Minobu Line

Minobu Line
Overview
Type	Passenger/Freight
Termini	Fuji Kōfu
Stations	39
Operation
Opened	1890
Owner	Central Japan Railway Company
Technical
Line length	88.4 km
Track gauge	1067 mm
Electrification	1500 V DC
Operating speed	85 km/h

Route Map of Minobu Line

Minobu Line

Legend Tōkaidō Main Line 0.0 Fuji Fuji depot Motoichiba; moved to Yunoki in 1969 1.5 Yunoki 2.8 Tatebori 5.6 Iriyamase Negata Tramway 8.0 Fujine 9.3 Gendōji 10.7 Fujinomiya Teishajō Fuji Tramway 11.9 Nishi-Fujinomiya 16.9 Numakubo 19.2 Shibakawa 24.0 Inako Shizuoka Prefecture Yamanashi Prefecture 26.3 Tōshima 29.4 Ide 31.9 Yorihata 34.1 Utsubuna 39.8 Kai-Ōshima 43.5 Minobu 45.7 Shionosawa 50.2 Hadakajima 51.7 Shimobe-onsen 54.1 Kai-Tokiwa 56.1 Ichinose 58.8 Kunado 60.3 Kai-Iwama 61.8 Ochii 66.8 Kajikazawaguchi 69.8 Ichikawa-Daimon 70.7 Ichikawa-Hommachi 71.7 Ashigawa 72.8 Kai-Ueno 76.3 Higashi-Hanawa 77.5 Koikawa 78.9 Jōei 81.2 Kokubo 83.1 Kai-Sumiyoshi 84.0 Minami-Kōfu 86.3 Zenkōji ←Chūō Main Line 87.2 Kanente JR Central / JR East 88.4 Kōfu Kōfu Ekimae Yamanashi Kōtsū Chūō Main Line

The Minobu Line (身延線, Minobu-sen^?) is a railway line of Central Japan Railway Company (JR Central) in the Tōkai region of Japan. It runs from Fuji Station in the city of Fuji, Shizuoka Prefecture to Kōfu Station in the city of Kōfu, Yamanashi Prefecture, and thus connects the Tōkaidō Main Line with the Chūō Main Line trunk railroads.

Description

• Distance: 88.4 km
  • Central Japan Railway Company (category 1)
• Gauge：1067 mm
• Stations: 39 including both ends
• Track:
  • Double: Fuji - Nishi-Fujinomiya
  • Single: the remainder
• Electrification: 1500V DC

Operation

The Limited Express Fujikawa (ふじかわ^?) is operated 7 laps a day, between Kōfu - Fuji - Shizuoka with JR Central 373 series. Other trains are local, more services in the both ends on Fuji - Nishi-Fujinomiya and Kajikazawaguchi - Kōfu than in the section in between. 313 series EMUs and 211 series EMUs are used for local services presently.

History

The Minobu line was planned by a private railway company Fuji Minobu Railway (富士身延鉄道, Fuji Minobu Tetsudō^?). A preceding horse tram line opened in 1890, Fuji Horse Tramway (富士馬車鉄道, Fuji Basha Tetsudō^?) from Suzukawa (present Yoshiwara) on the Tōkaidō Main Line to Ōmiya (present Fujinomiya), along the route in the southern tip. The tram was purchased by the railway in 1912. The following year the line was converted from horse tram to steam railway, and until 1920 the company gradually extending the line to Minobu, at a distance of 26.9 miles (43.3 km). In 1927 the line was electrified, and in 1928 reached Kōfu on Chūō Main Line and present stretch was completed in the distance of 54.7 miles (88.0 km).

In 1938 the Minobu line was leased to the government, and nationalized into the Japanese Government Railways (JGR) in 1941. The JGR became the JNR (Japanese National Railways]] after Wurld War II. The route of Fuji side was changed in 1968 to allow through trains from Tokyo without switchback, and the distance was slightly modified. In 1987 Central Japan Railway Company took over operations of the Minobu Line due to the privatization of the Japanese National Railways.

Stations

Name		Distance (km)	Connections	Location
Fuji	富士	0.0	JR Central: Tōkaidō Main Line	Fuji	Shizuoka Prefecture
Yunoki	柚木	1.5
Tatebori	竪堀	2.8
Iriyamase	入山瀬	5.6
Fujine	富士根	8.0
Gendōji	源道寺	9.3		Fujinomiya
Fujinomiya	富士宮	10.7
Nishi-Fujinomiya	西富士宮	11.9
Numakubo	沼久保	16.9
Shibakawa	芝川	19.2
Inako	稲子	24.0
Tōshima	十島	26.3		Nanbu	Yamanashi Prefecture
Ide	井出	29.4
Yorihata	寄畑	31.9
Utsubuna	内船	34.1
Kai-Ōshima	甲斐大島	39.8		Minobu
Minobu	身延	43.5
Shionosawa	塩之沢	45.7
Hadakajima	波高島	50.2
Shimobe-onsen	下部温泉	51.7
Kai-Tokiwa	甲斐常葉	54.1
Ichinose	市ノ瀬	56.1
Kunado	久那土	58.8
Kai-Iwama	甲斐岩間	60.3		Ichikawamisato
Ochii	落居	61.8
Kajikazawaguchi	鰍沢口	66.8
Ichikawa-Daimon	市川大門	69.8
Ichikawa-Hommachi	市川本町	70.7
Ashigawa	芦川	71.7
Kai-Ueno	甲斐上野	72.8
Higashi-Hanawa	東花輪	76.3		Chūō
Koikawa	小井川	77.5
Jōei	常永	78.9		Shōwa
Kokubo	国母	81.2		Kōfu
Kai-Sumiyoshi	甲斐住吉	83.1
Minami-Kōfu	南甲府	84.0
Zenkōji	善光寺	86.3
Kanente	金手	87.2
Kōfu	甲府	88.4	JR East: Chūō Main Line

See also

• List of railway lines in Japan

External link

• Minobu Line Station information