Hakone Tozan Line


The Hakone Tozan Line is a mountain railway in Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan. It is operated by Odakyu Hakone, an Odakyu Group company that also operates the Hakone Tozan Cable Car, Hakone Ropeway and Hakone Sightseeing Cruise.
Although presented as a single railway line, the Hakone Tozan Line operates as two distinct sections with different technical and operational characteristics. The lower section, between and stations, is operated exclusively by through trains of the Odakyū Odawara Line using conventional Japanese narrow-gauge rolling stock. The upper mountain section, between Hakone-Yumoto and station, is operated by Hakone Tozan Railway trains built to standard gauge and specially designed for steep gradients and sharp curves. Passengers must change trains at Hakone-Yumoto.

History

The origins of the Hakone Tozan Line date to October 1, 1888, when the Odawara Horse-drawn Railway opened a line from Kōzu Station via Odawara Station to Hakone-Yumoto Station. The operating company was renamed Odawara Electric Railway on October 31, 1896, and the line was electrified on March 21, 1900, operating as a tramway at 600 V DC.
Mountain railway operations began on June 1, 1919, when an electrified line opened between Hakone-Yumoto and Gōra Station, enabling rail access deeper into the Hakone mountains. On December 16, 1920, the tramway section between Kōzu and Odawara was closed, with the line instead connecting to the Japanese Government Railways Tōkaidō Main Line at Odawara. Hakone Tozan Railway was formally established as a company on August 16, 1928.
On October 1, 1935, the mainline railway was extended from Hakone-Yumoto to Odawara, while the remaining tram section between Odawara and Hakone-Itabashi Station was retained as the Odawara Town Line. This tram section was renamed the Odawara City Line on December 20, 1940, and was ultimately abandoned on June 1, 1956. Hakone Tozan Railway became part of the Odakyu Group on June 1, 1948.
Through services between Tokyo and Hakone were introduced on August 1, 1950, when Odakyu Electric Railway began operating Limited Express and Express trains from Shinjuku Station to Hakone-Yumoto. To accommodate through operation alongside mountain railway rolling stock, the Odawara–Hakone-Yumoto section was converted to dual gauge, and its electrification voltage was increased to 1,500 V DC.
Modernization of the mountain section continued on July 14, 1993, when the Hakone-Yumoto–Gōra segment was uprated from 600 to 750 V DC, enabling operation with longer three-car electric multiple units. A major operational change occurred on March 18, 2006, when Hakone Tozan Railway discontinued the use of its own rolling stock between Odawara and Hakone-Yumoto. Most of the dual-gauge track was removed at that time, leaving only the short section between Iriuda Station and Hakone-Yumoto to allow standard-gauge mountain trains access to Iriuda Depot. On March 15, 2008, a new Odakyu "Romancecar" through service to Kita-Senju Station was introduced.
The mountain section between Hakone-Yumoto and Gōra was closed on October 12, 2019, after severe damage caused by Typhoon Hagibis, which triggered landslides and washed away track ballast. In November 2019, the operator announced that repairs would extend into 2020. Test trains resumed on July 9, 2020, and full passenger service was restored on July 23.
On April 1, 2024, the operating company was renamed from Hakone Tozan Railway Co., Ltd. to Odakyu Hakone Co., Ltd., reflecting a broader reorganization within the Odakyu Group.

Operations

The line climbs from Odawara to Gōra while traversing Fuji-Hakone-Izu National Park. Its alignment and infrastructure were designed to minimize environmental impact while accommodating difficult topography. The line is mostly single-track with passing loops at stations and switchbacks.
The Hakone Tozan Line consists of two operational sections:

Odawara–Hakone-Yumoto

This section is electrified at and uses track. All services are operated by Odakyu Electric Railway as part of the Odakyū Odawara Line. Limited Express "Romancecar" and local services run through to and from Odawara, with some Limited Express services continuing to Shinjuku Station and, on weekends, to Kita-Senju Station via the Tokyo Metro Chiyoda Line. Journey time between Odawara and Hakone-Yumoto is approximately 15 minutes.

Hakone-Yumoto–Gōra

The mountain section is electrified at and laid to standard gauge. It is operated exclusively by Hakone Tozan Railway trains designed for mountainous terrain, including steep gradients up to 8% and tight curves with a minimum radius of. The section includes three switchbacks and takes approximately 40 minutes to traverse.

Stations

All stations are located in Kanagawa Prefecture.
Legend:
  • ● - all trains stop
  • ｜- all trains pass

    Signal stops

There are three signal stops on the Hakone Tozan Line in addition to the regular passenger stations. All of them have a passing loop and two of them have switchbacks.

Deyama switchback

Signal stop with a switchback. Located at above mean sea level. Coordinates:

Kami-Ōhiradai switchback

Signal stop with a switchback near Ōhiradai station which also has a switchback. Located at AMSL. Coordinates:

Sennindai signal stop

Signal stop without a switchback. Located at AMSL. Coordinates:

Rolling stock

Hakone Tozan Railway (Hakone-Yumoto - Gōra)

All trains are based at Iriuda Depot.

Planned

  • 4000 series three-car EMU

    Former

  • MoHa 3
  • Mu 1
  • Yu 1

    Odakyu Electric Railway (Shinjuku - Odawara - Hakone-Yumoto)

Romancecar EMUs