Musashino Line

Musashino Line
A Musashino Line 205 series on a Keiyo Line through service, January 2010
Overview
Native name	武蔵野線
Type	Heavy rail
Locale	Tokyo, Kanagawa, Saitama, Chiba prefectures
Termini	Fuchū-Hommachi Nishi-Funabashi
Stations	26
Operation
Opened	1973
Owner	JR East
Operator(s)	JR East, JR Freight
Depot(s)	Higashi-Tokorozawa
Rolling stock	205 series, 209-500 series EMUs
Technical
Line length	71.8 km (44.6 mi) (passenger operations) 100.6 km (62.5 mi) (Total)
Track gauge	1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in)
Electrification	1,500 V DC overhead catenary
Route map

The Musashino Line (武蔵野線, Musashino-sen) 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 100.6 km unclosed loop around central Tokyo. Passenger operations are limited to the 71.8 km portion between Fuchū-Hommachi and Nishi-Funabashi; the Tsurumi to Fuchū-Hommachi 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" (東京メガループ) around Tokyo, consisting of the Keiyo Line, Musashino Line, Nambu Line, and Yokohama Line.^[1]

Services

Most services on the Musashino Line are local trains making all stops. Some trains continue through the Keiyō Line past Nishi-Funabashi to Tokyo, Minami-Funabashi or Kaihimmakuhari.

Other services include:

• Musashino: services operated between Fuchūhommachi/Hachiōji and Ōmiya
• Shimōsa: services operated between Ōmiya and Nishi-Funabashi
• Holiday Kaisoku Kamakura seasonal service between Minami-Koshigaya and Kamakura
• Burari Kamakura and Yokohama Bay Area seasonal service between Iwaki and Kamakura
• Burari Takao Sansaku seasonal service between Hitachi and Takao

Station list

Tsurumi Station is considered to be the origin of the Musashino Line; trains going clockwise (toward Nishi-Funabashi) are therefore referred to as heading "down" (下り, kudari), while trains going counter-clockwise (toward Fuchū-Hommachi) are heading "up" (上り, nobori). 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 passenger trains begin service at Fuchū-Hommachi Station; details on the Musashino South Line freight-only section can be found below the passenger station list.

Musashino Line (passenger)

Ōmekaidō Station is approximately 10 minutes walk from Shin-Kodaira Station.

Musashino South Line (freight)

Rolling stock

Railway lines around Funabashi

Trains on the Musashino Line are normally formed of 205 series (205-0 and 205-5000 series) and 209-500 series 8-car electric multiple units (EMUs).^[2] The 205-0 series sets were built from new for the Musashino Line, entering service from 1 December 1991,^[1] and have six motored cars per eight-car set.^[2] These were the last 205 series sets to be built from new.^[1] 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.^[2] The 209-500 series sets were transferred from the Keiyo Line, where they were displaced by new E233-5000 series sets and reduced from ten to eight cars per set.^[2]

• 
  Musashino Line 205-0 series EMU, June 2006
• 
  Musashino Line 205-5000 series EMU on a Shimōsa service, July 2014
• 
  Musashino Line 209-500 series EMU on a Musashino service, August 2011

Former

• 101-1000 series 6-car EMUs (1 April 1973 - 26 October 1986)^[1]
• 103 series 6-car, later 8-car EMUs (June 1980 until 8 December 2005)^[1]
• 201 series 6-car EMUs (from 3 March 1986)^[1]

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.

• 
  A 101 series EMU
• 
  A Musashino Line 103 series (low-cab type) EMU, August 2001
• 
  A Musashino Line 103 series EMU, May 2002
• 
  A 165 series EMU (right) on a Shinkansen Relay service, August 2001
• 
  A 115-300 series EMU set on a Musashino service, March 2004

Freight

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.

History

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.^[1]

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 Fuchū-Hommachi and Shin-Matsudo opened on 1 April 1973.^[2] 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 4,380 m (14,370 ft) Higashi-Murayama Tunnel (東村山トンネル) between Shin-Kodaira and Shin-Akitsu stations, and the 2,563 m (8,409 ft) Kodaira Tunnel (小平トンネル) between Shin-Kodaira and Nishi-Kokubunji stations.^[1] Services operated at 15-minute intervals in the morning peak, and at 40-minute intervals during the daytime off-peak.^[1]

The southern freight-only line from Fuchū-Hommachi to Tsurumi opened on 1 March 1976.^[2] The eastern section of the line from Shin-Matsudo to Nishi-Funabashi opened on 2 October 1978.^[2]

Inter-running to and from the Keiyo Line commenced on 1 December 1988.^[2]

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.^[1]

See also

• Osaka Higashi Line, envisioned as a counterpart in the Osaka area
• Aichi Loop Line, counterpart around Nagoya

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Musashino Line.

