Tōkaidō Freight Line

Tōkaidō Freight Line

Junction of Tōkaidō Freight Line (straight to the tunnel) and Takashima Line (diverting) at Tsurumi
Overview
Locale Kantō region
Termini Odawara Station
Tokyo Freight Terminal (Hamamatsuchō Station)
Operation
Opened 1918 (1872)
Owner JR East
Operator(s) JR East, JR Freight
Technical
Track gauge 1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in)
Electrification Overhead catenary 1,500 V DC
Route map

The Tōkaidō Freight Line (東海道貨物線 Tōkaidō Kamotsu-sen) links Odawara Station in Kanagawa Prefecture and Hamamatsuchō Station in central Tōkyō, Japan.

Summary

The Tōkaidō Freight Line runs parallel to the immediate west of the Yokosuka and Tōkaidō passenger lines from Odawara Station to Higashi-Totsuka Station, where it veers west via Yokohama Hazawa freight station and long tunnels bypassing Yokohama. Near Tsurumi Station, the bypass rejoins the main passenger route for a short distance, and has connections to the freight-only Takashima Line (高島線) to Sakuragichō Station, the Hinkaku Line and Musashino Line. The freight line then curves east, briefly sharing tracks with the Nambu Branch Line between Hatchōnawate and Hama-Kawasaki stations, then veers north past Kawasaki freight station, under the entrance to Haneda Airport northward to the Tokyo Freight Terminal. The line north from here, currently dormant, continues to Hamamatsuchō Station alongside a branch of the Tōkaidō Shinkansen used to move empty rolling stock to and from a nearby depot.[1] Beyond Hamamatsuchō Station the Tōkaidō Freight Line also continued to Shibaura Station (located on a branch line), the Shiodome Freight Terminal (the site of the original Shimbashi Station) and eventually to Tokyo Market Station (located at the Tsukiji fish market). The Tokyo Market Station closed in 1984, followed by Shibaura Station in 1985 and Shiodome Freight Terminal in 1986.

The latter dormant section was closed to enable construction of the Toei Ōedo Line subway near Hamamatsuchō Station.

Until 1980, the Tōkaidō Freight Line included the Hinkaku Line until it was converted for passenger use as part of the Yokosuka Line.

Takashima Line

The freight-only Takashima Line is a branch of the Tōkaidō Freight Line between Tsurumi Station and Sakuragichō Station, giving access for freight trains to and from the Negishi Line. It branches off from Tsurumi Station and ends at Sakuragichō Station in Yokohama, with a branch between Tsurumi and Sakuragichō leading off to Shinkō Station located at Pier 4 of the Port of Kawasaki.

Future development

Sōtetsu connections

The following lines are under construction by Sagami Railway (Sōtetsu) and the Japan Railway Construction, Transport and Technology Agency:

Haneda Airport connection

Since 2000 there have been proposals to use part of the line for passenger access to Haneda Airport, which is located just south of the Tokyo Freight Terminal. JR East announced in 2013, after the award of the 2020 Summer Olympics, that it was considering using the disused part of the freight line as a passenger connection between the Yamanote Line corridor (near Tamachi Station) and Haneda by building a new tunnel between Tokyo Freight Terminal and the airport.[3] In 2014, JR indicated that the line may be connected to the Ueno-Tokyo Line to allow through access to the Tohoku Main Line,[4] and/or to the Rinkai Line for through service to the Saikyo Line and/or Keiyo Line.[5] Although both JR and the Tokyo government have indicated that improved Haneda access is a high priority, JR has indicated that the connection and necessary line upgrades will take around ten years to complete and are unlikely to be completely ready for the 2020 Olympics.[6]

Route data

Distances:

History

References

  1. ↑ Route description based on the Japanese Wikipedia article, corroborated using Google Maps
  2. ↑ "都市鉄道利便増進事業 相鉄・JR直通線 神奈川東部方面線（西谷駅～羽沢駅間）" (pdf) (in Japanese). Retrieved September 30, 2009.
  3. ↑ "羽田―都心の新路線、ＪＲ東日本検討　五輪で利用増予想". Asahi Shimbun. 9 November 2013. Retrieved 9 April 2015.
  4. ↑ "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". SankeiBiz. 10 January 2014. Retrieved 9 April 2015.
  5. ↑ "京葉線は羽田空港に向かうか　湾岸の鉄道、五輪見据え動く". Nihon Keizai Shimbun. 20 March 2015. Retrieved 9 April 2015.
  6. ↑ "一部開業「詰めている」 羽田アクセス線巡りＪＲ東社長言及". Nihon Keizai Shimbun. 8 April 2015. Retrieved 9 April 2015.
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