The Tōkaidō Main Line (Japanese: 東海道本線, romanized: Tōkaidō-honsen) is one of the most important railway corridors in Japan, connecting the major cities of Tokyo and Kobe via Shizuoka, Nagoya, Kyoto and Osaka. The line, with termini at Tokyo and Kobe stations, is 589.5 km (366.3 mi) long, not counting its many freight feeder lines around the major cities. The high-speed Tōkaidō Shinkansen largely parallels the line.
The term "Tōkaidō Main Line" is largely a holdover from pre-Shinkansen days; now various portions of the line have different names which are officially used by JR East, JR Central, and JR West. Today, the only daily passenger train that travels the entire length of the line is the combined overnight-train Sunrise Izumo - Sunrise Seto. During the day longer intercity trips using the line require several transfers along the way.
The Tokaido Main Line is owned and operated by three Japan Railways Group (JR Group) companies:
The Tōkaidō route takes its name from the ancient road connecting the Kansai region (Kyoto, Osaka) with the Kantō region (Tokyo, then Edo) through the Tōkai region (including Nagoya). Literally, it was the Tōkai road, or Road through Tōkai. The Tōkaidō Line does not follow the old road exactly, since the latter diverges at Nagoya toward the Mie Prefecture coastline; to follow it by train, the Kansai Main Line and Kusatsu Line would have to be followed from Nagoya to Kusatsu. The largest population centers in Japan are along this route - Tokyo, Yokohama, Nagoya, Kyoto, Osaka and Kobe. These centers have grown to occupy an ever more dominant role in the country's government, financial, manufacturing and cultural life.[1]
Historically, one of the first priorities of Japanese railway planners was to build a line from Tokyo to the Kansai region, either following the Tokaido route or the northern Nakasendō route. This decision remained unresolved as regional needs were addressed. The first railway in Japan was the line from Shimbashi to Sakuragicho in Yokohama, which opened in 1872; another segment of today's Tokaido Main Line, between Kyoto and Kobe, opened in 1877.[2]
In 1883, the government decided to use the Nakasendo route, and construction of several segments commenced (including the modern-day Takasaki Line). Railways were opened between Ogaki and Nagahama (1884) and between Nagoya and Kisogawa (1886) in line with the Nakasendo plan. However, by 1886, it was clear that the Tokaido route would be more practical, and so the Nakasendo plan was abandoned.[2]
The lines between Kisogawa and Ogaki, Yokohama and Kozu, and Hamamatsu and Obu were completed in 1887, and the first line from Tokyo to Kobe was completed in 1889, when Kozu and Hamamatsu were connected through the present-day Gotemba Line corridor, and the final segments were completed between Kasumigahara and Otsu. At the time, there was one Tokyo-Kobe train in each direction per day, taking over 20 hours each way. The "Tokaido Line" name was formally adopted in 1895. In October 1895, following the Sino-Japanese War, through service to the Sanyo Railway (now Sanyo Main Line) began.[2]
On 20 December 1914, Tokyo Station opened and succeeded Shinbashi Station as the Tokyo-side terminus of the line. On the same day, an electrified commuter line was inaugurated along the section between Tokyo Station and today’s Yokohama Station, which is now part of the Keihin–Tōhoku Line.[2] Automatic couplers were introduced on all freight wagons in 1926. In 1930, the first Tsubame ("swallow") express was introduced, reducing the Tokyo - Kobe travel-time to nine hours - a significant reduction from the twenty hours required in 1889 and fifteen in 1903.[1]
By the start of the Taishō era, route changes on several stretches of the line were deemed necessary to accommodate growing demand. The route bypassing Osakayama (between Ōtsu and Kyoto Stations), in use since 1878, was closed when the current, less steep route with two long tunnels was completed on 25 September 1919. The mountainous Gotemba stretch required an even larger-scale route change, culminating in the completion of the Tanna Tunnel in 1934 after 15 years of construction. The new route through the tunnel is 11.2 kilometres long, compared to the old Gotemba route, which took a 60.2-kilometre detour around the Tanna Basin.[4] With the opening of the tunnel, the section between Tokyo and Numazu was fully electrified, as steam locomotives were unable to operate through the long tunnel safely.[5]
