Jōban Line

Basic data

• Operators, distances:
• *East Japan Railway Company
• **Nippori – Haranomachi – Iwanuma:
• **Mikawashima – Sumidagawa – Minami-Senju :
• **Mikawashima – Tabata :
• *Japan Freight Railway Company
• **Mikawashima – Haranomachi – Iwanuma:
• **Mikawashima – Sumidagawa – Minami-Senju :
• **Mikawashima – Tabata :
• Double/quadruple tracking:
• *Quadruple: Ayase – Toride
• *Double: Nippori – Ayase, Toride – Yotsukura, Hirono – Kido, Ōno – Futaba
• Electrification:
• *1,500 V DC: Nippori – Toride, Mikawashima – Sumidagawa – Minami-Senju, Mikawashima – Tabata
• *20 kV AC, 50 Hz: Fujishiro – Iwanuma. This section of the line, along with a nearby section of the Tsukuba Express in Ibaraki Prefecture, uses alternating current in order to minimize interference with the nearby Kakioka Magnetic Observatory in Ishioka.
• *The dead section is located between Toride and Fujishiro
• Railway signalling:
• *Automatic Train Control : Ayase – Toride
• *Automatic Signaling Block for all other sections
• operation control
• *ATOS: Ueno – Hatori, local train track Ayase – Toride
• *CTC: All other sections

  Services

Shinagawa – Ueno – Iwaki

Shinagawa – Ueno – Toride

• Local : These local trains are commonly referred to as the Jōban Line 常磐線各駅停車. All local trains operate through services to the Tokyo Metro Chiyoda Line to/from via Ayase, where the Jōban Line and Chiyoda Line meet; some trains continue through on the Odakyu Odawara Line to/from or the Odakyu Tama Line to/from. Trains usually originate/terminate at Abiko. At rush hours, trains originate/terminate at Toride. Occasionally trains won't go too far, originating/terminating at Matsudo or Kashiwa.
• Rapid : Rapid trains are commonly referred to as the Jōban Line 常磐線快速. These services run between the southern termini of Ueno or Shinagawa to the northern termini of Toride. Some trains go on to the Narita Line to Narita via Abiko, and are referred to as Jōban・Narita Line trains. Rapid trains will skip some stations between Kita-Senju and Abiko, that local services mentioned above would stop.
• * Local : The "local" here refers to medium distance trains that operate north beyond Toride and stop at all stations north of Toride. South of Toride, they operate as rapid services, and are referred as such.
• Special Rapid : Special Rapid trains operate between Shinagawa and Tsuchiura, during non-rush hours at hourly intervals. These trains skip stations that even rapid trains would stop. This service is created to compete with the neighbouring railway line, the Tsukuba Express.

  Shinagawa – Ueno – Mito – Katsuta

• Local : These trains stop at every station north of Toride. Hence the name "local". There are two types of local trains:
• *Medium distance : These medium distance trains, as mentioned above, operate from central Tokyo to north of Toride and stop at all stations there. They terminate at various stations, namely Tsuchiura, Mito and Katsuta.
• ** Special Rapid : Special Rapid trains stop at every station between Toride and Tsuchiura, so they're essentially the same as the medium distance trains, but become a different service once past south of Toride.
• * Mito Line through service : These trains run through services to the Mito Line via Tomobe Station, operating from Oyama to Katsuta.

  Mito – Iwaki

• Local : These trains stop at every station, operating between Mito and Takahagi / Iwaki
• *Medium distance / through service: In early morning and late night, few medium distance trains and Mito Line through trains operate to as far as Takahagi, which is located about mid-way in this section.

  Iwaki – Sendai

Iwaki – Tomioka

Tomioka – Namie

Namie – Sendai

Station list

• The above is a diagram indicating Jōban Line service patterns within Greater Tokyo.
• For more information on limited express services, see their respective pages.

