Keiyō Line

The Template:Nihongo is a railway line connecting Tokyo and Chiba in Japan, paralleling the edge of Tokyo Bay. It is operated by the East Japan Railway Company (JR East). The line forms part of what JR East refers to as the Template:Nihongo around Tokyo, consisting of the Keiyō Line, Musashino Line, Nambu Line, and Yokohama Line.<ref name="dj364">Template:Cite magazine</ref> It provides the main rail access to Tokyo Disney Resort and the Makuhari Messe exhibition center.

The terminus at Tokyo Station is located underground, some distance to the south of the main station complex approximately halfway to Yūrakuchō Station. This means transferring between other lines at Tokyo Station can take between 15 and 20 minutes.

The name "Keiyō" is derived from the second character of the names of the locations linked by the line, Template:Nihongo and Template:Nihongo. It should not be confused with the Keiō Line, a privately operated commuter line in western Tokyo.

Services

File:KeiyoLineStations.png

Map of the Keiyō Line and surrounding JR lines

• Template:Color box Keiyō Line "Local" (各駅停車 kakueki-teisha)trains stop at all stations between Tokyo and Soga except Nishi-Funabashi.
• Template:Color box Musashino Line ''Local'' through trains stop at all stations between Tokyo and Nishi-Funabashi before continuing to the Musashino Line. Some trains originate at Kaihin-Makuhari, stopping at Makuhari-Toyosuna, Shin-Narashino, Minami-Funabashi, and Nishi-Funabashi before continuing onto the Musashino Line.
• Template:Color box Keiyō Line "Rapid" (快速 kaisoku) trains stop at Tokyo, Hatchōbori, Shin-Kiba, Maihama, Shin-Urayasu, Minami-Funabashi, Kaihin-Makuhari, and all stops to Soga.

Former service

• Template:Color box Template:Nihongo trains stopped at Tokyo, Hatchōbori, Shin-Kiba, and Soga, with many operating through to the Sotobo line and Togane line, terminating at Naruto, Katsuura, or Kazusa-Ichinomiya. Commuter rapid trains traveled into Tokyo during the morning rush hour, and away from Tokyo during the evening rush hour. The commuter rapid service was discontinued with effect from the timetable revision implemented on 16 March 2024.<ref name="CRended">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

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2024 timetable revision

With the JR East timetable revision on 16 March 2024, the Keiyo line now has reduced rapid services across the day, and abolished the commuter rapid services during rush hours. Specifically, rapid trains no longer operate in the morning and evening rush hours, with only 2 rapid services originating in Soga remaining. During these times of the day, only local all-stop trains operate. Subsequently, the Wakashio and Sazanami limited express services are the only express services from the Uchibo and Sotobo lines during rush hours.

The government of Chiba condemned the timetable revision, stating that it has caused inconvenience for commuters to and from central Tokyo who travel long distances from Chiba, as local trains take up to 15 minutes longer than rapid services across the entirety of the line. Furthermore, this places some areas of Chiba Prefecture out of the 1-hour commute zone from Central Tokyo, reducing land value, and causing further reason for a decease in population. Some have theorised that this is a strategy by the Tokyo government to centralise the population around the city's core, discouraging long distance commutes.

Station list

• All trains (except limited express services) stop at stations marked "●" and pass those marked "｜". Trains do not travel past those stations marked "∥".
• For the Wakashio and Sazanami limited express services, see their respective articles.