52 Series EMUs were used for commuter services between Kyoto and Kobe following the electrification of the section.
Electrification also progressed on the other end of the line around the same time, in 1934. Commuter rapid services between Kyoto and Kobe, using 52 Series streamliner EMUs, began in 1937. However, further electrification of the line was overshadowed by the Second World War and did not resume until after the war. For security reasons, the army preferred to keep the middle portion of the line unelectrified, as unelectrified tracks were much easier to repair in the event of an enemy attack.[6]
During the war, the line's focus shifted towards freight services. Express services were significantly reduced, and sleepers and restaurant cars were withdrawn from service in 1944. JNR Class D52 locomotives were introduced for wartime freight transport, but their poor manufacturing quality led to several boiler explosion accidents.[7]
As the main transport artery of postwar Japan, 1945–1964
In the immediate aftermath of the war, almost all surviving express train carriages were requisitioned by the Allied Occupation Forces. Services such as the Allied Limited (Tokyo–Moji), Dixie Limited (Tokyo–Hakata), and the BCOF Train (Tokyo–Kure) operated on the Tōkaidō Line. Express trains for Japanese nationals resumed in April 1947, with sleeper services following in July 1948.[8]
In 1949, the Limited Express Heiwa, a successor to the pre-war Tsubame service, and the sleeper express Ginga both began operating between Tokyo and Osaka. In January 1950, Heiwa was renamed Tsubame. Makeshift D52 freight locomotives were converted into C62 express locomotives, the largest and fastest steam engines in Japan's rail history, to haul these services. One of the C62s, C62 17, holds the narrow-gauge steam world speed record, which was achieved on the Tokaido line near Nagoya on 15 December 1954, and is preserved at the SCMaglev and Railway Park.[9]
151 series EMUs, which were originally introduced for the Kodama, near Shin-Koyasu, circa 1964.
On 19 November 1956, the line was fully electrified. The Tokyo–Osaka express trains, Tsubame and Hato, began to be hauled by JNR EF58 locomotives for the entire length of the route, reducing travel time from 8 hours to 7 hours and 30 minutes.[10] With no concerns about smoke polluting the carriages, these trains were painted light green and nicknamed Aodaishō (green snakes, referring to the Japanese rat snake).[11]
On 1 October 1958, the Kodama, the first limited express service operated by EMUs rather than locomotive-hauled carriages, commenced. This service further reduced travel time to 6 hours and 50 minutes. The Series 151 EMUs marked a significant milestone in railway technology, as EMUs were previously considered unsuitable for high-speed and long-distance services due to issues like noise, vibration, and cost. Since then, all non-sleeper express rolling stock, including the Shinkansen, has been designed as EMUs. On the same day, the Asakaze sleeper express entered service with the newly built Series 20 carriages. These carriages were fully air-conditioned and nicknamed the 'hotel on the rail'.[12][13] Because these sleeper carriages and their successors were painted blue, sleeper trains in Japan came to be known as Blue Trains.
After the opening of the Tōkaidō Shinkansen, 1964–1987
The capacity constraints on the Tokaido Main Line had been clear prior to World War II, and work started on a new 1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) standard gauge "bullet train" line in 1940. Intercity passenger traffic between Tokyo, Nagoya and Osaka largely transferred to the Tōkaidō Shinkansen after it was completed in 1964. Since then, the Tokaido Main Line has been used as a commuter and freight line, serving a very small number of long-distance passenger trains (mainly overnight and sleeper services).
Privatisation, 1987–present
Following the Hanshin earthquake on 17 January 1995, the line was shut down between Takatsuki and Kobe, with certain segments remaining impassable until 1 April of that year.