  Shinagawa – Ueno – Mito – Iwaki

• Trains stop at stations marked "●" and pass those marked "｜"
• Few trains stop at stations marked "△"

  Iwaki – Iwanuma – Sendai

• Train services are suspended at stations marked "×"
• Stations marked "◇" are dual-tracked and allow trains to pass

  Rolling stock

Local / Rapid service stock

Shinagawa – Ueno – Iwaki

• Jōban Line
• * JR East stock
• ** E233-2000 series 10-car EMUs
• * Tokyo Metro stock
• ** Tokyo Metro 16000 series 10-car EMUs
• * Odakyu stock
• **Odakyu 4000 series
• Jōban Line
• *E231 series 10+5-car EMUs
• Jōban Line
• *E501 series 10+5-car EMUs
• *E531 series 10+5-car EMUs

  Iwaki – Sendai

• 701 series
• 719 series
• E531 series
• E721 series

  Limited express stock

• E657 series 10-car EMUs

  Past

• 80 series DMUs
• 401 series EMUs
• 485 series EMUs
• 103 series 10+5-car EMUs
• 103-1000 series 10-car EMUs
• 403 series/415 series 7+4+4-car EMUs
• 207–900 series 10-car EMU
• 203 series 10-car EMUs
• 415–1500 series 4-car EMUs
• 651 series 7+4-car EMUs
• E653 series 7+4-car EMUs
• 209–1000 series 10-car EMUs

