Hakone Tozan Line Explained

Hakone Tozan Line
Native Name:	箱根登山鉄道線
Native Name Lang:	ja
Color:	FF4500
Logo Alt:	OH
Locale:	Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan
Stations:	11
Owner:	Odakyu Group
Operator:	Odakyu Hakone
Linelength Km:	15.0
Tracks:	1
Gauge:	partly and
Maxincline:	8%
Electrification:	750 V and (Overhead catenary)
Signalling:	Automatic closed block
Trainprotection:	D-ATS-P
Elevation M:	553

The is a mountain railway in Japan operated by Odakyu Hakone, a Odakyu Group company that also owns the Hakone Tozan Cable Car.

The section of the line from Odawara Station to Hakone-Yumoto Station began operating in 1919, with the current terminus of Gōra being reached in 1930. Since 2006, only Odakyū Odawara Line trains run on the section from Odawara Station to Hakone-Yumoto Station, as that section was converted from dual-gauge (standard and narrow) to just narrow-gauge. From Gora, travelers can continue up the mountain on the Hakone Tozan Cable Car.

The railway is capable of climbing one meter vertically for every 12.5m (41feet) of horizontal distance, with a maximum gradient of 8%. The line traverses Fuji-Hakone-Izu National Park, so the line was carefully designed to limit the impact on the scenery. Due to the difficult topography, the line has three switchbacks used to ascend particularly steep sections.

The section of the line between Hakone-Yumoto and Gora was suspended in October 2019 due to heavy damage caused by Typhoon Hagibis.^[1] On 9 July 2020, after repairs had been completed, test trains began running over the line and full service was restored two weeks later on 23 July.^{[2] [3]}

Description

• Length: 15km (09miles)
• Gauge:
  • Odawara - Iriuda:
  • Iriuda - Hakone-Yumoto: / (dual gauge)
  • Hakone-Yumoto - Gōra:
• Stations: 11 (including termini)
• Track: single
• Power:
  • Odawara - Hakone-Yumoto: 1,500 V DC overhead supply
  • Hakone-Yumoto - Gōra: 750 V DC overhead supply
• Block system: Automatic (cab signal/digital) (CTC)

Stations

All stations are in Kanagawa.

• Trains: "S" = All stop, "|" = All pass.

