Sōtetsu Main Line

The Sōtetsu Main Line (相鉄本線, Sōtetsu Honsen) is a railway line in Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan, operated by the private railway operator Sagami Railway (Sotetsu). It connects Yokohama and Ebina.

Not to be confused with Sagami Line.

Sōtetsu Main Line
A 20000 series EMU in October 2020
Overview
Native name相鉄本線
OwnerSagami Railway (Sotetsu)
LocaleKanagawa Prefecture
Termini
Stations18
Service
TypeCommuter rail
Depot(s)Kashiwadai Station
Daily ridership566,657 (FY2010)[1]
History
Opened12 May 1926
Technical
Line length24.6 km (15.3 mi)
Track gauge1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in)
Electrification1,500 V DC overhead catenary
Operating speed100 km/h (60 mph)
Route map
 0.0 Yokohama
 0.9 Hiranumabashi
 1.8 Nishi-Yokohama
 2.4 Tennōchō
 3.3 Hoshikawa
 4.3 Wadamachi
 5.0 Kamihoshikawa
Yokohama Hazawa freight (JR)
Tōkaidō Main Line freight line
6.9 Nishiya
8.5 Tsurugamine
 10.5 Futamatagawa
Sagami Railway Izumino Line
 12.2 Kibōgaoka
 13.6 Mitsukyō
 15.5 Seya
17.4 Yamato
19.3 Sagami-Ōtsuka
20.5 Sagamino
 21.8 Kashiwadai
 Kashiwadai Depot
23.8
0.0
 Sagami-Kokubu Signal
24.6 Ebina
Sagami Railway Atsugi Line (freight)
-
2.2
 Atsugi

Services

Services on the Main Line are divided into four categories. Some trains travel along the Izumino Line west of Futamatagawa to Shōnandai.

  • Local (各停) - services stop at all stations. They do not travel from end to end; services are split at Futamatagawa, with trains running between Yokohama and Futamatagawa and between Futamatagawa and either Ebina or Shōnandai.
  • Rapid (快速) - services stop between Yokohama and Futamatagawa at Hoshikawa, Nishiya and Tsurugamine, and at all stations from Futamatagawa to either Ebina or Shōnandai.
  • Express (急行) - services run non-stop between Yokohama and Futamatagawa, and stop at all stations west of Futamatagawa to Ebina.
  • Commuter Express (通勤急行 or 通急) - services stop between Yokohama and Futamatagawa at Nishiya and Tsurugamine, and at all stations from Futamatagawa to either Ebina or Shōnandai.
  • Commuter Limited Express (通勤特急 or 通特) services stop between Yokohama and Futamatagawa at Nishiya and Tsurugamine, and at Yamato or Izumino from Futamatagawa to either Ebina or Shōnandai.
  • Limited Express (特急) services stop between Yokohama and Ebina at Nishiya, Futamatagawa and Yamato.

Stations
  • Local trains and JR Direct Local trains stop at all stations; for all other train types, trains stop at stations marked ●, pass stations marked | .
  • Commuter Express and Commuter Limited Express trains stop at station marked ▲ .
    • R: Rapid
    • E: Express
    • L: Limited Express
    • JR: Limited Express service via Saikyō Line
No. Station Japanese Distance (km) R E L JR Transfers Location
Yokohama 横浜 0.0 ● ● ● JT Tokaido Main Line

JK Keihin-Tōhoku Line
JK Negishi Line
JO Yokosuka Line
TY Tōkyū Tōyoko Line
KK Keikyū Main Line
Yokohama City Transportation Bureau: Yokohama Municipal Subway Blue Line
Minatomirai Line

 Nishi-ku, Yokohama Kanagawa Prefecture
Hiranumabashi 平沼橋 0.9 | | |
Nishi-Yokohama 西横浜 1.8 | | |
Tennōchō 天王町 2.4 | | | Hodogaya-ku, Yokohama
Hoshikawa 星川 3.3 ● | |
Wadamachi 和田町 4.3 | | |
Kamihoshikawa 上星川 5.0 | | |
Nishiya 西谷 6.9 ● ▲ ● ● Sōtetsu–JR Direct Line (Shin-Yokohama Line)
Tsurugamine 鶴ヶ峰 8.5 ● ▲ ▲ | Asahi-ku, Yokohama
Futamatagawa 二俣川 10.5 ● ● ● ● Izumino Line
Kibōgaoka 希望ヶ丘 12.2 ● ● | |
Mitsukyō 三ツ境 13.6 ● ● | | Seya-ku, Yokohama
Seya 瀬谷 15.5 ● ● | |
Yamato 大和 17.4 ● ● ● ● Odakyu Enoshima Line Yamato
Sagami-Ōtsuka 相模大塚 19.3 ● ● | |
Sagamino さがみ野 20.5 ● ● | | Ebina
Kashiwadai かしわ台 21.8 ● ● | |
Ebina 海老名 24.6 ● ● ● ● Odakyu Odawara Line
Sagami Line