  History

Timelines

• January 16, 1889: Mito Railway begins operation.
• November 26, 1890: Mito Railway Freight Line begins operation.
• March 1, 1892: Mito Railway becomes part of the Nippon Railway.
• November 4, 1895: Nippon Railway Tsuchiura Line begins operation.
• December 1, 1895: Hatori Station opens.
• December 25, 1896: Tsuchiura Line, Sumidagawa Line begin operation.
• February 25, 1897: Iwaki Line begins operation.
• May 17, 1897: Tsuchiura Line Kameari Station opens.
• August 29, 1897: Iwaki Line begins operation.
• November 10, 1897: Iwaki Line begins operation.
• December 27, 1897: Tsuchiura Line Kanamachi Station opens.
• January 1898: Kitasenju — Sumidagawa connection opens.
• April 1, 1898: Ishigami Station opens.
• April 3, 1898: Iwaki Line begins operation.
• May 11, 1898: Iwaki Line begins operation.
• August 6, 1898: Tsuchiura Line Mabashi Station opens.
• August 23, 1898: Iwaki Line begins operation, connecting Tabata and Iwanuma. Tsuchiura Line and Mito Line and Iwaki Line are collectively renamed the Kaigan Line.
• December 1, 1898: Taka Station is renamed Iwaki-Ōta Station.
• August 4, 1900: Sanuki Station opens.
• November 22, 1904: Ōno Station opens.
• April 1, 1905: With the completion of Mikawashima — Nippori connection, the present-day route is finished. Nippori and Mikawashima Stations open. Service from Ueno to Tabata and back is abolished.
• November 1, 1906: Nippon Railway is nationalized.
• March 25, 1909: Tatsuta Station opens.
• October 12, 1909: Kaigan Line split and renamed: Jōban Line and Sumidagawa Line. Jōban Line also handles freight services.
• February 16, 1910: Minami-Nakagō Station opens.
• March 18, 1910: Katsuta and Ogitsu Stations open.
• May 1, 1911: Kita-Kogane Station opens.
• May 5, 1911: Sumidagawa Line is merged into the Jōban Line.
• June 1, 1915: Yoshida Station is renamed Hamayoshida Station.
• March 15, 1921: Yonomori Station opens.
• August 15, 1922: Nittaki Station opens.
• February 2, 1925: Kōen-Shimo Station opens, but only operates during the ume blossom-viewing season.
• October 28, 1925: Nippori — Taira connection finished.
• December 11, 1936: Nippori — Matsudo tracks are electrified.
• October 1, 1939: Shimomago Station is renamed Hitachi-Taga Station.
• October 20, 1939: Sukegawa Station is renamed Hitachi Station.
• February 15, 1944: Momouchi signal box is built between Namie and Odaka.
• February 20, 1944: Suetsugi signal box is built between Kunohama and Hirono.
• June 1, 1947: Suetsugi signal box becomes Suetsugi Station.
• August 10, 1948: Momouchi signal box becomes Momouchi Station.
• May 10, 1949: Shimoyama Station opens.
• June 1, 1949: Matsudo — Toride tracks are electrified.
• July 6, 1949: In what is known as the Shimoyama incident, JNR president at the time, Shimoyama Sadanori, is mysteriously found dead between Kita-Senju and Ayase Stations.
• May 10, 1950: Sekimoto Station is renamed Ōtsukō Station.
• May 1, 1952: Kita-Matsudo Station opens.
• July 10, 1952: Komagamine Station opens.
• October 1, 1953: Minami-Kashiwa Station opens.
• December 20, 1956: Tsuzura Station is renamed Uchigō Station.
• April 1, 1957: Ishigami Station is renamed Tōkai Station.
• June 1, 1958: Semi-express Tokiwa begins operation.
• October 10, 1958: The Limited express Hatsukari begins operation. It stops at Ueno, Mito, Taira, and Sendai Stations when it runs on the Jōban Line tracks.
• October 1, 1959: Nagatsuka Station is renamed Futaba Station.
• October 1, 1960: Kanayama signal box is built between Tatsuta and Tomioka. Ōkuma signal box is built between Watari and Iwanuma.
• March 20, 1961: Nakamura Station is renamed Sōma Station.
• June 1, 1961: Toride — Katsuta tracks are electrified.
• May 3, 1962: The Mikawashima Rail Crash occurs between Mikawashima and Minami-Senju when an Iwaki-bound passenger train crashes into the wreckage of a crash between an Ueno-bound passenger train and an Ueno-bound freight train. 160 people die and 296 are injured in the incident.
• October 1, 1962: Katsuta — Takahagi tracks are electrified.
• May 1, 1963: Takahagi — Taira tracks are electrified.
• April 20, 1963: Takahira signal box is built between Haranomachi and Kashima.
• September 30, 1963: Taira — Kusano tracks are electrified.
• March 5, 1966: Tokiwa semi-express becomes an express.
• February 1, 1967: Kōen-Shimo Station is renamed Kairakuen Station.
• August 20, 1967: With the electrification of the Kusano — Iwanuma tracks, the entire Jōban Line becomes electrified.
• October 1, 1968: Hatsukari express is rerouted to the Tōhoku Main Line.
• October 1, 1969: Kairakuen Station becomes a temporary station. Seasonal Hitachi express begins operation.
• April 10, 1970: Freight line Kita-Kashiwa Station opens.
• October 1, 1970: Hitachi operates as a regular express.
• April 20, 1971: Construction of the Kita-Senju — Abiko Joban Local Line is finished and runs through service to the Eidan Subway Chiyoda Line.. Tennōdai Station opens and Kita-Kashiwa Station is open to passengers.
• April 1, 1973: Shin-Matsudo Station opens.
• March 31, 1978: With the extension of its tracks to Yoyogi-Uehara Station, the Chiyoda Line shares tracks with the Odakyu Odawara Line up to Hon-Atsugi Station. 203 series trains are introduced to run through service to the Chiyoda Line.
• November 15, 1982: Jōban Line Local Service extended from Abiko — Toride.
• February 1, 1984: Mito — Nakagawa freight line is closed.
• March 14, 1985: Bampaku-Chūō Station is temporarily opened for the Tsukuba Expo '85. The Uchigō-System-ku is abolished. The Tokiwa express is discontinued.
• April 1, 1987: With the split of JNR, the Joban Line becomes part of JR East.
• August 2, 1988: Ōkuma signal box becomes Ōkuma Station.
• March 11, 1989: 651 series Super Hitachi limited-express EMUs enter service.
• February 1, 1993: Kanayama signal box is abolished.
• February 10, 1993: Takahira signal box is abolished.
• December 3, 1994: Taira Station is renamed Iwaki Station.
• December 1, 1995: E501 series begins service between Ueno and Tsuchiura.
• October 1, 1997: E653 series Fresh Hitachi limited-express EMUs enter service.
• March 14, 1998: Hitachino-Ushiku Station opens where Bampaku-Chūō Station used to stand.
• December 7, 1998: 485 series Hitachi limited-express EMUs are retired.
• March 3, 2002: New E231 series EMUs introduced on commuter services.
• March 13, 2004: Kawajiri Station is renamed Jūō Station. Regular trains begin making stops at Mikawashima and Minami-Senju Stations throughout the day.
• October 16, 2004: Medium-distance trains are called rapid trains for the section between Ueno and Toride.
• July 9, 2005: New E531 series dual-voltage EMUs enter service on line. Special Rapid Service begins between Ueno — Tsuchiura. Commuter Rapid service from Ueno ends. One Commuter Rapid service still runs from Mito to Ueno.
• March 17, 2006: All Commuter Rapid Service ends.
• May 15, 2006: Women-only cars introduced on Joban Local Line trains from Toride running through to Yoyogi-Uehara on the Tokyo Metro Chiyoda Line.
• January 6, 2007: Double-deck Green cars are phased in on E531 series EMUs running between Ueno and Takahagi. No Green car supplement required until start of new timetable on 2007-03-18.
• February 21, 2007: E501 series EMUs removed from Ueno – Tsuchiura services.
• March 18, 2007: Full Green car service commences on E531 series EMUs running between Ueno and Takahagi; E501 series EMUs reassigned to Mito Line and Jōban services north of Tsuchiura become 10-car or 5-car formations only
• March 15, 2008: Suica use extended to stations between Hitachi and Takahagi
• March 14, 2009: Suica use extended to Takahagi – Iwaki and Haranomachi – Yamashita sections
• September 9, 2009: E233 series 10-car EMUs introduced on Chiyoda Line through services
• March 11, 2011: During the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami, a 4-car train on the line was picked up off the tracks by the tsunami surge and overturned at Shinchi and Tomioka stations. All passengers from the train were evacuated before the tsunami came ashore. Tomioka was affected by the Fukushima nuclear disaster and was prohibited entrance without legal permission.
• January 8, 2014: Thales is selected to design Japan's first communications-based train control system on the line.
• May 2014: Test-running commenced on the section of the line between and stations closed since the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami, with the intention of resuming passenger services on this section from 1 June.
• June 1, 2014: Train operations resumed between Hirono and Tatsuta.
• July 12, 2016: Train operations were resumed between Odaka and Haranomachi stations in Minami-Soma, Fukushima Prefecture.
• December 10, 2016: The 23 km reconstructed section between Soma and Hamayoshida reopened.
• April 1, 2017: Train services from Odaka south to Namie resumed.
• October 21, 2017: Train services resumed north from Tatsuta to Tomioka.
• March 14, 2020: The section between Tomioka and Namie reopens 9 years after the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami reconstruction, bringing the full line back to service.

