Negishi Line

Negishi Line 根岸線
Sakuragichō Station
Overview
Type	Heavy rail
Locale	Kanagawa Prefecture
Termini	Yokohama Ōmiya
Stations	12
Operation
Opened	1872
Owner	JR East
Operator(s)	JR East, JR Freight
Technical
Line length	22.1 km (13.7 mi)
Track gauge	1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in)
Electrification	1,500 V DC overhead catenary
Operating speed	95 km/h (60 mph)
Route map

The Negishi Line (根岸線, Negishi-sen^?) is a Japanese railway line which runs between Yokohama and Ōfuna stations. It is operated by East Japan Railway Company (JR East). Freight trains also run on this line, and it is essential for the southern Keihin region.

The Negishi Line does not exist as an independent service. Nearly all passenger trains are operated through onto the Keihin-Tōhoku Line (京浜東北線, Keihin-tōhoku-sen^?) past Yokohama to Kamata, Tokyo, and Ōmiya; as a result, the entire service between Ōmiya and Ōfuna is typically referred to as the Keihin-Tōhoku—Negishi Line (京浜東北線・根岸線^?) on system maps and in-train station guides. Keihin-Tōhoku Line—Negishi Line trains are recognizable by their light blue stripe (the line's color on maps is also light blue).

A few trains travel through to Hachiōji via the Yokohama Line.

Basic data

• Operator, distances:
  • East Japan Railway Company (JR East) (Services and tracks)
    • Yokohama – Isogo – Ōfuna: 22.1 km (13.7 mi)
  • Japan Freight Railway Company (JR Freight) (Services only)
    • Sakuragichō – Ōfuna: 20.1 km (12.5 mi)
• Gauge: 1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in)
• Double-tracking: Entire line
• Railway signalling: Automatic Train Control

Services

During the daytime, trains operate every 3 minutes between Yokohama and Sakuragichō stations (including Yokohama Line trains). Between Sakuragichō and Isogo, trains operate every 5 minutes, and Isogo and Ōfuna every 10 minutes.

The limited express Hamakaiji also operates on the Negishi Line.

Freight services

Freight trains are a common sight on the Negishi Line. The following rail companies either link up to or use the Negishi Line for the purpose of transporting freight:

• Takashima Freight Line (高島貨物線^?) (Sakuragichō)
• Kanagawa Rinkai Railway (神奈川臨海鉄道^?) (Negishi)
• Tōkaidō Freight Line (東海道貨物線^?) (Hongōdai)

History

The oldest station on the line is Sakuragichō, which was opened by the Japanese Government Railways on June 12, 1872^{[note 1]} as the first railway terminal in Yokohama of the first railway line in Japan. The line was extended to Kōzu on July 11, 1887; trains had to reverse direction at Yokohama via a switchback to continue their journeys. This was alleviated by a bypass line between Kanagawa and Hodogaya which opened on August 1, 1898. The branch was named the Tōkaidō Main Line Branch Line on October 12, 1909.

Takashimachō Station opened between Kanagawa and Yokohama on December 20, 1914 as the terminus of an electrified Keihin Line (the predecessor of today's Keihin-Tōhoku Line). On August 15, 1915, a new Yokohama Station opened, absorbing nearby Takashimachō and becoming the new terminus of the line. The old Yokohama station was renamed Sakuragichō and the Sakuragichō – Hodogaya bypass closed. Keihin Line service was extended to Sakuragichō on December 30, 1915 when freight service was abolished on the branch.

Yokohama Station moved on October 15, 1928; between then and January 26, 1930, temporary platforms for the Keihin Line were provided on either side of the station.

The Sakuragichō train fire occurred on April 24, 1951.

On May 19, 1964, the line was extended for the first time to Isogo. The line was renamed the Negishi Line after one of the new stations. The Takashima freight line opened on June 1 that year and freight service returned to the line after a nearly 50-year absence. 103 series trains were introduced to the line in October 1965.

The line was extended from Isogo to Yōkōdai on March 17, 1970. On May 20 that year, a 103 series train derailed between Shin-Sugita and Yōkōdai, seriously injuring two people. The final section between Yōkōdai and Ōfuna opened on April 9, 1973; On October 1 that year, freight service commenced between Ōfuna and Isogo.

Freight services between Ōfuna and Isogo ceased on February 1, 1984; three days prior to this, the line adopted Automatic Train Control. On April 1, 1987 the Japanese National Railways were privatized, with ownership of the Negishi Line passing to JR East; JR Freight took over freight services on the line.

Some trains began operating through onto the Yokosuka Line on March 15, 2008.

Station list

• All stations are located in Kanagawa Prefecture.
• All trains stop at every station (excluding some seasonal trains).

Station	Japanese	Distance (km)				Transfers	Location
		Between stations	Total
			from Yokohama	from Ōmiya	from Hachiōji
Through operation via the Keihin-Tohoku Line to Ōmiya and from Higashi-Kanagawa via the Yokohama Line to Hachiōji
Yokohama	横浜	-	0.0	59.1	44.4	Keihin-Tohoku Line (through service), Yokosuka Line, Tōkaidō Line Tōkyū Tōyoko Line Keikyū Main Line Sagami Railway Main Line Yokohama Municipal Subway Blue Line (B20) Minatomirai Line	Nishi-ku, Yokohama
Sakuragichō	桜木町	2.0	2.0	61.1	46.4	Yokohama Municipal Subway Blue Line (B18)	Naka-ku, Yokohama
Kannai	関内	1.0	3.0	62.1	47.4	Yokohama Municipal Subway Blue Line (B17)
Ishikawachō	石川町	0.8	3.8	62.9	48.2
Yamate	山手	1.2	5.0	64.1	49.4
Negishi	根岸	2.1	7.1	66.2	51.5		Isogo-ku, Yokohama
Isogo	磯子	2.4	9.5	68.6	53.9
Shin-Sugita	新杉田	1.6	11.1	70.2	55.5	Kanazawa Seaside Line Keikyū Main Line (Sugita)
Yōkōdai	洋光台	3.0	14.1	73.2	58.5
Kōnandai	港南台	1.9	16.0	75.1	60.4		Kōnan-ku, Yokohama
Hongōdai	本郷台	2.5	18.5	77.6	62.9		Sakae-ku, Yokohama
Ōfuna	大船	3.6	22.1	81.2	66.5	Tōkaidō Line, Yokosuka Line, Shōnan-Shinjuku Line Shōnan Monorail
							Kamakura

Footnotes

1. ^ July 5 according to the calendar that Japan used at the time

References

External links

Media related to Negishi Line at Wikimedia Commons

• Stations of the Negishi Line (JR East) (Japanese)
• Negishi Line Web (Unofficial) (Japanese)