| Musashino Line | |
| Native Name: | 武蔵野線 |
| Native Name Lang: | ja |
| Color: | FF4500 |
| Type: | Heavy rail |
| Locale: | Tokyo, Kanagawa, Saitama, Chiba prefectures |
| Stations: | 26 |
| Daily Ridership: | 1,064,613 (daily 2015)[1] |
| Open: | 1973 |
| Owner: | JR East |
| Operator: | JR East, JR Freight |
| Depot: | Keiyo |
| Stock: | 209-500 series, E231-0 series, E231-900 series EMUs |
| Linelength: | 71.8km (44.6miles) (passenger operations) 100.6km (62.5miles) (Total) |
| Electrification: | 1,500 V DC overhead catenary |
| Map: | Route map of passenger service, with red denoting the Musashino Line and blue denoting the Keiyo Line---- Connections of the Musashino Line and the Musashino Freight Line |
| Map State: | uncollapsed |
The is a railway line operated by the East Japan Railway Company (JR East). It links Tsurumi Station in Yokohama with Nishi-Funabashi Station in Chiba Prefecture, forming a 100.6km (62.5miles) unclosed loop around central Tokyo. Passenger operations are limited to the 71.8km (44.6miles) portion between and Nishi-Funabashi; the Tsurumi to Fuchūhommachi portion, called the "Musashino South Line", is normally used only by freight trains. The line forms part of what JR East refers to as the "Tokyo Mega Loop" (Japanese: 東京メガループ|links=no) around Tokyo, consisting of the Keiyō Line, Musashino Line, Nambu Line, and Yokohama Line.[2]
Most services on the Musashino Line are local trains making all stops. Some trains continue through the Keiyō Line past Nishi-Funabashi to, or .
Other services include:
services operated between Fuchūhommachi/Hachiōji and
services operated between and /
Tsurumi Station is considered to be the origin of the Musashino Line; trains going clockwise (toward Nishi-Funabashi) are therefore referred to as heading, while trains going counter-clockwise (toward Fuchūhommachi) are heading . This is often counterintuitive, as it results in through trains to Tokyo being labeled and numbered as "down" trains while on the Musashino Line; however, such trains switch to "up" after joining the Keiyō Line.All eastbound (for Nishi-Funabashi) passenger trains begin service at Fuchū-Hommachi Station. For details on the Musashino South Line and other branch lines, which are freight-only sections, can be found below the passenger station list.
| No. | Name | Japanese | Distance (km) | Transfers | Location | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Between stations | Total | |||||||
| 府中本町 | style="text-align:right;" | - | 0.0 | Nambu Line, Musashino South Line (Freight) | Fuchū | Tokyo | ||
| 北府中 | 1.7 | 1.7 | ||||||
| 西国分寺 | 2.2 | 3.9 | Chūō Line (Rapid) | Kokubunji | ||||
| 新小平 | 3.5 | 7.4 | Seibu Tamako Line Musashino Line (Kunitachi Freight Branch) | Kodaira | ||||
| 新秋津 | 5.6 | 13.0 | Seibu Ikebukuro Line | Higashimurayama | ||||
| 東所沢 | 2.7 | 15.7 | Tokorozawa | Saitama | ||||
| Niiza Freight Terminal | 新座貨物ターミナル駅 | 3.7 | 19.4 | Niiza | ||||
| 新座 | 0.3 | 19.7 | ||||||
| 北朝霞 | 3.1 | 22.8 | Tōbu Tōjō Line | Asaka | ||||
| 西浦和 | 5.0 | 27.8 | Musashino Line (Ōmiya Freight Branch) | Sakura-ku, Saitama | ||||
| 武蔵浦和 | 2.0 | 29.8 | Saikyō Line Musashino Line (Nishi-Urawa Freight Branch) | Minami-ku, Saitama | ||||
| 南浦和 | 1.9 | 31.7 | Keihin-Tōhoku Line | |||||
| 東浦和 | 3.7 | 35.4 | Midori-ku, Saitama | |||||
| 東川口 | 3.8 | 39.2 | Saitama Rapid Railway Line | Kawaguchi | ||||
| 南越谷 | 4.3 | 43.5 | Tobu Skytree Line | Koshigaya | ||||
| Koshigaya Freight Terminal | 越谷貨物ターミナル駅 | 0.4 | 43.9 | |||||
| 越谷レイクタウン | 2.4 | 46.3 | ||||||
| 吉川 | 1.9 | 48.2 | Yoshikawa | |||||
| 吉川美南 | 1.7 | 49.9 | ||||||
| 新三郷 | 1.4 | 51.3 | Misato | |||||
| 三郷 | 2.1 | 53.4 | ||||||
| 南流山 | 2.0 | 55.4 | Tsukuba Express Musashino Line (Kita-Kogane, Mabashi Freight Branches) | Nagareyama | Chiba | |||
| 新松戸 | 2.1 | 57.5 | Matsudo | |||||
| 新八柱 | 4.1 | 61.6 | Shin-Keisei Line | |||||
| 東松戸 | 2.4 | 64.0 | ||||||
| 市川大野 | 1.9 | 65.9 | Ichikawa | |||||
| 船橋法典 | 3.0 | 68.9 | Funabashi | |||||
| 西船橋 | 2.9 | 71.8 | ||||||
| Name | Japanese | Distance (km) | Transfers | Location | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Between stations | Total | |||||
| Musashino South Line | ||||||
| 鶴見 | - | 0.0 | Tōkaidō Line, Keihin Tohoku Line, Tsurumi Line, Tokaido Freight Line, Takashima Freight Line | Tsurumi-ku, Yokohama | Kanagawa | |
| Shin-Tsurumi Yard | 新鶴見信号場 | 3.9 | 3.9 | Hinkaku Line, Nambu Line Freight Branch (for) | ||
| Kajigaya Freight Terminal | 梶ヶ谷貨物ターミナル駅 | 8.8 | 12.7 | Miyamae-ku, Kawasaki | ||
| 府中本町 | 16.1 | 28.8 | Musashino Line (towards Nishi-Kokubunji), Nambu Line | Fuchū | Tokyo | |
| Kunitachi Branch Line | ||||||