  Former connecting lines

• Tsuchiura Station: The Tsukura Railway opened a 40 km line to Iwase on the Mito Line in 1918. Freight services ceased in 1981, and the line closed in 1987.
• Tsuchiura Station: A 5 km line to Ami, electrified at 600 VDC, was operated by the Southern Electric Railway Co. between 1926/28 and 1938.
• Mito Station: The Mito Seashore Electric Railway Co. opened a line eventually extending 21 km between Kamimito and Nakaminato-Cho, electrified at 600 VDC, between 1922 and 1930. It closed in sections between 1953 and 1966. At Onuki station on this line the Kashima Light Railway Co. operated a 17 km 762mm gauge line between 1926 and 1930 to Hokota.
• Mito Station: The Mito Electric Railway Co. operated an 11 km line to Okunotani between 1929 and 1936.
• Ishioka Station: The Kashima Sangu Railway opened a 27 km line to Hokota between 1924 and 1929. Freight services ceased in 2002 and the line closed in 2007.
• Akatsuka Station: A 25 km line to Gozenyama was opened by the Ibaraki Railway Co. in 1926/27. In 1944/45 the first 4 km of the line to Minami Hakamatsuka was electrified. The line closed in sections between 1965 and 1971.
• Tokai Station: The Ibaraki Prefectural Government operated a 4 km 762 mm gauge line to Muramutsu between 1926 and 1933.
• Omika Station: An 11 km line to Johoku Ota was opened by the Johoku Electric Railway in 1928/29. In 1944 the company merged with the Hitachi Electric Railway, and a 7 km line to Akukawa was opened in 1947. Both lines were electrified at 600 V DC from opening. CTC signalling was commissioned in 1969, and in 1971 the lines became the first electric railway in Japan converted to one-person operation. Both lines closed in 2005.
• Izumi Station: The Onahama Horse tram opened a 762 mm gauge line 5 km to its namesake town in 1907, and extended the line a further 5 km to Ena in 1916. The Onahama - Ena section closed in 1936, the company renamed itself the Onahama Port Railway in 1939, and converted the line to 1,067 mm gauge in 1941. The Ena Railway rebuilt the Onahama - Ena section as 1,067 mm gauge in 1953. In 1965 a typhoon caused the collapse of a retaining wall, and the Onahama - Ena section formally closed in 1967. The passenger service on the Izumi - Onahama section ceased in 1972, the line is now freight-only operated by the Fukushima Rinkai Railway.
• Yumoto station: The 10 km 762mm gauge Iwaki Coalmine Railway operated to Onahama between 1905 and 1944.
• Yumoto station: A 6 km 762mm gauge line to Nagahashi was operated by the Iwaki City Council between 1914 and 1929.
• Uchigo station: The Furukawa Co. built a 7 km 762mm gauge line to the Kita-Yoshima coal mine in 1905. In 1908 the line was rebuilt to 1067mm gauge and shortened by 1 km. The mine and line closed in 1969.
• Iwaki station: The Yoshima and Akai local railways connected here, details of these lines are not currently available.