On 20 August 2016, station numbering was introduced with stations between Tokyo and Osaki being assigned station numbers between JT01 and JT07.[14][15] Numbers increase towards in the southbound direction towards Osaki. Station numbers would be assigned to stations beyond Osaki as far as Atami in 2018.
On the evening of 5 August 2023, a JR East Tokaido Line service struck a utility pole near Ofuna and lost power, resulting in a suspension of JR East Tokaido Line service.[16] Four people, including the driver, sustained minor injuries. Service was restored on the morning of 6 August 2023.
Basic data
Total distance: 713.6 km (443.4 mi) (including branch lines; Tokyo – Kōbe is 589.5 km (366.3 mi))
Tokyo – Ōfuna, Odawara – Toyohashi: 110 km/h (68 mph)
Ōfuna – Odawara, Toyohashi – Maibara: 120 km/h (75 mph)
Minami-Arao Signal – Tarui – Sekigahara, Minami-Arao Signal – Mino-Akasaka: 85 km/h (53 mph)
Maibara – Kōbe: 130 km/h (81 mph) (Special Rapid Shin-Kaisoku only, local trains max at 120 km/h or 75 mph)
Station list
JR East
The Tōkaidō Main Line shown in orange in this map of the southern approaches to TokyoTōkaidō Main Line (JR East) service pattern diagram
The section between Tokyo and Atami is operated by East Japan Railway Company (JR East) and it is located in the Greater Tokyo Area. It has local services (Japanese: 普通, romanized: Futsū) and a rapid service called Rapid Acty (Japanese: 快速アクティー, romanized: Kaisoku Akutī). It runs on dedicated tracks parallel to the Yamanote Line between Tokyo and Shinagawa, the Keihin–Tōhoku Line between Tokyo and Yokohama, and the Yokosuka Line between Yokohama and Ōfuna. Some Shōnan–Shinjuku Line trains share the segment south of Yokohama to Ōfuna and Odawara. Until 12 March 2021, there were also commuter rapid (Japanese: 通勤快速, romanized: Tsūkin Kaisoku) and Shōnan Liner (Japanese: 湘南ライナー, romanized: Shōnan Rainā) services.[17]
Almost all trains along this section of the line have bi-level "Green Cars" with forward-facing seats, with each set of trains having 2 of them. Green Cars can be used after paying an additional fee.
A new station between Ōfuna and Fujisawa is being planned to serve passengers near the former JR Freight Shōnan Freight Terminal. Construction is expected to start in early 2022. The new station is expected to open for service in 2032.[19]
Legend:
● : a station that all trains stop
｜ :a station that all trains pass
▲ : a station that Shōnan–Shinjuku Line trains use Yokosuka Line platforms
Local: Some operate through service from/to Numazu or Ito
Some trains run through services beyond Atami, as far as Numazu.
With the Ueno-Tokyo Line, Utsunomiya Line Rapid Rabbit and Takasaki Line Rapid Urban services now run along the Tokaido Line, and stop at all stations on this line. As such, the two services are classified as 'Local' service trains within the Tokaido Line.
Tokaido Line Rapid Acty services operate only evening services from Tokyo to Odawara. Rapid Acty services will be discontinued effective the timetable revision on 18 March 2023 after 34 years of operation.[20]
Shōnan Limited Express services are special, all-reserved commuter express trains with comfortable seating. They operate from Odawara to Tokyo on weekday mornings, with a few services terminating in Shinagawa. Return services run from Tokyo to Odawara on weekday evenings. Like commuter rapid trains, Shōnan Liner services normally make no stops between Shinagawa and Fujisawa. Between Fujisawa and Odawara, varying stops are made. In addition to the standard fare, a reserved seat fee of ¥500 is required to use the Shōnan Liner.
Yokosuka Line stations between Tokyo and Ōfuna officially are a part of the Tōkaidō Main Line. These stations are: Nishi-Ōi, Musashi-Kosugi, Shin-Kawasaki, Hodogaya, and Higashi-Totsuka. The route of the Yokosuka Line between Shinagawa and Tsurumi is separate from the main line and is referred to as the Hinkaku Line, on which Nishi-Ōi, Musashi-Kosugi, and Shin-Kawasaki stations are located.
