo 国母 81.2   Kōfu
Kai-Sumiyoshi 甲斐住吉 83.1  
Minami-Kōfu 南甲府 84.0  
Zenkōji 善光寺 86.3  
Kanente 金手 87.2  
Kōfu 甲府 88.4 Chūō Main Line

See also

References

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

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