| Shin-Kodaira | 新小平 | - | 0.0 | Musashino Line (towards Nishi-Funabashi) | Kodaira | Tokyo |
| Kunitachi | 国立 | 5.0 | 5.0 | Chūō Line | Kunitachi | |
| Omiya Branch Line | ||||||
| Nishi-Urawa | 西浦和 | ‐ | 0.0 | Musashino Line (towards Fuchūhommachi and Tsurumi) | Sakura-ku, Saitama | Saitama |
| Bessho Yard | 別所信号場 | 1.3 | 1.3 | |||
| Yono | 与野 | 3.6 | 4.9 | Tohoku Main Line (Tohoku Freight Line) | Urawa-ku, Saitama | |
| Nishi-Urawa Branch Line | ||||||
| Musashi-Urawa | 武蔵浦和 | ‐ | ‐ | Musashino Line (towards Nishi-Funabashi) | Minami-ku, Saitama | Saitama |
| Bessho Yard | 別所信号場 | ‐ | ‐ | Musashino Line Omiya Branch Line | ||
| Kita-Kogane Branch Line | ||||||
| Minami-Nagareyama | 南流山 | ‐ | 0.0 | Musashino Line (towards Fuchūhommachi and Tsurumi) | Nagareyama | Chiba |
| Kita-Kogane | 北小金 | 2.9 | 2.9 | Joban Line (towards Toride) | Matsudo | |
| Mabashi Branch Line | ||||||
| Minami-Nagareyama | 南流山 | ‐ | 0.0 | Musashino Line (towards Fuchūhommachi and Tsurumi) | Nagareyama | Chiba |
| Mabashi | 馬橋 | 3.7 | 3.7 | Joban Line (towards Mikawashima) | Matsudo | |
Three 209-500 series sets were transferred from the Keiyō Line in 2010-2011, where they were displaced by new E233-5000 series sets and reduced from ten to eight cars per set; eight additional sets were transferred from the Chūō–Sōbu Line in 2018-2019. Between 2017 and 2020, E231-0 series sets were transferred from the Chūō–Sōbu Line and the Jōban Line and reduced from ten to eight cars per set to replace the 205 series.[4] In July 2020, the sole E231-900 series set was also transferred from the Chūō–Sōbu Line and reduced from ten to eight cars.[5]
165 and 169 series EMUs were used on Shinkansen Relay services and later Musashino rapid services until 2002. 115 series EMUs were used on Musashino services from 2002 until the services were downgraded to all-stations "Local" status in December 2010. The 205-0 series sets were built from new for the Musashino Line, entering service from 1 December 1991,[2] and have six motored cars per eight-car set. These were the last 205 series sets to be built from new.[2] The 205-5000 series sets were modified between 2002 and 2008 from displaced former Yamanote Line sets by adding new VVVF-controlled AC motors, and have four motored cars per eight-car set.[6] 205 series trains, both 205-0 and 205-5000 serieses, were withdrawn from Musashino Line and currently operated in Indonesia.
Locomotive types seen hauling freight trains include the Class EF64, Class EF65, Class EF66, Class EF81, Class EF200, Class EF210, Class EH200, Class EH500, Class DE10, and Class HD300.
The Musashino Line was initially envisioned as a "Tokyo Outer Loop Line" in a 1927 railway appropriations bill, but was not built for several decades due to World War II and its aftermath. Construction finally began in November 1965.[2]
In 1967, a train carrying jet fuel to Tachikawa Air Base in western Tokyo exploded while passing through Shinjuku Station. This disaster led to the banning of freight trains on railway lines in central Tokyo and sped the development of the Musashino Line as an alternative route. Because most of the line passed through sparsely populated areas, it was initially envisioned as a freight-only line. However, opposition from local residents, at the same time as the violent landowner battles plaguing Narita International Airport, led the railway authorities to agree to passenger service as well.
The first section of the line between and opened on 1 April 1973.[6] Train services were operated using 6-car 101-1000 series EMUs, which were modified specially for the line to comply with government regulations concerning fire resistance of trains operating through long tunnels, as the line included the 4380m (14,370feet) between Shin-Kodaira and Shin-Akitsu stations, and the 2563m (8,409feet) between Shin-Kodaira and Nishi-Kokubunji stations.[2] Services operated at 15-minute intervals in the morning peak, and at 40-minute intervals during the daytime off-peak.[2]
The southern freight-only line from Fuchū-Hommachi to Tsurumi opened on 1 March 1976.[6] The eastern section of the line from Shin-Matsudo to opened on 2 October 1978.[6]
Inter-running to and from the Keiyo Line commenced on 1 December 1988.[6]
From the start of the 1 December 1996 timetable revision, all of the Musashino Line 103 series sets were lengthened from six to eight cars.[2]
On 20 August 2016, station numbering was introduced with stations on the Musashino line being assigned station numbers between JM10 and JM35.[7] [8] Numbers increase in the counter-clockwise direction towards Fuchu-Hommachi.