The Yokosuka Line is a railway line in Japan operated by the East Japan Railway Company. The Yokosuka Line connects Tokyo Station with in Yokosuka, Kanagawa. Officially, the name Yokosuka Line is assigned to the 23.9 km segment between and Kurihama stations, but the entire route is commonly referred to as the Yokosuka Line by JR East for passenger service.
Yokosuka Line local trains make all stops. Most trains have 11 cars, with two of those being Green cars. Other trains between Tokyo and Zushi are made up of 15 cars—an 11-car set joined to a 4-car set. Some day-time trains operate between Zushi and Kurihama and these trains are made up of 4-car set without Green Cars. Shōnan-Shinjuku Line trains enter or exit the Yokosuka Line at Nishi-Ōi. Utsunomiya–Yokosuka Line through services make all stops on the Yokosuka Line between Nishi-Ōi and Zushi, while Takasaki–Tōkaidō Line through services operate Rapid service within the Yokosuka Line, between Nishi-Ōi and Ōfuna, skipping Nishi-Ōi, Shin-Kawasaki, Hodogaya and Higashi-Totsuka. For information on the Narita Express and other limited express services, see their respective articles. The Yokosuka Line has through service onto the Sōbu Line to and beyond. Some trains travel as far as:
The section between Yokosuka and Kurihama is single-tracked; trains can only pass one another at Kinugasa and Kurihama stations. Local trains stop at all stations, from Tokyo to Kurihama. Meanwhile, Shōnan–Shinjuku Line stop at all stations between Nishi-Ōi and Zushi. Shōnan–Shinjuku Line operate Rapid service on the Yokosuka Line Legends:
● : Trains stop
| : Trains pass
▲ : Shōnan–Shinjuku Line trains use Tōkaidō Line platforms
The Yokosuka Line was constructed in response to the request to the Cabinet by the Navy and the Army, dated June 22, 1886, citing the lack of ground transportation to Yokosuka, one of the most important military bases in the country. On April 22, 1887 the Cabinet ordered the Government Railways to build the line with the budget diverted from the fund for the Tōkaidō Line construction. After the survey from July to December 1887, the construction of the railway between Ōfuna and Yokosuka started in January 1888 and completed in June 1889 spending 408,480 yen in total. The operation of the line started on June 16, 1889.
Chronology
June 16, 1889: Line opens between Ōfuna and Yokosuka with intermediate stations at Kamakura and Zushi
April 1, 1895: Line becomes part of the Tōkaidō Line
October 1, 1930: Kita-Kamakura Station becomes a permanent station
April 1, 1944: Line was extended to Kurihama; Kinugasa Station opens
April–August 1945: Sagami-Kanaya Station is operated to serve a military base between Yokosuka and Kinugasa
April 1, 1952: Higashi-Zushi Station opens
June 16, 1968: Luggage on a Yokosuka Line train exploded near Ōfuna Station, killing one and injuring 14. The culprit, a man in his 20s, testified that he had not meant to kill anyone, but to frighten his ex-fiancée, who had left him for an acquaintance; however, he was ultimately convicted and sentenced to death.
October 1, 1974: Freight service abolished between Yokosuka and Kurihama
October 1, 1976: New double-tracked underground line between Tokyo and Shinagawa opens; Sōbu Line trains terminate at Shinagawa
October 1, 1980: Separated Tōkaidō Line tracks between Tokyo and Ōfuna opened for Yokosuka Line service; Shin-Kawasaki, Higashi-Totsuka stations open; Hodogaya Station served only by Yokosuka Line trains
February 1, 1984: Freight service abolished between Yokosuka and Zushi
May 2, 1998: Through service to Zushi from the Yokohama and Negishi lines are operated on weekends and holidays
December 1, 2001: Shōnan-Shinjuku Line begins operation
October 16, 2004: Major revision of Shōnan-Shinjuku Line services; Shinjuku-terminating trains abolished
May 1, 2006: JR Freight ceases operations between Taura and Zushi
March 15, 2008: Weekend/holiday through service to Zushi from the Yokohama and Negishi lines is abolished; new Yokosuka Line platform installed at Shinagawa Station
March 13, 2015: Ohayō Liner Zushi and Home Liner Zushi are discontinued.
March 17, 2018: Airport Narita services are discontinued.
Hinkaku Line
The Hinkaku Line was originally built to divert freight traffic from the busy Tōkaidō Main Line, providing an alternate route between and. After a 1967 explosion, freight trains were banned from portions of the central Tokyo rail network, providing the impetus for the construction of the orbital Musashino Line. The new Musashino Line was connected to the Hinkaku Line roughly 6 km north of Tsurumi Station near, siphoning off nearly all freight traffic after its opening in 1975. This left a substantial chunk of the double-tracked, mostly grade-separated Hinkaku Line disused. In order to put the line back into passenger service, a new 6 km track was installed between Tsurumi Station and the Musashino Line, where it was connected to the now-disused portion of the Hinkaku Line. Two new stations were constructed: one adjacent to the existing Kashimada Station on the Nambu Line in 1980 and another at in 1986. Musashi-Kosugi Station, the third station in this section opened in 2010 and provides a transfer to the Nambu Line as well as the TōkyūTōyoko and Meguro lines.
