Gotemba Line

Gotemba Line
300px Asagiri limited express services pass at Yaga Station, April 2008
Overview
Type	Passenger/freight
Termini	Kōzu Numazu
Stations	19
Operation
Opened	1889
Owner	JR Central
Rolling stock	313 series 211 series Odakyu 60000 series MSE
Technical
Line length	60.2 km (37.4 mi)
Track gauge	1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in)
Electrification	1,500 V DC
Route map 250px

Gotemba Line

Legend Tōkaidō Main Line 0.0 Kōzu Station Kōzu Yard ↑JR East /↓JR Central Tōkaidō Shinkansen Odawara-Atsugi Road 3.8 Shimo-Soga Station 6.5 Kami-Ōi Station 8.3 Sagami-Kaneko Station Kawaotogawa Odakyū Odawara Line Shin-Matsuda Station 10.2 Matsuda Station 13.1 Higashi-Yamakita Station 15.9 Yamakita Station Sakawa River Bridge No.1 Sakawa River Bridge No.2 Sakawa River Bridge No.3 Tōmei Expressway 20.0 Yaga Station Tōmei Expressway Sakawagawa Kanagawa/Shizuoka border 24.6 Suruga-Oyama Station Tōmei Expressway 28.9 Ashigara Tōmei Expressway Gotemba Yard x20px 35.5 Gotemba Station Shinbashi Signal Station Tōmei Expressway 38.2 Minami-Gotemba Station 40.6 Fujioka Station Kisegawa 45.3 Iwanami Station 50.7 Susono Station 53.5 Nagaizumi-Nameri Station 55.6 Shimo-Togari Station Sunzu Line Tōkaidō Shinkansen Kisegawa 57.8 Ōoka Station Numazu yard 60.2 Numazu Station Tōkaidō Main Line

The Gotemba Line (御殿場線, Gotemba-sen) is a railway line operated by Central Japan Railway Company (JR Central) in Japan. It connects Kōzu Station in Odawara, Kanagawa and Numazu Station in Numazu, Shizuoka via Gotemba Station. The limited express train "Asagiri" runs between Shinjuku (Tokyo) and Gotemba, via Matsuda.

Station list

Station name	Japanese	Distance from Kōzu (km)	Transfers	Location
				Town/city	Prefecture
Kōzu	国府津	0.0	Tōkaidō Main Line, Shōnan-Shinjuku Line	Odawara	Kanagawa
Shimo-Soga	下曽我	3.8
Kami-Ōi	上大井	6.5		Ashigarakami District, Ōi
Sagami-Kaneko	相模金子	8.3
Matsuda	松田	10.2	Odakyu Odawara Line	Ashigarakami District, Matsuda
Higashi-Yamakita	東山北	13.1		Ashigarakami District, Yamakita
Yamakita	山北	15.9
Yaga	谷峨	20.0
Suruga-Oyama	駿河小山	24.6		Suntō District, Oyama	Shizuoka
Ashigara	足柄	28.9
Gotemba	御殿場	35.5		Gotemba
Minami-Gotemba	南御殿場	38.2
Fujioka	富士岡	40.6
Iwanami	岩波	45.3		Susono
Susono	裾野	50.7
Nagaizumi-Nameri	長泉なめり	53.5		Suntō District, Nagaizumi
Shimo-Togari	下土狩	55.6
Ōoka	大岡	57.8		Numazu
Numazu	沼津	60.2	Tōkaidō Main Line

Rolling stock

Local services

• 211 series
• 313 series

Limited express Asagiri services

• Odakyu 60000 series MSE (from March 2012)

Past

• 113 series
• Odakyu 3000 series SE (until 1991)
• 115 series (until 2007)
• E231 series (until March 2012)
• 371 series (Asagiri services, until March 2012)
• Odakyu 20000 series RSE (Asagiri services, until March 2012)

History

The present-day Gotemba Line was built as part of the original route of the Tōkaidō Main Line connecting Tokyo with Osaka. The portion between Kōzu and Numazu was opened on February 1, 1889, although it was not officially named the "Tokaido Line" until 1896. Portions were double tracked from 1891 and the double tracking was completed by 1901.

The line took an indirect route between Kōzu and Numazu in order to avoid the Hakone Mountains, which affected the potential journey time between Tokyo and Osaka. A more direct route had been planned as early as 1909, but technical difficulties delayed the completion of the Tanna Tunnel until December 1, 1934. With the opening of the tunnel, the route of the Tōkaidō Main Line became via Atami Station, leaving the section between Kōzu Station and Numazu Station as a spur line renamed as the Gotemba Line.

In 1943, due to the reduced traffic on the Gotemba line, and the urgent requirement for steel in World War II, the line was returned to a single track railway. Diesel multiple units replaced Steam locomotive hauled passenger trains in 1955, and a cooperative agreement was reached with the privately owned Odakyu Electric Railway to operate express trains directly from Shinjuku Station in Tokyo in the same year. The line was electrified from 1968, and regularly scheduled freight services were discontinued at most stations by 1982.

A new Centralized traffic control system was installed in December 1989, with a programmed route control system implemented from March 1990. Installation for the TOICA automated turnstile system was completed at all stations in 2010.

Former connecting lines

• Gotemba station - A 19 km 762mm gauge horse tramway opened to Kawaguchiko in 1898, closed in 1905 but was reopened in 1909. It connected to the Tsuru horse tramway, providing a connection to Otsuki station on the Chuo Main Line until 1919, when it was truncated by 9 km, completely closing 10 years later.
• Shimo-Togari station - The Izu Railway Co. opened a line to Shuzenji in 1898, electrifying the line at 1500 VDC in 1918. In 1934 following the opening of the Tanna Tunnel and associated realignment, the line was truncated to Mishima-Hirokoji station on the Tokaido Main Line.

References

This article incorporates material from the corresponding article in the Japanese Wikipedia

• Yoshikawa, Fumio. Tokaido-sen 130-nen no ayumi. Grand-Prix Publishing (2002) ISBN 4-87687-234-1. (Japanese)