Chūō-Sōbu Line


The Chūō-Sōbu Line is a railway line that runs through Tokyo and Chiba Prefecture, Japan. Part of the East Japan Railway Company network, the line operates on separate tracks along the right-of-way of the Chūō Main Line and Sōbu Main Line, providing service between Mitaka Station in the cities of Mitaka and Musashino and Chiba Station in Chiba.
The term Kankō distinguishes local trains on the Chūō-Sōbu line from rapid service trains running on the Chūō Main Line between Mitaka and and on the Sōbu Main Line between and Chiba.

Service patterns

Chūō-Sōbu Line

  • Regularly, trains terminate at Chiba or Tsudanuma at the east side, and terminate at Nakano or Mitaka at the west side
  • All trains stop at every station.
  • *For station information on the parallel rapid/express lines, see the Chūō Line (Rapid) and Sōbu Line (Rapid) articles.

Tōzai Line through service

All through service trains enter the Tōzai Line at either Nakano, or Nishi-Funabashi. These trains operate within the following routes:
  • Mitaka - Nakano - - Nishi-Funabashi - Tsudanuma
  • Nakano - - Nishi-Funabashi - Tsudanuma
  • Mitaka - Nakano - - Nishi-Funabashi
  • Mitaka - Nakano - - Nishi-Funabashi - - Tōyō-Katsutadai

Limited express

Prior to March 2024, seasonal Limited Express Shinjuku Wakashio and Shinjuku Sazanami trains stopped at on the Chūō-Sōbu Line "mainly on weekends and holidays when service is heavy"., these trains no longer stop at Akihabara.

Former Early morning / Late night

At around 9 -10pm, a few westbound trains headed beyond Mitaka onto the Chūō Line, with some terminating at Musashi-Koganei, and the others at Tachikawa. The other trains during the hour operated regularly.
At around 4 - 6am and 11pm - 1am, Chūō-Sōbu Line services were divided at Ochanomizu Station, into two sections.
  • At the western section, Chūō Line (Rapid) trains ran through the Chūō-Sōbu Line tracks between and, with services serving between and as far as, or even Ōme, which stops at all stations.
  • At the eastern section, local trains operated and terminated at the two ends of the section.
This service pattern last operated on 13 March 2020. To prepare for the eventual installation of platform doors on Chūō-Sōbu Line platforms and the future addition of Green Cars on the Rapid line, Chūō Line Rapid service trains no longer regularly operate on the Chūō-Sōbu Line tracks.

Station list

; Legend
  • ●: All trains stop
  • ■: Some trains pass
  • ▲: All trains pass on weekends and holidays
  • ｜: All trains pass

Rolling stock

Chūō-Sōbu Line

Trains used on the line are based at Mitaka Depot.

Tozai Line - Toyo Rapid Line through service

Trains run between Mitaka and Tsudanuma or Toyo-Katsutadai, all via the Tokyo Metro Tozai Line between Nakano and Nishi-Funabashi.

Former rolling stock

Chūō-Sōbu Line

Tozai Line - Toyo Rapid Line through service

Chūō Line (Early morning / Late night)

  • See Chūō Line (Rapid)#Rolling stock for the train types which operated this service until 13 March 2020.

History

Women-only cars, designed to prevent gropers, were introduced on this line during morning peak periods starting on 20 November 2006.
On 20 August 2016, station numbering was introduced to the Chuo-Sobu line with stations being assigned station numbers between JB01 and JB39. Numbers increase towards in the eastbound direction towards Chiba.