No.	Stations/ Signal Stations	Japanese	Distance		Elevation	Stops			Location
						Limited Express	Local	Local
	Odawara	小田原		0km (00miles)	26m (85feet)	S	S		Odawara
	Hakone-Itabashi	箱根板橋	1.7km (01.1miles)	1.7km (01.1miles)	27m (89feet)	|| align="center" style="border-left:solid 2px blue;border-right:solid 2px blue;"| S|-| | Kazamatsuri| 風祭| align="right"| 1.5km (00.9miles)| align="right"| 3.2km (02miles)| align="right"| 48m (157feet)| align="center" ||	S
	Iriuda	入生田	1km (01miles)	4.2km (02.6miles)	66m (217feet)	|| align="center" style="border-left:solid 2px blue;border-right:solid 2px blue;"| S| align="center"| (terminus)|-| | Hakone-Yumoto| 箱根湯本| align="right"| 1.9km (01.2miles)| align="right"| 6.1km (03.8miles)| align="right"| 108m (354feet)| align="center" |S| align="center" style="border-left:solid 2px blue;border-right:solid 2px blue;border-bottom:solid 2px blue;"| S| align="center"| S| rowspan="10"| Hakone, Ashigarashimo District|-| | Tōnosawa| 塔ノ沢| align="right"| 1km (01miles)| align="right"| 7.1km (04.4miles)| align="right"| 165m (541feet)| rowspan="9" |(terminus, from/to Shinjuku (some from/to Kita-Senju))| rowspan="9" align="center" | (terminus, from/to Shin-Matsuda)| align="center"| S|-|| Deyama Switchback| 出山信号場| align="right"| 1.2km (00.7miles)| align="right"| 8.3km (05.2miles)| align="right"| 234m (768feet)| |-| | Ōhiradai| 大平台| align="right"| 1.6km (01miles)| align="right"| 9.9km (06.2miles)| align="right"| 349m (1,145feet)| align="center"| S|-|| Kami-Ōhiradai Switchback| 上大平台信号場| align="right"| 0.5km (00.3miles)| align="right"| 10.4km (06.5miles)| align="right"| 359m (1,178feet)| |-|| Sennindai Signal Stop| 仙人台信号場| align="right"| 0.8km (00.5miles)| align="right"| 11.2km (07miles)| align="right"| 410m (1,350feet)| |-| | Miyanoshita| 宮ノ下| align="right"| 0.9km (00.6miles)| align="right"| 12.1km (07.5miles)| align="right"| 448m (1,470feet)| align="center"| S|-| | Kowakidani| 小涌谷| align="right"| 1.3km (00.8miles)| align="right"| 13.4km (08.3miles)| align="right"| 535m (1,755feet)| align="center"| S|-| | Chōkoku-no-Mori| 彫刻の森| align="right"| 0.9km (00.6miles)| align="right"| 14.3km (08.9miles)| align="right"| 551m (1,808feet)| align="center"| S|-| | Gōra| 強羅| align="right"| 0.7km (00.4miles)| align="right"| 15km (09miles)| align="right"| 553m (1,814feet)| align="center"| S|-|} Transfers: At Odawara Station: Odakyū Odawara Line Tōkaidō Line, Shōnan-Shinjuku Line Tōkaidō Shinkansen Izu-Hakone Railway Daiyūzan Line At Gōra Station: Hakone Tozan Railway - Hakone Tozan Cable Car Hakone-Yumoto Station is the terminus for all Hakone Tozan Line trains. On the Odawara - Hakone-Yumoto section, Limited Express "Romancecar" and Local trains run through to and from the Odakyu Odawara Line. Odakyu LE, Super Hakone, Hakone and Homeway services run from/to Shinjuku Station. Odakyu LE Metro Hakone runs between Hakone-Yumoto and Kita-Senju Station, on Tokyo Metro Chiyoda Line at weekends only. Local trains runs between Odawara and Hakone-Yumoto, partly from/to Shin-Matsuda Station using 4-car Odakyu EMUs. Section between Hakone-Yumoto and Gōra is operated by local trains only, using Hakone Tozan 2/3-car EMUs. Trains stop at three signal stops which have no passenger platforms. There are three switchbacks: Deyama, Ōhiradai, and Kami-Ōhiradai. Journey time between Odawara - Hakone-Yumoto is approximately 15 minutes, Hakone-Yumoto - Gōra is approximately 40 minutes, Shinjuku - Hakone-Yumoto is approximately an hour and 25–35 minutes by limited express. Signal stops There are three signal stops on the Hakone Tozan Line in addition to the regular passenger stations. All of them have a siding track and two of them have switchbacks. Deyama Switchback Signal stop with a switchback. 234 m AMSL.35.2324°N 139.0872°W Kami-Ōhiradai Switchback Signal stop with a switchback near Ōhiradai station which also has a switchback. 359 m AMSL.35.2356°N 139.0754°W Sennindai Signal Stop Signal stop without a switchback. 410 m AMSL.35.2382°N 139.069°W Rolling stock Hakone Tozan Railway (Hakone-Yumoto - Gōra) MoHa 1 MoHa 2 1000 series ("Bernina", named after the Rhätische Bahn railway of the same name in Switzerland) 2000 series ("St. Moritz", after the Swiss resort town and Bernina Railway terminus) 3000 series (since November 2014)^[4] 3100 series two-car EMU (since May 2017)^[5] MoNi 1 (non-revenue car) All trains are based at Iriuda Depot. Former MoHa 3 Yu 1 (as goods wagon) Odakyu Electric Railway (Shinjuku - Odawara - Hakone-Yumoto) Romancecar EMUs Odakyu 7000 series LSE Odakyu 10000 series HiSE Odakyu 20000 series RSE Odakyu 30000 series EXE Odakyu 50000 series VSE Odakyu 60000 series MSE (also from Kita-Senju) Commuter EMUs Odakyu 1000 series^[6] Odakyu 5000 series Odakyu 8000 series History October 1, 1888: Odawara Horse-drawn Railway opens from Kōzu Station via Odawara Station, to Hakone-Yumoto Station. October 31, 1896: Operating company name is changed to Odawara Electric Railway. March 21, 1900: Line is electrified (as a tram, 600 V DC). June 1, 1919: Line opens between Hakone-Yumoto and Gōra as an electrified (600 V DC) funicular railway. December 16, 1920: Tram line closes between Kōzu - Odawara, and connected with the JGR (now JR) Tōkaidō Main Line at Odawara. August 16, 1928: Hakone Tozan Railway is founded. October 1, 1935: Mainline railway is extended from Hakone-Yumoto to Odawara. Tram line remains between Odawara - Hakone-Itabashi, and is renamed the "Odawara Town Line". December 20, 1940: Tram section is renamed "Odawara City Line". June 1, 1948: Hakone Tozan Railway becomes part of the Odakyu Group. August 1, 1950: Odakyu Electric Railway begins operating Limited Express and Express trains from Shinjuku to Hakone-Yumoto. The line voltage is changed to 1,500 V DC for the dual gauge section between Odawara and Hakone-Yumoto. June 1, 1956: Odawara City Line (tram) is abandoned. July 14, 1993: Hakone-Yumoto - Gōra section is uprated from 600 to 750 V DC. Operations start using 3-car EMUs. March 18, 2006: Hakone Tozan Railway discontinues operation using its own units between Odawara and Hakone-Yumoto. Dual-gauge section reduced to Iriuda - Hakone-Yumoto. March 15, 2008: New Odakyu "Romancecar" through service starts from Kita-Senju Station. October 12, 2019: The section between Hakone-Yumoto and Gora closed due to severe damage caused by Typhoon Hagibis. The heavy rains caused landslides over the tracks and washed away ballast. In November 2019, the railway announced that repairs would keep the line closed until the fall of 2020.^[7] On July 9, 2020, test trains began running on the fixed line with services scheduled to begin on July 23. On April 1, 2024, the name of the operator company was changed from Hakone Tozan Railway Co., Ltd. to Odakyu Hakone Co., Ltd.^[8] Microsoft Train Simulator This route appears in Microsoft Train Simulator complete with scenarios simulating prototypical operation (Only from Odawara to Hakone-Yumoto). External links Hakone Tozan Railway Official Site Hakone Navi (Odakyu official sightseeing guide, in English) ]