• Stations of the Musashino Line (JR East) (Japanese)

Mass transit in the Greater Tokyo Area
JR East lines passing through Central Tokyo	Short-distance Yamanote Keihin-Tōhoku - Negishi (Chūō-Sōbu) Local Mid-distance Utsunomiya (Tohoku Main) & Takasaki - Tokaido ■ Ueno-Tokyo Chuo Rapid Yokosuka - Sobu Rapid Joban Keiyo Kawagoe (Eastern Section) - Saikyo (Akabane) - Rinkai Shonan-Shinjuku
Tokyo Metro lines	Chiyoda Fukutoshin Ginza Hibiya Marunouchi Namboku Tōzai Yūrakuchō Hanzōmon
Toei subway lines	Asakusa Ōedo Mita Shinjuku
Yokohama Municipal	Blue Green
JR East lines in satellite cities or suburbs	Yokohama Musashino Nambu ■ Sagami ■ Hachiko - Kawagoe (Western Section) ■ Ryōmō Tsurumi Tohoku Direction ■ Karasuyama ■ Nikkō Chuo Direction ■ Chūō Main ■ Itsukaichi ■ Ōme Sobu Direction ■ Sōbu Main ■ Sotobō ■ Uchibō ■ Kururi ■ Tōgane Joban Direction ■ Mito ■ Narita Tokaido Direction ■ Itō ■ Gotemba (JR Central)
Keikyu	Keikyu Main Airport Daishi Kurihama Zushi
Keio	Keio Keio New Dōbutsuen Keibajō Sagamihara Takao Inokashira
Keisei	Keisei Main Chiba Chihara Higashi-Narita Kanamachi Oshiage Narita Sky Access
Odakyu	Odawara Enoshima Tama
Seibu	Ikebukuro lines ■ Ikebukuro ■ Sayama ■ Seibu Chichibu ■ Seibu Yūrakuchō ■ Toshima Shinjuku lines ■ Shinjuku ■ Haijima Kokubunji Seibu-en Tamagawa Tamako
Sotetsu	Sotetsu Main Izumino
Tobu	Skytree Kameido Daishi Isesaki Sano Koizumi Kiryū Nikkō Kinugawa Utsunomiya Urban Park Tōjō Ogose
Tokyu	Den-en-toshi Ikegami Meguro Oimachi Tokyu Tamagawa Toyoko Kodomonokuni
Other commuter rail lines	Hokusō Kantō Jōsō Ryūgasaki Nagareyama Rinkai Saitama Rapid Shibayama Shin-Keisei Tōyō Rapid Tsukuba Express Minatomirai 21
Monorails and light transit	Monorails Chiba Monorail Disney Resort Shōnan Monorail Tama Monorail Tokyo Monorail People movers New Shuttle Kanazawa Seaside Nippori-Toneri Seibu Yamaguchi Yūkarigaoka Yurikamome Trams Enoden Setagaya Arakawa
Hinterland	Chichibu Main Line Fujikyuko Line
Cable cars and aerial tramways	Ōyama Cable Car Hodosan Ropeway (Takao Tozan Railway Mitake Tozan Cable Car ) (Nokogiriyama Ropeway Mount Tsukuba Cable Car Mount Tsukuba Ropeway) Akechidaira Ropeway Ikaho Ropeway
Bus	Willer Express List of bus operating companies in Japan (east)
Public ferries	Tokyo-Wan Ferry Tokyo Cruise Ship Tokyo Mizube Line Keihin Ferry Boat The Port Service (Yokohama)
Major terminals	Rail Akihabara Chiba Hachiōji Ikebukuro Kita-Senju Mito Odawara Ōmiya Ōtemachi Shibuya Shinagawa Shinjuku Tachikawa Tokyo Ueno Yokohama Airports Haneda Narita Chofu Ibaraki Heliports Tokyo Heliport Camp Zama Ports Yokohama Tokyo
Miscellaneous	Shinkansen Smart cards Pasmo Suica Transportation in Greater Tokyo Rail transport in Japan List of named passenger trains of Japan List of through trains in Japan Tokyo subway rolling stock List of Toei Subway stations List of Tokyo Metro stations
Construction projects	Sōtetsu JR Link Line
Japan transit: Tokyo Osaka Nagoya Fukuoka Hakone Fuji Izu Hokkaido Sendai Niigata Toyama Nagano Okayama Hiroshima Shikoku Metro systems Shinkansen trams (list) aerial lifts (list)

JR East lines
Shinkansen	Hokuriku Jōetsu Tōhoku Akita Yamagata
Main	Chūō Ōu Shin'etsu Sōbu Tōhoku Tōkaidō Uetsu
Local	Agatsuma Aterazawa Ban'etsu East Ban'etsu West Echigo Gonō Hachikō Hachinohe Hakushin Hanawa Iiyama Ishinomaki Itō Itsukaichi Jōban Jōetsu Kamaishi Karasuyama Kashima Kawagoe Keiyō Kesennuma Kitakami Koumi Kururi Mito Musashino Nambu Narita Negishi Nikkō Ōfunato Oga Ōito Ōme Ōminato Rikuu East Rikuu West Ryōmō Sagami Senseki Senzan Shinonoi Sotobō Suigun Tadami Takasaki Tazawako Tōgane Tsugaru Tsurumi Uchibō Utsunomiya Yahiko Yamada Yamanote Yokohama Yokosuka Yonesaka
Others	Chūō Rapid Chūō-Sōbu Gala-Yuzawa Keihin-Tōhoku Saikyō (incl. Akabane) Senseki-Tōhoku Shōnan-Shinjuku Sōbu Rapid Ueno-Tōkyō
Past	Aizu Ashio Iwaizumi Kihara Marumori Mōka Nagai Shin'etsu Main (Shinano / Echigo Tokimeki) Tōhoku Main (Aoimori / Iwate Galaxy)