Shōnan–Shinjuku Line operates through services to the Tōkaidō Main Line. Trains operate from the Takasaki Line to Ōsaki and enter the Yokosuka Line at Nishi-Ōi to Totsuka then switches tracks to the Tōkaidō Main Line towards Odawara, and vice versa. Rapid Service stop at all stations on the Tōkaidō Main Line (Totsuka - Odawara), while Special Rapid Service operate the same pattern as a Rapid Acty Service.
Maibara is shared by JR Central and JR West; JR West manages the station
Before March 2016, JR West operated trains from Maibara as far as Ogaki on JR Central territory. After the two companies realized this invasion, on 25 March 2016, all JR West departures were changed to JR Central trains to Maibara station.
Branch lines
Track diagram around Minami-arao JunctionAbstract track diagram between Ōgaki and Sekigahara
Both the Mino-Akasaka and Tarui branch lines separate from the Main Line at Minami-Arao junction (南荒尾信号場), located 3.1 km west of Ōgaki Station.
Between Ōgaki and Sekigahara, there is a 25 per mil grade. In 1944, a single track bypass was built to avoid this steep slope of the main line and the old westbound track was removed.
The western part of the Tōkaidō Main Line from Maibara to Kōbe is operated by JR West and forms the main trunk of the company's Urban Network in the Osaka-Kobe-Kyoto metropolitan area. Although the line is divided into three segments, known as the Biwako Line, JR Kyoto Line, and JR Kobe Line, they are part of a single contiguous network, with many services traversing multiple sections. The Biwako Line includes a segment of the Hokuriku Main Line. Some services on the Kosei, JR Takarazuka and Gakkentoshi lines run through onto the Tōkaidō Main Line.
The section between Kyoto and Osaka is known as the JR Kyoto Line. Trains from the Biwako and Kosei lines travel through onto the JR Kyoto Line and continue west towards the JR Kobe Line at Osaka.
Legend:
● : All trains stop
| : All trains pass
▲ : Trains only after morning rush stop
Local trains stop at all stations. Rapid trains in the morning skip some stops between Kyoto and Takatsuki.
The westernmost section between Osaka and Kōbe is part of the JR Kobe Line, which continues west to Himeji on the San'yō Main Line. Although Kōbe is the official terminus of the Tōkaidō Main Line, most trains continue to Nishi-Akashi, Himeji and beyond.
●: Trains stop at all times
｜: Trains pass at all times
▲: Eastbound trains pass in the morning
○:Trains stop at morning
of Weekdays only
The handcar line near Yoshihama (see Atami Station)The Yoshihama line after conversion to steam power, circa 1920Mishima-Tamachi Station circa 1914 (see Numazu Station)Mukogawa Station in 1944, note the dual-gauge track (see Nishinomiya Station)
Kanagawa Prefecture
Ninomiya Station: The Shonan Horse-drawn Tramway opened a 10 km (6.2 mi) line to Hatano in 1906 to haul tobacco. Steam locomotion was introduced in 1913. Passenger services ceased in 1933, and the line closed in 1935.[citation needed]
Atami Station: In 1895, a 10 km (6.2 mi) 610 mm (2 ft) gauge handcar line opened to Yoshihama, and was extended 4 km (2.5 mi) to Odawara the following year. In 1907, the line was converted to 762 mm (2 ft 6 in) gauge and steam locomotives were introduced. The line closed in 1923 as a result of the Great Kanto earthquake.[citation needed]
Numazu Station: The Sunzu Electric Railway opened a 7 km (4.3 mi) line to Mishima-Tamachi on the Izuhakone Railway Sunzu Line in 1906. In 1915, the line was truncated 1 km to connect at Mishima-Hirokoji, and the line was electrified at 600 V DC in 1919. The line closed in 1961 following the destruction of the Kisegawa bridge during a flood.[citation needed]
