Chichibu Main Line

Chichibu Railway 5000, 6000, and 1000 series EMUs stabled next to Kumagaya Station, December 2007

The Chichibu Main Line (秩父本線, Chichibu-honsen^?) is a railway line in Japan, owned by Chichibu Railway, which links Hanyū and Mitsumineguchi, both in Saitama Prefecture.

Locals living around the line call it the Chichibu sen, or Chichibu line. This is not to be confused with Seibu Railway's nearby Seibu Chichibu Line, which is almost always referred to in full to avoid ambiguities.

Technical details

• Total distance: 71.7 km
• Rail gauge: 1,067 mm
• Number of stations: 35 (incl. both termini)
• Track layout: All single
• Electrification: All (1,500 V DC)
• Block system: Automatic

Stations

Station	Japanese	Distance (km)		Local service to/from Seibu Chichibu Line		Chichibuji Express	SL Paleo Express	Transfer	Location
		Between Stations	Total
Hanyū	羽生	-	0.0			○		Tōbu Isesaki Line	Hanyū
Nishi-Hanyū	西羽生	1.2	1.2			｜
Shingō	新郷	1.4	2.6			｜
Bushū-Araki	武州荒木	2.2	4.8			｜			Gyōda
Higashi-Gyōda	東行田	2.5	7.3			｜
Gyōdashi	行田市	1.0	8.3			○
Mochida	持田	1.8	10.1			｜
Kumagaya	熊谷	4.8	14.9			●	●	Jōetsu Shinkansen, Nagano Shinkansen, Takasaki Line (Shōnan-Shinjuku Line)	Kumagaya
Kami-Kumagaya	上熊谷	0.9	15.8			｜	｜
Ishiwara	石原	1.2	17.0			｜	｜
Hirose-Yachō-no-Mori	ひろせ野鳥の森	1.5	18.5			｜	｜
Ōasō	大麻生	1.3	20.3			｜	｜
Aketo	明戸	2.6	22.9			｜	｜		Fukaya
Takekawa	武川	1.9	24.8			●	●	Chichibu Railway: Mikajiri Freight Line
Nagata	永田	2.3	27.1			｜	｜
Omaeda	小前田	3.4	30.5			｜	｜
Sakurazawa	桜沢	1.4	31.9			｜	｜		Yorii, Ōsato District
Yorii	寄居	1.9	33.8			●	●	Hachikō Line Tōbu Tōjō Line
Hagure	波久礼	3.9	37.7			｜	▼
Higuchi	樋口	4.4	42.1			｜	｜		Nagatoro, Chichibu District
Nogami	野上	2.6	44.7			●	｜
Nagatoro	長瀞	1.8	46.5	●		●	●
Kami-Nagatoro	上長瀞	1.1	47.6	●	Through operation to Seibu-Chichibu (Seibu Chichibu Line)	｜	｜
Oyahana	親鼻	1.6	49.2	●		｜	｜		Minano, Chichibu District
Minano	皆野	1.6	50.8	●		●	●
Wadō-Kuroya	和銅黒谷	2.6	53.4	●		｜	｜		Chichibu
Bushū-Haraya Freight Terminal	武州原谷	2.1	55.5	｜		｜	｜
Ōnohara	大野原	1.1	56.6	●		｜	｜
Chichibu	秩父	2.4	59.0	●		●	●
Ohanabatake	御花畑	0.7	59.7	●		●	●	Seibu Chichibu Line (Seibu-Chichibu)
Kagemori	影森	2.7	62.4	Through operation to Yokoze (Seibu Chichibu Line)	●	▲	｜
Urayamaguchi	浦山口	1.4	63.8		●	｜	｜
Bushū-Nakagawa	武州中川	2.4	66.2		●	｜	｜
Bushū-Hino	武州日野	1.5	67.7		●	｜	｜
Shiroku	白久	2.7	70.4		●	｜	｜
Mitsumineguchi	三峰口	1.3	71.7		●	●	●

Legend

• ● - All trains stop
• ○ - Some trains stop
• ▲ - Some trains pass
• ▼ - Trains make seasonal stops
• | - All trains pass

History

• 7 October 1901: The line opens between Kumagaya and Yorii operated by the Jōbu Railway (上武鉄道^?) using steam haulage.^[1]
• 15 March 1918: The Line is electrified at 1,200 V DC.
• 1 August 1922: The Chichibu Railway acquires the Hokubu Railway (北武鉄道^?) operating between Hanyū and Kumagaya.^[1]
• 1 February 1952: The line voltage is raised to 1,500 V DC.^[1]
• 1954: Through services to/from the Tōbu Tōjō Line commence.
• 1988: The steam locomotive-hauled Paleo Express service commences.
• 1989: Through services to/from the Seibu Railway commence.

Rolling stock

Rolling stock currently used

• 1000 series 3-car EMUs (formerly JNR 101 series) (from 1986)
• 5000 series 3-car EMUs (formerly Toei 6000 series) (from 1999)
• 6000 series 3-car EMUs x3 (formerly Seibu 101 series) (from March 2006)
• 7000 series 3-car EMUs x2 (formerly Tokyu 8500 series) (from March 2009)
• 7500 series 3-car EMUs (formerly Tokyu 8090 series) (from March 2010)
• 12 series passenger coaches (for Paleo Express)
• C58 steam locomotive (No. C58 363 for Paleo Express)
• DeKi 100 electric locomotives (x6)
• DeKi 200 electric locomotive (x1)
• DeKi 300 electric locomotives (x3)
• DeKi 500 electric locomotives (x7)

Source: ^[2]

Rolling stock previously used

• 300 series 2-car EMUs (from 1959 until October 1992)
• 500 series 2-car EMUs (from 1957 until March 1992)
• 800 series 2-car EMUs (formerly Odakyū 1800 series) (from 1979 until 1990)
• 2000 series 4-car EMUs (formerly Tokyu 7000 series) (from 1991 until 2000)
• 3000 series 3-car EMUs x3 (formerly JR East 165 series) (from 1992 until December 2006)
• 43 series passenger coaches (for Paleo Express)

References

1. ^ ^{a b c} Terada, Hirokazu (July 2002). データブック日本の私鉄 [Databook: Japan's Private Railways]. Japan: Neko Publishing. ISBN 4-87366-874-3. 
2. ^ 私鉄車両編成表 2010 [Private Railway Rolling Stock Formations - 2010]. Japan: JRR. August 2010. p. 15. ISBN 978-4-330-15310-0. 

External links

• Chichibu Railway website (Japanese)