Notes and References

1. Web site: Famous Japan mountain railway to take months to recover after Typhoon Hagibis: operator. Kinoshita. Shotaro. 18 October 2019. mainichi.jp. The Mainichi. 30 October 2019.
2. Web site: Test runs begin to resume trains along Hakone mountain route. Murano. Eiichi. The Asahi Shimbun. asahi.com. 9 July 2020. 9 July 2020.
3. Web site: 2020-08-14 . Traversing Hakone’s “Golden Course” by Land, Air, and Water . 2023-09-17 . nippon.com . en.
4. Web site: http://railf.jp/news/2013/06/06/120000.html. ja:箱根登山鉄道3000形を導入. Hakone Tozan Railway to introduce 3000 series. 6 June 2013. Japan Railfan Magazine Online. Koyusha Co., Ltd.. Japan. Japanese. https://web.archive.org/web/20160304203731/http://railf.jp/news/2013/06/06/120000.html. 4 March 2016. live. 6 December 2016.
5. Web site: http://railf.jp/news/2016/12/06/180000.html. ja:箱根登山鉄道，3100形を導入. Hakone Tozan Railway to introduce 3100 series. 6 December 2016. Japan Railfan Magazine Online. Koyusha Co., Ltd.. Japan. Japanese. https://web.archive.org/web/20161206113915/http://railf.jp/news/2016/12/06/180000.html. 6 December 2016. live. 6 December 2016.
6. Web site: 2021-03-20 . 地下鉄に乗り入れなくなった関東大手私鉄車両 想定しながら乗り入れてない車両まで6選 . 6 major private railway vehicles in Kanto that can no longer enter the subway . 2022-04-12 . Traffic News . 1 . ja.
7. 22 November 2019. 箱根湯本駅－強羅駅間の運転再開の見込みについて. Expected Resumption of Operation between Hakone-Yumoto Station and Gora Station. Japanese. Hakone Tozan Railway. 25 November 2019.
8. Web site: 小田急箱根グループの組織再編に関するお知らせ. Notice regarding reorganization of Odakyu Hakone Group . Odakyu Hakone Holdings Co., Ltd.. 24 January 2024. Japanese.