Yoshiwara Station: The Fuji Horse Tramway (富士馬車鉄道, Fuji Basha Tetsudō) opened a 610 mm (2 ft) gauge line to Ōmiya (presentday Fujinomiya) in 1890. The Fuji Minobu Railway (富士身延鉄道, Fuji Minobu Tetsudō) purchased the tramway in 1912, converted it to a 1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in) gauge steam railway the following year and gradually extended it (eventually becoming the Minobu Line). In 1924, the company built a new alignment which connected to Fuji station on the Tokaido main line, at which time the original section from Omiya to Yoshiwara closed.[citation needed]
The Abe Railway opened a 9 km (5.6 mi) 762 mm (2 ft 6 in) gauge line from Inomiya (approximately 2 km from Shizuoka) to Ushizuma in 1914 to haul timber. Plans to extend the line to Shizuoka did not eventuate and the line closed in 1934.[citation needed]
The Shizuoka Electric Railway opened a 2 km (1.2 mi) line to Anzai, connecting to its Shimizu Line, electrified at 600 V DC, between 1922 and 1926. The line closed in 1962.[citation needed]
Yaizu Station: A 5 km (3.1 mi) 610 mm (2 ft) handcar line operated to Fujieda between 1891 and 1900.[citation needed]
Fujieda Station: The Tōsō Railway opened a 4 km (2.5 mi) 762 mm (2 ft 6 in) gauge line to Ote in 1913, and by 1926 had extended the line progressively in both directions for a length of 38 km (24 mi) from Jitogata to Suruga-Okabe, although in 1936 the 5 km (3.1 mi) section from Suruga-Okabe to Ote was closed. In 1943, the company merged with the Shizuoka Railway (see Fujiroi Station below), and in 1948, a 7 km (4.3 mi) line between Mitsumata and Jitogata opened, linking the two sections. This section of the combined line closed between 1964 and 1970.[citation needed]
Shimada Station: The Fuji Prefectural Government opened a 3 km (1.9 mi) 610 mm (2 ft) gauge handcar line in 1898 to haul timber. In 1944, following the destruction of the nearby Tokaido Line bridge over the Oigawa, it was proposed to use the alignment of this line as a replacement, including a 930 m (3,050 ft) wooden bridge over the river. The bridge was about 25% completed when the end of the war resulted in the termination of the proposal. A diesel locomotive was introduced in 1955 to haul construction material for the construction of the adjacent national highway, and the line closed in 1959.[citation needed]
Kikukawa Station: The Joto horse-drawn tramway opened a 15 km (9.3 mi) 2 ft (610 mm) gauge line to Ikeshinden in 1899. In 1923, the line was converted to 762 mm (2 ft 6 in) gauge, and a single-cylinder diesel locomotive introduced. The line closed in 1935.[citation needed]
Fukuroi Station:
The Akiba horse-drawn tramway opened a 12 km (7.5 mi) 762 mm (2 ft 6 in) gauge line to Enshumori-Cho in 1902. In 1926, the company renamed itself the Shizuoka Electric Railway, converted the line to 1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in) gauge and electrified it at 600 V DC. The line closed in 1962.[citation needed]
The Shizuoka Railway opened a 10 km (6.2 mi) 762 mm (2 ft 6 in) gauge line to Yokosuka in 1914, extending it 7 km (4.3 mi) to Mitsumata in 1927. The company merged with the Fuji-sho Railway in 1943 (see Fujieda Station above), and in 1948, a 7 km (4.3 mi) line between Mitsumata and Jitogata opened, linking the two sections. This section of the combined line closed between 1964 and 1967.[citation needed]
Hamamatsu Station: The Dainippon Railway opened a 7 km (4.3 mi), 762 mm (2 ft 6 in) gauge line to Kuniyoshi in 1909. In 1919, the line was acquired by the Enshu Railway Line, which closed the first 1 km (0.62 mi) of the line in 1925, so the new connecting station became Enshu-Magome. The line closed in 1937 while the section to Enshu-Magome would close in 1985.[citation needed]
