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Ueno–Tokyo Line

(Redirected from Tohoku Through Line)

The Ueno–Tokyo Line (Japanese: 上野東京ライン, romanized: Ueno–Tōkyō Rain), formerly known as the Tōhoku Through Line (Japanese: 東北縦貫線, romanized: Tōhoku-Jūkan-sen)[2] is a railway line in Tokyo, Japan, operated by the East Japan Railway Company (JR East), linking Ueno Station and Tokyo Station, extending the services of the Utsunomiya Line, the Takasaki Line, and the Jōban Line southward and onto the Tōkaidō Main Line[2][3] and vice versa. The project began in May 2008.[4] The line opened with the 14 March 2015 timetable revision,[5] with the project costing about JPY 40 billion.[2]

Ueno–Tokyo Line
An E233-3000 series EMU, one of the train types used on the Ueno–Tokyo Line
Overview
Native name上野東京ライン
StatusOperational
LocaleTokyo
Service
TypeCommuter rail
Operator(s) JR East
Daily ridership320,229 (daily, 2015)[1]
History
Opened14 March 2015
Technical
Track gauge1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in)
Electrification1,500 V DC overhead catenary

Direct travel was expected to ease congestion on the Yamanote Line and Keihin–Tōhoku Line, and the travel time was reduced by around 7 to 10 minutes because of through trains between the lines of Utsunomiya and Takasaki and the Main Line of Tokaido in addition to through trains that pass the Shinagawa Station on the Joban Line.[4]

Route

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Graphic illustrating the Ueno-Tokyo Line route. Dashed lines show 1.3 km (0.81 mi) viaduct (now completed) to carry the Utsunomiya and Jōban Lines above the Shinkansen route (grey) which breached the original through line near Kanda Station.

Beginning from Ueno Station, the project involved re-laying about 2.5 km (1.6 mi)[4] of existing tracks that formerly linked the two stations until separated near Kanda Station to make room for the Tōhoku Shinkansen extension to Tokyo.[citation needed] The gap was reconnected by a new 1.3 km (0.81 mi)[4] top deck on the existing Shinkansen viaduct near Kanda Station with ramps at either end up from the existing formations.[6] Provision was made during construction of the Shinkansen link for eventual restoration of through traffic on the Tohoku Lines.[7] JR East built train turnback facilities at Shinagawa Station on the Tōkaidō Line, allowing through trains from Ueno to terminate there and return north.[2]

Services

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Trains from the Utsunomiya Line, Takasaki Line, and Jōban Line run non-stop between Ueno and Tokyo Station and continue on the Tōkaidō Line towards Shinagawa (all trains departing the Jōban Line terminate here), Yokohama,[8] Ōfuna, Hiratsuka, Kōzu, Odawara, Atami, Numazu in the JR Central Tōkaidō Main Line and Itō in the Itō Line. Initially, up to 15 services per hour run during the morning peak, increased to 20 per hour in 2016.[9] Joban Line limited express services (Hitachi limited-stop and Tokiwa semi-fast) were extended south of Ueno via the Ueno–Tokyo Line, with most services terminating at Shinagawa Station.[10]

History

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The Tōhoku Main Line ran to Tokyo station both prior to and following World War II. Although the connector between Ueno and Tokyo was only used for freight trains and forwarding at first, the Allied occupation forces ran passenger trains from Tokyo Station through the Tohoku Main Line following World War II, and this was followed by a number of through services from the 1950s until the 1970s. The connection between Ueno and Tokyo was closed to passenger service in April 1973, and to freight service in January 1983; the portion of the line around Akihabara and Kanda was dismantled to provide a right-of-way to extend the Tōhoku Shinkansen to Tokyo Station, with through services to Tokyo station commencing in 1991.

A government panel recommendation in 2000 suggested restoring the connector between Ueno and Tokyo by 2015, and JR East officially announced the project on 27 March 2002.

