Ōme Line


The Ōme Line is a railway line operated by East Japan Railway Company in western Tokyo, Japan. It links Tachikawa and the Chūō Line with the town of Okutama. Many Chūō Line trains operate via the Ōme Line to Ōme Station, providing non-stop service to Tokyo Station.
The section between Ōme and Oku-Tama is now nicknamed as the "Tokyo Adventure Line ".

Services

Ōme Line Local

Local trains stop at all stations. However, they rarely run along the entire Ōme Line, with services splitting at Ōme Station.

Through services

The Ōme Line, at times, runs through services along the Chūō Rapid, Itsukaichi, and Hachikō lines. Supplemental trains during the peak season may also run along the Nambu Line. Trains that operate only on the Ōme Line have "Ōme-Itsukaichi Line" displayed at the front.
The Ōme Limited Express is limited express train service for commuters on the Chūō Rapid Line and Ōme Line. The train operates on weekdays only. Prior to 16 March 2019, this train operated as the Ōme Liner

''Holiday Rapid Okutama.Akigawa''

Holiday Rapid Okutama and Holiday Rapid Akigawa services run on weekends from Tokyo. See their article for more information.

Station list

Services on the Ōme Line are usually formed of E233-0 series 10-car / 6+4 car EMUs. However, while 209-1000 series trains usually only run on the Chuo Line between Tokyo and Takao stations, on rare occasions they may also run on the Ome Line as far as Ome station. Due to the lack of passenger-operated door controls on these sets all doors open at each station on these sets.

History

The section between Tachikawa and Ōme was opened in 1894 by the Ōme Railway as a gauge line, extended 2 km as a freight-only section to Hinatawada the following year. Passenger services were extended to Hinatawada in 1898, and the line was converted to in 1908. A further freight-only section opened to Miyanohira in 1914, and to Futamatao in 1920. Passenger services were extended to Miyanohira in 1923, the same year the entire line was electrified at 1,200 V DC. The line was further extended to Mitake in 1929, when the company changed its name to the Ōme Electric Railway Co. and the voltage raised to 1,500 V DC in 1930. Passenger services were extended to Mitake in 1935.
The company was nationalized on 1 April 1944, the same year that the Tachikawa to Nagakami section was double-tracked.
The Okutama Electric Railway was constructing a line from Mitake to Hikawa when it was nationalised, and the line opened on 1 July 1944, creating the present-day Ōme Line.
The Nagakami to Hajima section was double-tracked in 1946, and direct services to Tokyo commenced in 1949. The Hajima to Higashi-Ōme section was double-tracked between 1961 and 1962, CTC signalling was commissioned in 1971, and freight services ceased in 1998.

Former connecting lines

In February 2015, JR East announced plans to introduce Green cars on Chuo Line and through-running Ome Line services from fiscal 2020. This will involve adding two bilevel Green cars to 10- and 6-car E233-0 series EMU sets, forming 12- and 8-car sets. Work is now undergoing to lengthen station platforms and depot facilities to handle the longer trains.