Sōbu Line (Rapid)
Railway line in Japan
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Sōbu Line (Rapid) (Japanese: 総武快速線, romanized: Sōbu-kaisoku-sen) is a railway service on the Sōbu Main Line in Tokyo and Chiba Prefecture, Japan, operated by East Japan Railway Company (JR East). It connects Tokyo Station in Chūō, Tokyo with Chiba Station in Chūō-ku, Chiba via the cities of Ichikawa, Funabashi, and Narashino.
| Sōbu Line (Rapid) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 | |||
 An E235 series EMU at Ichikawa Station | |||
| Overview | |||
| Locale | Tokyo, Chiba prefectures | ||
| Termini | |||
| Stations | 10 | ||
| Service | |||
| Type | Commuter rail | ||
| Operator | JR East | ||
| Daily ridership | 693,998 (daily 2015)[1] | ||
| History | |||
| Opened | 12 July 1972 | ||
| Technical | |||
| Line length | 60.2 km (37.4 mi) | ||
| Track gauge | 1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in) | ||
| Electrification | 1,500 V DC overhead catenary | ||
| Operating speed | 120 km/h (75 mph) | ||
| |||
Services
Rapid services on the Sōbu Line are primarily operated between Tokyo and Chiba, although there are many through services onto the Yokosuka Line as well as some through services operated from the Yokosuka Line via Tokyo terminating at Tsudanuma. During weekday morning peak periods Tokyo-bound trains arrive once every 3.2 minutes; this is reduced to 10 Chiba-bound trains per hour during weekday evening peak periods. At other times there are approximately six trains per hour. There are many through services operated onto other lines.
For information on the Narita Express, Shiosai, and other limited express services, see their respective articles.
Sōbu Line (Rapid) trains travel through onto the Yokosuka Line to Ōfuna, Zushi, and Kurihama. Trains also travel through beyond Chiba to as far as:
- Kazusa-Ichinomiya on the Sotobō Line
- Kimitsu on the Uchibō Line
- Narita Airport via Narita on the Narita Line
- Kashima-Jingū on the Kashima Line
- Narutō on the Sōbu Main Line
Past services
Home Liner Chiba
Before 16 March 2019, there were five Home Liner Chiba commuter liner services that operated every weekday evening, four of which started from Tokyo and another which started at Shinjuku.
Stations served:
(Shinjuku – Akihabara) / Tokyo – Tsudanuma – Inage – Chiba
Limited Express Ayame
Commuter Rapid
Commuter Rapid services were abolished with the timetable revision on 12 March 2022.[2] Prior to this they ran on weekday peak hours only, stopping at Tōkyō, Shin-Nihombashi, Bakurochō, Kinshichō, Funabashi, and Chiba.
Station list
- For information on local services between Kinshichō and Chiba, see the Chūō-Sōbu Line article.
- All rapid trains stop at all stations listed below.
Note: Special Rapid service was discontinued on 4 March 2017.[3]
Rolling stock
Rapid service
- E235-1000 series (from 21 December 2020)[4]
Limited express service
Former rolling stock
- 113 series (from October 1980 to December 1999)
- E217 series (from December 1994 to March 2025)