Aichi Prefecture
Okazaki Station:
The Nishio Railway opened a 762 mm (2 ft 6 in) gauge line to Nishio in 1911, and extended it to Kira-Yoshida on the Meitetsu Gamagōri Line between 1915 and 1916. In 1926, the company merged with the Aichi Electric Railway, which between 1928 and 1929 converted the line to 1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in) gauge, electrified it at 600 V DC, and connected it to the line from Shin-Anjō on the Meitetsu Nagoya Main Line at Nishioguchi. The line to Nishio closed in 1962.[citation needed]
A 6 km (3.7 mi) tram line connected to the Meitetsu Koromo line at Okazaki-Ida Station, which between 1929 and 1962 connected to the Meitetsu Mikawa Line at Uwagoromo, the tramway also closing in 1962.[citation needed]
Owari-Ichinomiya Station: The 6 km (3.7 mi) Meitetsu line to Okoshi, electrified at 600 V DC, opened in 1924. When the voltage on the Meitetsu main line was increased to 1,500 V DC in 1952, services were suspended on this line. The substitute bus service proved so popular the line was closed rather than upgraded.[citation needed]
Gifu Prefecture
Ogaki Station: The Seino Railway opened a 3 km (1.9 mi) line from Mino-Akasaka to Ichihashi in 1928, and operated a passenger service from 1930 to 1945.[citation needed]
Arao Station (on the Mino Akasaka branch): A 2 km (1.2 mi) freight-only line to the Mino Okubo limestone quarry operated between 1928 and 1990.[citation needed]
Hyōgo Prefecture
Nishinomiya Station: A 2 km (1.2 mi) freight-only line was opened in 1944 to connect to Mukogawa Station on the Hanshin Main Line. As the former was 1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in) gauge, and the latter 1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) gauge, some tracks at Mukogawa were dual gauge. Service on the line ceased in 1958, but it was not formally closed until 1970.[citation needed]
Rokkomichi Station: A 6 km (3.7 mi) line to Kobe Port opened in 1907, electrified at 1,500 V DC. Passenger services ceased in 1974, and the line closed in 2003.[citation needed]
Limited express services
In addition to standard local, rapid, and special rapid service trains, the Tōkaidō Main Line also hosts a number of limited express services.
^連合軍専用列車の時代: 占領下の鉄道史探索 [The Era of Allied Special Trains: a history of Japan's railway under the Allied occupation] (in Japanese). Japan: 潮書房光人新社. 1 May 2000. ISBN978-4769809548.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: date and year (link)
^"C62 17". 鉄道ホビダス. 14 September 2006. Retrieved 22 November 2024.
^"⾸都圏エリアへ 「駅ナンバリング」を導⼊します" [Introduce “station numbering” to the Tokyo metropolitan area] (PDF). jreast.co.jp (in Japanese). 6 April 2016. Archived from the original(PDF) on 7 December 2022. Retrieved 7 January 2023.
^Kusamachi, Yoshikazu (7 April 2016). "JA・JK・JT・AKB…JR東日本、首都圏で駅ナンバリングなど導入へ" [JA, JK, JT, AKB … JR East to introduce station numbering in the Tokyo metropolitan area]. Response Automotive Media (in Japanese). Archived from the original on 6 August 2022. Retrieved 7 January 2023.
^"快速「アクティー」最後の2列車が消滅へ 34年の歴史に幕 JR東海道線" [The last two trains of the rapid "Acty" will disappear, ending 34 years of service on the JR Tokaido Line]. trafficnews.jp (in Japanese). 18 December 2022. Archived from the original on 18 December 2022. Retrieved 22 December 2022.
^JR東日本、東海道線E217系の営業運転終了 - 「湘南色」の帯で活躍した車両 [JR East E217 series withdrawn from Tokaido Line]. Mynavi News (in Japanese). Japan: Mynavi Corporation. 19 March 2015. Retrieved 30 March 2015.
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