The project received support from various local governments, particularly in Saitama Prefecture, Ibaraki Prefecture, and other areas to the north of Tokyo.[citation needed] However, residents of the area immediately surrounding the project cited light blockage and earthquake risk, and applied to a Tokyo court for an injunction against construction in 2007.[11] The lawsuit was dismissed in 2012.

The project was originally scheduled to be completed in fiscal 2013, but completion was delayed by the effects of the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami.[9]

  •  
    View of the planned route south of Akihabara Station in March 2007
  •  
    View from the platform of Kanda Station, October 2009. A bridge pylon is being built to carry a viaduct of the future Ueno–Tokyo Line. A ramp structure can be seen in the background.
  •  
    Sign at Sanuki Station on the Jōban Line promoting the early completion of the project. The headline reads Without transfer, to Tokyo Station, to the Shinkansen
  •  
    Elevated section of the Ueno–Tokyo Line under construction over the Tohoku Shinkansen tracks in August 2011

Station list

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Official Line Name No. Station Japanese Distance (km) Utsunomiya/Takasaki–Tōkaidō Jōban Line Transfers Locations
Between
stations		 From
Tokyo
Within the Utsunomiya and Takasaki lines (through service): Local Rapid
Rabbit • Urban 		 
Tōhoku Main Line
OMYJU07
 Ōmiya 大宮 - 30.5 ● ▲  
Ōmiya Ward Saitama City Saitama Prefecture
JU06 Saitama-Shintoshin さいたま新都心 1.6 28.9 ● ↑
  • JK Keihin-Tōhoku Line (JK46)
URWJU05
 Urawa 浦和 4.5 24.4 ● ▲
  • JK Keihin-Tōhoku Line (JK43)
  • JS Shōnan-Shinjuku Line (JS23)
 Urawa Ward
ABNJU04
 Akabane 赤羽 11.0 13.4 ● ▲
  • JK Keihin-Tōhoku Line (JK38)
  • JS Shōnan-Shinjuku Line (JS22)
  • JA Saikyō Line (JA15)
 Kita City Tokyo
JU03 Oku 尾久 5.0 8.4 ● ↑  
NPRJJ02
 Nippori 日暮里 2.6 5.8 | ↑ ●
Arakawa City
UENJU02JJ01 Ueno 上野 2.2 3.6 ● ▲ ●
Keisei Skyliner (Keisei Ueno: KS01) 		Taitō City
TYOJT01JU01 Tokyo 東京 3.6 0.0 ● ▲ ●
Chiyoda City
Tōkaidō Main Line
SMBJT02
 Shimbashi 新橋 1.9 1.9 ● ▲ ●
  • JY Yamanote Line (JY29)
  • JK Keihin-Tōhoku Line (JK24)
  • JO Yokosuka Line (JO18)
  • G Tokyo Metro Ginza Line (G-08)
  • A Toei Asakusa Line (A-10)
  •   Yurikamome (U-01)
 Minato City
SGWJT03
 Shinagawa 品川 4.9 6.8 ● ▲ ●
  • JY Yamanote Line (JY25)
  • JK Keihin-Tōhoku Line (JK20)
  • JO Yokosuka Line (JO17)
  •   Tokaido Shinkansen
  • KK Keikyū Main Line (KK01)
KWSJT04
 Kawasaki 川崎 11.4 18.2 ● ▲  
  • JK Keihin-Tōhoku Line (JK16)
  • JN Nambu Line (JN01)
 Kawasaki Ward Kawasaki City Kanagawa Prefecture
YHMJT05
 Yokohama 横浜 10.6 28.8 ● ▲
Nishi Ward Yokohama City
TTKJT06
 Totsuka 戸塚 12.1 40.9 ● ▲
  • JO Yokosuka Line (JO10)
  • JS Shōnan-Shinjuku Line (JS10)
  •   Yokohama Municipal Subway Blue Line (B06)
 Totsuka Ward
OFNJT07
 Ōfuna 大船 5.6 46.5 ● ▲
Kamakura City
Within the Tōkaidō line (through service): Local Local  