No.	Station	Japanese	Distance (km)		Keiyō Line		Musashino Line (thru)		Transfers	Location
			Between stations	Total	Local	Rapid	Musashino-Chiba	Musashino-Tokyo
Template:JRSN	Template:STN	東京	-	0.0	●	●		●	Template:Plainlist	Chiyoda	Tokyo
Template:JRSN	Template:STN	八丁堀	1.2	1.2	●	●		●	Template:TSLS Tokyo Metro Hibiya Line (H-12)	Chūō
Template:JRSN	Template:STN	越中島	1.6	2.8	●	｜		●		Kōtō
Template:JRSN	Template:STN	潮見	2.6	5.4	●	｜		●
Template:JRSN	Template:STN	新木場	2.0	7.4	●	●		●	Template:Plainlist
Template:JRSN	Template:STN	葛西臨海公園	3.2	10.6	●	｜		●		Edogawa
Template:JRSN	Template:STN	舞浜	2.1	12.7	●	●		●	Disney Resort Line (Template:STN)	Urayasu	Chiba
Template:JRSN	Template:STN	新浦安	3.4	16.1	●	●		●
Template:JRSN	Template:STN	市川塩浜	2.1	18.2	●	｜		●		Ichikawa
Template:JRSN	Template:STN	西船橋	5.9	24.1	∥ <ref group="*">Keiyō trains between Tokyo and Soga do not pass through Nishi-Funabashi.</ref>	∥	●	●	Template:Plainlist	Funabashi
Template:JRSN	Template:STN	二俣新町	4.4	22.6	●	｜	∥ <ref group="*">Musashino Line trains do not pass through Futamatashimmachi.</ref>		Distance is from Ichikawashiohama	Ichikawa
Template:JRSN	Template:STN	南船橋	3.4	26.0	●	●	●		Distance between Nishi-Funabashi and Minami-Funabashi is 5.4 km	Funabashi
Template:JRSN	Template:STN	新習志野	2.3	28.3	●	｜	●			Narashino
Template:JRSN	Template:STN	幕張豊砂	1.7	30.0	●	｜	●		citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name="new_station_jr_pr1">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation		CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name="2023_timetable">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	Mihama-ku, Chiba
Template:JRSN	Template:STN	海浜幕張	1.7	31.7	●	●	●
Template:JRSN	Template:STN	検見川浜	2.0	33.7	●	●
Template:JRSN	Template:STN	稲毛海岸	1.6	35.3	●	●
Template:JRSN	Template:STN	千葉みなと	3.7	39.0	●	●			Chiba Urban Monorail: Line 1	Chūō-ku, Chiba
—	Template:STN	蘇我	4.0	43.0	●	●			Template:Plainlist

Rolling stock

All Keiyō Line and Musashino Line rolling stock is based at the Keiyō Rolling Stock Center near Shin-Narashino Station.

Keiyō Line

• 209-500 series single 10-car EMU train set (magenta stripe) (since October 2008)
• E233-5000 series 10-car EMUs (magenta stripe) (since 1 July 2010)<ref name="hobidas20100701">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

|CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Musashino Line through services

{{#invoke:Labelled list hatnote|labelledList|Main article|Main articles|Main page|Main pages}}

• 209-500 series 8-car EMUs (orange/brown stripe) (since 4 December 2010)<ref name="jrr2013_summer">Template:Cite book</ref>
• E231-0 series 8-car EMUs (orange/brown stripe) (since November 2017)
• E231-900 series 8-car EMU (orange/brown stripe) (since 20 July 2020)<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

|CitationClass=web }}</ref>

• Series209-500-Keiyo-Line.jpg

  A Keiyo Line 209-500 series 10-car EMU

• Series-E233-5000 520F.jpg

  A Keiyo Line E233-5000 series 10-car EMU

• Series 209-500-M71.jpg

  A Musashino Line 209-500 series 8-car EMU

• Series-E231-0-MU4F.jpg

  A Musashino Line E231-0 series 8-car EMU

• JR East E231-900 Series Keyo MU1.jpg

  A Musashino Line E231-900 series 8-car EMU

Former rolling stock

Keiyō Line

• 103 series 4/6/10-car EMUs (sky blue livery) (from 1986 until November 2005)
• 165 series 3-car EMU (x1) Shuttle Maihama (from 1990 until 1995)
• 201 series 10-car EMUs (sky blue livery) (from August 2000 until 20 June 2011)<ref name="railfan20110621">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

|CitationClass=web }}</ref>

• 205-0 series 10-car EMUs (magenta stripe) (from March 1990 until 2011)
• E331 series 14-car EMU (x1) (magenta stripe) (from March 2007 until 2011)<ref name="rmnews20140327">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

|CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Musashino Line through services

Inter-running from the Musashino Line to the Keiyō Line commenced on 1 December 1988.<ref name="JRfutabasha2013">Template:Cite book</ref>

• 103 series 6-car (later 8-car) EMUs (orange livery) (from 1 December 1988 - 8 December 2005)
• 201 series 6-car EMUs (orange livery) (from 1 December 1988 - November 1996)
• 205-0 series 8-car EMUs (orange/brown stripe) (from December 1991 - October 2019)
• 205-5000 series 8-car EMUs (orange/brown stripe) (from 2002 - 19 October 2020)

