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Narita Line

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Narita Line
Image
An E231 series EMU on the Narita Line service in May 2021
Overview
Native name成田線
Owner JR East
LocaleChiba Prefecture
Termini
Stations
  • 16 (Main Line)
  • 3 (Airport Branch)
  • 10 (Abiko Branch)
Service
TypeHeavy rail
History
Opened19 January 1897
Technical
Track gauge1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in)
Electrification1,500 V DC (overhead catenary)
Route map

The Narita Line (Japanese: 成田線, romanizedNarita-sen) is the name for a combination of three railway lines located in Chiba Prefecture, Japan, operated by the East Japan Railway Company (JR East).

The main line connects Sakura Station and Matsugishi Station (as an alternate route to the Sōbu Main Line), and is sometimes referred to as the Samatsu Line (Japanese: 佐松線, romanized: Samatsu-sen). A branch line from Abiko Station to Narita Station is often called the Abiko Line (Japanese: 我孫子線, romanized: Abiko-sen), and a second branch, known as the Airport Line (Japanese: 空港線, romanized: Kūkō-sen) connects Narita to Narita Airport Terminal 1 Station. The first two lines are owned and operated by JR East; the Airport Line is owned by a separate company, Narita Airport Rapid Railway, which allows JR East and Keisei Railway to use the line for passenger services.

Stations

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Main line

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Legend:

  • ● : All trains stop
  • | : All trains pass

All stations are located in Chiba Prefecture.

Line name No. Station Japanese Distance (km) Rapid Transfers Location
Town/city
Sōbu Main Line JO28 Chiba 千葉 From
Chiba

0.0
Chūō-ku
JO29 Higashi-Chiba 東千葉 0.9 |  
JO30 Tsuga 都賀 4.2 Chiba Urban Monorail Line 2 Wakaba-ku
JO31 Yotsukaidō 四街道 7.7   Yotsukaidō
JO32 Monoi 物井 11.9  
JO33 Sakura 佐倉 16.1 Sōbu Main Line (for Narutō) Sakura
Narita Line From
Sakura

0.0
JO34 Shisui 酒々井 6.4 Shisui
JO35 Narita 成田 13.1
Narita
Kuzumi 久住 20.0  
Namegawa 滑河 25.5
Shimōsa-Kōzaki 下総神崎 31.6 Kozaki
Ōto 大戸 36.1 Katori
Sawara 佐原 40.0 Kashima Line
Katori 香取 43.6 Kashima Line
Suigo 水郷 47.5
Omigawa 小見川 52.7
Sasagawa 笹川 57.7 Tonosho
Shimōsa-Tachibana 下総橘 62.9
Shimōsa-Toyosato 下総豊里 66.2 Chōshi
Shiishiba 椎柴 71.0
Matsugishi 松岸 75.4 Sōbu Main Line
Sōbu Main Line From
Tokyo

117.3
Chōshi 銚子 120.5 Chōshi Electric Railway Line

Note: Commuter Rapid service was discontinued on 12 March 2022.[1]

Abiko branch line

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Narita Station in May 2005

All stations are in Chiba Prefecture.

Name Japanese Distance
(km)
Transfers Location
Town/city
Abiko 我孫子 0.0
Abiko
Higashi-Abiko 東我孫子 3.4
Kohoku 湖北 6.3
Araki 新木 8.9
Fusa 布佐 12.1
Kioroshi 木下 14.0 Inzai
Kobayashi 小林 18.3
Ajiki 安食 23.2 Sakae
Shimōsa-Manzaki 下総松崎 27.3 Narita
Narita 成田 32.9
  • Narita Line (Main line, Airport branch line) (JO35)
  • KS Keisei Lines (Keisei-Narita, as above)

Airport branch line

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The Airport branch line (left) running alongside the 1,435 mm (4 ft 8+12 in) gauge Keisei Sky Access Line (right) in July 2010

All stations are in Narita, Chiba.

No. Name Japanese Distance
(km)
Transfers
JO35 Narita 成田 0.0
JO36 Narita Airport Terminal 2·3 空港第2ビル 9.8
JO37 Narita Airport Terminal 1 成田空港 10.8
  • KS Keisei Main Line (KS42)
  • KS Narita Sky Access Line (KS42)

Services

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Main line and Airport branch line

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Narita Express trains travel on the Narita Line but stop only at Narita Airport Terminal 2·3 and Narita Airport Terminal 1 stations, except during morning and evening rush hours when some trains stop at Narita Station.


Rapid commuter trains run between Tokyo and Narita Airport Terminal 1, stopping at all stations between Tsuga and Narita Airport Terminal 1.

Abiko branch line

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All services on the Abiko branch line are local trains stopping at all stations. Some trains travel through onto the Jōban Line (Rapid) to Ueno and Shinagawa.

Rolling stock

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Local service

Abiko Branch Line, Jōban Line through service

Sōbu Line (Rapid) through service

Narita Express

Past

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History

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The Sakura - Narita - Namegawa section of the line was opened on 19 January 1897, by Sobu Railway, extended to Sawara the following year. The Narita to Abiko branch opened in 1901. The company was nationalised in 1920, and the Sawara to Matsugishi section opened between 1931 and 1933.[citation needed]

The Sakura to Narita section was electrified (at 1,500 V DC overhead) in 1968.[citation needed] The Abiko branch was electrified from 1 October 1973.[2] The Narita to Matsugishi section was electrified in 1974, and freight services ceased between 1984 and 1986.[citation needed]

The Sakura to Narita section was double-tracked in 1986, and the Airport branch opened in 1991 as an electrified, CTC-signalled line.[citation needed]

Accidents

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Derailed wagons near Namegawa Station, March 2011

In the early hours of 10 March 2011, a day before 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami occurred, a freight train carrying ethylene oxide derailed and overturned on the Narita Line near Namegawa Station.[3]

References

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  1. ^ "JR East March 2022 Timetable Revision" (PDF). JR East (in Japanese). Japan. Retrieved 18 April 2024.
  2. ^ Segawa, Yutaka (October 1973). 成田線・東金線ならびに関西本線の電化開業について [Electrification of Narita, Togane, and Kansai Main lines]. The Railway Pictorial (in Japanese) (284). Japan: Denkisha Kenkyūkai: 11–13.
  3. ^ 貨物列車:JR成田線滑河駅近くで横転 けが人いない模様 [Freight train overturns on JR Narita Line near Namegawa Station]. Mainichi.jp (in Japanese). Japan: The Mainichi Newspapers. 10 March 2011. Archived from the original on 29 April 2011. Retrieved 17 October 2011.
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