Future developments

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See also: Haneda Airport Access Line

In January 2014, JR East president Tetsuro Tomita indicated that the company was considering the possibility of linking the Ueno–Tokyo Line in the future with a new direct access line to Haneda Airport also under consideration.[12] The line started construction in 2023 and is set to be completed by 2031.[13][14]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "平成27年 大都市交通センサス 首都圏報告書" (PDF). P.92. 国土交通省.
  2. ^ a b c d JR East Annual Report 2010, retrieved 2013-12-09
  3. ^ 東北縦貫線の開業時期、愛称について [Details of Tōhoku Through Line opening schedule and nickname] (PDF). News release (in Japanese). Japan: East Japan Railway Company. 9 December 2013. Retrieved 9 December 2013.
  4. ^ a b c d "Construction of Ueno-Tokyo Line" (PDF). JR East Construction Department. October 2015. Retrieved 27 November 2019.
  5. ^ 「上野東京ライン」2015年3月14日開業 [Ueno-Tokyo Line to open on 14 March 2015]. Tetsudo Hobidas (in Japanese). Japan: Neko Publishing Co., Ltd. 30 October 2014. Retrieved 30 October 2014.
  6. ^ 宇都宮・高崎・常磐線の東京駅乗り入れ工事の着手について [Details of start of construction for Utsunomiya Line, Takasaki Line, and Joban Line through services to Tokyo] (PDF). News release (in Japanese). Japan: East Japan Railway Company. 26 March 2008. Retrieved 9 December 2013.
  7. ^ "We must create our own core competences". News. Railway Gazette International. 1 October 1999. Retrieved 9 December 2013.
  8. ^ Japan Railway & Transport Review No. 49 (pp.18–24) Archived 3 March 2016 at the Wayback Machine retrieved 2009-05-15
  9. ^ a b ＪＲ東日本:東京−上野の新線 愛称を「上野東京ライン」 [JR East names new line between Tokyo and Ueno "Ueno-Tokyo Line"]. Mainichi Shimbun (in Japanese). Japan: The Mainichi Newspapers. Archived from the original on 9 December 2013. Retrieved 9 December 2013.
  10. ^ 「上野東京ライン」開業により、 南北の大動脈が動き出します [North–south artery comes into operation with opening of Ueno–Tokyo Line] (PDF). News release (in Japanese). Japan: East Japan Railway Company. 30 October 2014. Retrieved 30 October 2014.
  11. ^ "ＪＲ東北縦貫線計画- 神田駅の周辺住民、建設中止求め提訴". 毎日新聞-地域版 [Mainichi Shimbun - Local Edition] (in Japanese). 東京. ＪＲ東日本広報部の話. 2 August 2007. ddlk13040, Factiva MAINLO0020070802e3820005q.
  12. ^ ＪＲ東、羽田新路線を北関東と直結 東北縦貫線との接続検討 [JR East considering connecting new Haneda line to Ueno-Tokyo Line to provide link to northern Kanto]. SankeiBiz (in Japanese). Japan: Sankei Digital Inc. 10 January 2014. pp. 1–2. Retrieved 10 January 2014.
  13. ^ "「羽田空港アクセス線」起工式 東京-羽田が18分、31年度開業へ：朝日新聞デジタル" ["Haneda Airport Access Line" Groundbreaking Ceremony: Tokyo to Haneda Airport in 18 minutes with a 2031 completion]. Asahi Shimbun Digital (in Japanese). 2 June 2023. Archived from the original on 2 June 2023. Retrieved 3 June 2023.
  14. ^ "JR東日本、羽田空港アクセス線の起工式 31年度開業" [JR East groundbreaking ceremony for Haneda Airport access line, services to begin in 2031]. Nihon Keizai Shimbun Online (in Japanese). 2 June 2023. Archived from the original on 2 June 2023. Retrieved 3 June 2023.
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