Rolling stock

Future

Non-revenue-earning stock

  • 2000 series
  • ED10 electric locomotives

History

The line opened on 12 May 1926 as the steam-operated Jinchu Railway (神中鉄道, Jinchū Tetsudō) between Futamatagawa and Atsugi (on the present-day Sagami Line).[2] The line was extended from Futamatagawa to Yokohama in December 1933, and from the former station at Sagami-Kokubu (相模国分) (now closed) in November 1941.[2]

The line became the Sagami Railway Jinchu Line (相模鉄道神中線) from 1 April 1943.[2]

Work to electrify the line commenced in June 1942, with the entire line between Yokohama and Ebina electrified by 20 September 1944.[2]

Work to double-track the line commenced in January 1957 between Yokohama and Nishi-Yokohama. The entire line was double-tracked by March 1974.[2]

The first air-conditioned trains (4-car 6000 series EMUs) were introduced on the line on 3 July 1971.[2]

10-car trains started operating on the line from 6 April 1981.[2]

Station ticket barriers were modified to allow use of the Passnet magnetic farecard from 1 October 2000.[2]

There was a short spur line which branched from Sagamino Station to the Naval Air Facility Atsugi air base. While the track remains in place up to the fence of the base, the line is no longer in use.

In order to improve safety and efficiency, a 2.8 km (1.7 mi) section around Tsurugamine Station is being transitioned to an underground structure.[3] The underground track section and new station building is expected to be completed in 2034.[3]

Future plans
Main article: Sōtetsu Shin-Yokohama Line

The Sotetsu Shin-Yokohama Line is currently under construction, linking Nishiya to Hazawa Yokohama-Kokudai, Shin-Yokohama and further to the Tōkyū Shin-Yokohama Line. Through service to the Saikyō Line began on 30 November 2019 while services to the Tōkyū Shin-Yokohama Line are scheduled to begin on 18 March 2023.[4]

With the opening of this new line, Limited Express and Rapid services will make stops at Nishiya, which facilitates transfer between services to central Yokohama and the Tokyo Metropolis.

In addition, two new service types will be implemented.[5] They are the Commuter Limited Express (通勤特急) and Commuter Express (通勤急行) services, which both operate through services from / to the Izumino Line. The former service will replace the current Limited Express on the Izumino Line, and will make additional stops at Nishiya and Tsurugamine. The latter service is a brand new service, making stops at all stations west of Nishiya.

References
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Sagami Railway Main Line.
  1. Sagami Railway station ridership in 2010 Train Media (sourced from Sagami Railway) Retrieved May 28, 2012.
  2. Terada, Hirokazu (July 2002). データブック日本の私鉄 [Databook: Japan's Private Railways]. Japan: Neko Publishing. p. 74/217. ISBN 4-87366-874-3.
  3. "相鉄・鶴ケ峰駅付近「地下化」事業認可 都市計画など手続き完了、10月以降に着工へ" [Planning for the Grade Separation of Tsurugamine Station Approved, construction to start after October]. news.railway-pressnet.com (in Japanese). 23 June 2022. Archived from the original on 23 June 2022. Retrieved 15 September 2022.
  4. "相模鉄道，3月18日にダイヤ改正を実施" [Sagami Railway implements timetable revision on March 18]. Japan Railfan Magazine Online (in Japanese). Archived from the original on 17 December 2022. Retrieved 17 December 2022.
  5. "ＪＲ線との相互直通運転開始により １１月３０日(土)新ダイヤでの運行を開始 特急・快速の停車駅変更、通勤特急・通勤急行を導入" [New Timetable to begin on 30 November (Saturday) with the initiation of through services to JR Lines; Changes to stopping patterns of Limited Express and Rapid services; Implementation of Commuter Limited Express and Commuter Express services] (PDF). Sotetsu. 16 July 2019.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.