Beginning from Ueno Station, the project involved re-laying about 2.5 km of existing tracks that formerly linked the two stations until separated near Kanda Station to make room for the Tōhoku Shinkansen extension to Tokyo. The gap was reconnected by a new 1.3 km top deck on the existing Shinkansen viaduct near Kanda Station with ramps at either end up from the existing formations. Provision was made during construction of the Shinkansen link for eventual restoration of through traffic on the Tohoku Lines. JR East built train turnback facilities at Shinagawa Station on the Tokaido Line, allowing through trains from Ueno to terminate there and return north.
Services
Trains from the Utsunomiya Line, Joban Line, and Takasaki Line run non-stop between Ueno and Tokyo Station and continue on the Tokaido Line towards , , Ōfuna, Hiratsuka, Kōzu, Odawara, Atami, Numazu in the JR Central Tokaido Main Line and Ito in the Itō Line. Initially, up to 15 services per hour run during the morning peak, increased to 20 per hour in 2016. Joban Line limited express services were extended south of Ueno via the Ueno-Tokyo Line, with most services terminating at Shinagawa Station. At present, the longest journey of the Ueno–Tokyo Line is the local train that runs between Atami and Kuroiso. The total length is 267.9 km and the journey time is about 4 hours 40~45 minutes. It runs through 5 prefectures in total and Tokyo Metropolis.
History
The Tohoku Main Line ran to Tokyo station both prior to and following World War II. Although the connector between Ueno and Tokyo was only used for freight trains and forwarding at first, the Allied occupation forces ran passenger trains from Tokyo Station through the Tohoku Main Line following World War II, and this was followed by a number of through services from the 1950s until the 1970s. The connection between Ueno and Tokyo was closed to passenger service in April 1973, and to freight service in January 1983; the portion of the line around Akihabara and Kanda was dismantled to provide a right-of-way to extend the Tohoku Shinkansen to Tokyo Station, with through services to Tokyo station commencing in 1991. A government panel recommendation in 2000 suggested restoring the connector between Ueno and Tokyo by 2015, and JR East officially announced the project on 27 March 2002. The project received support from various local governments, particularly in Saitama Prefecture, Ibaraki Prefecture, and other areas to the north of Tokyo. However, residents of the area immediately surrounding the project cited light blockage and earthquake risk, and applied to a Tokyo court for an injunction against construction in 2007. The lawsuit was dismissed in 2012. The project was originally scheduled to be completed in fiscal 2013, but completion was delayed by the effects of the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami.
Station list
Future developments
In January 2014, JR East president Tetsuro Tomita indicated that the company was considering the possibility of linking the Ueno-Tokyo Line in the future with a new direct access line to Haneda Airport also under consideration. Although there had been discussion of completing this extension prior to the 2020 Olympics, the plan was indefinitely shelved in 2015.