• L25 Tc103-574 640.jpg

  A Keiyo Line 103 series EMU

• JRE-EC165-Shuttle-Maihama.jpg

  A 165 series Shuttle Maihama EMU set, March 1990

• 201kei keiyou line.JPG

  A Keiyo Line 201 series EMU, July 2010

• Keiyo-205.jpg

  A Keiyo Line 205-0 series EMU, April 2004

• Keiyo-205 0.jpg

  A Keiyo Line 205-0 series EMU, January 2009

• JREast-E331.jpg

  A Keiyo Line E331 series EMU, July 2006

• 103 set E34 Musashino Line Nishi-Kokubunji 20010808.jpg

  A Musashino Line 103 series EMU, August 2001

• Series205-0-M64.jpg

  A Musashino Line 205-0 series EMU, December 2016

• Series 205-5000-M16.jpg

  A Musashino Line 205-5000 series EMU, March 2019

History

The Keiyo Line was initially planned as a freight-only line. Its first section opened on 10 May 1975 as a Template:Convert link between the Chiba Freight Terminal (now the Mihama New Port Resort between Inagekaigan and Chibaminato Stations) and the freight yard next to Soga Station.<ref name="teishajo1998">Template:Cite book</ref> Passenger service began on 3 March 1986 between Template:STN and Template:STN, and was extended east to Soga and west to Shin-Kiba on 1 December 1988.<ref name="teishajo1998"/>

Planners originally envisioned the Keiyo freight line to go to Tokyo Freight Terminal, with connections to Tokaido Main Line, thus completing the outer loop for freight trains around Tokyo formed by the Musashino Line.The Rinkai Line reused the partially completed tunnel from Shin-Kiba to Tokyo Freight Terminal, with portion of tracks within the latter serving as a depot. The disused tracks between Tokyo Freight Terminal and Tokaido Line is now planned to be used for the Haneda Access Line.

The final section of the Keiyo Line between Tokyo and Shin-Kiba opened on 10 March 1990.<ref name="teishajo1998" /> The platforms at Tokyo Station were originally built to accommodate the Narita Shinkansen, a planned (but never built) high-speed rail line between central Tokyo and Narita International Airport.<ref>Template:Cite news Template:Registration required</ref>

However, in the 1990s, as the artificial island of Odaiba began developing as a commercial and tourist area in the middle of the Rinkai Line route, the Rinkai Line was re-purposed for use as a passenger line. While there is a through connection between the Rinkai Line and the Keiyo Line, it is only used by passenger trains in charter service, usually carrying groups to the Tokyo Disney Resort.

Timeline

• 3 March 1986: First stage opened between Template:STN and Template:STN.<ref name="railfan652">Template:Cite magazine</ref>
• 1 December 1988: Second stage opened between Template:STN and Minami-Funabashi, and between Template:STN and Template:STN.<ref name="railfan652"/>
• 10 March 1990: Third stage opened between Template:STN & Shin-Kiba;<ref name="railfan652"/> and the new Keiyo Line train, the 205 series, was also introduced to the public.
• 16 March 1991: Sazanami and Wakashio limited express services are rerouted via the Keiyo Line.<ref name="railfan652"/>
• 2 July 1993: 255 series EMUs are introduced on View Sazanami and View Wakashio limited express services.<ref name="railfan652"/>
• 16 October 2004: E257-500 series EMUs are introduced on Sazanami and Wakashio limited express services.<ref name="railfan652"/>
• 20 August 2016: Station numbering introduced with Keiyo Line stations being assigned station numbers between JE01 (Tokyo) and JE16 (Chibaminato).<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

|CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

• 18 March 2023: Opening of Makuharitoyosuna Station between Kaihin-Makuhari and Shin-Narashino, station numbers from Kaihin-Makuhari to Chibaminato bumped up by one.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

|CitationClass=web }}</ref>

• 16 March 2024: Rapid and Commuter Rapid services are abolished during the morning and evening rush hour, except for two westbound trips in the morning at the behest of the local and prefectural governments.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

|CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Future plans

There is also a concept of introducing 12-car trains with Green Car capacities, much like the current status of the Chuo Line running from Tokyo to Takao, although it is viewed as unlikely due to the cost of platform expansion.Template:Needs citation

External links

• Stations of the Keiyō Line (JR East) Template:In lang