Jōban Line

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The Jōban Line (常磐線) is a rail line in Japan and is part of the East Japan Railway Company (JR East) system. It begins in Taitō-ku in Tokyo and follows the Pacific coasts of Chiba, Ibaraki, and Fukushima Prefectures before the line officially ends in Iwanuma in Miyagi Prefecture. However, some trains continue north on the Tōhoku Main Line tracks all the way to Sendai.

When recorded (such as in timetables), the Jōban Line is typically split into two parts: Ueno — Iwaki and Iwaki — Sendai. This is because there are very few trains that go through both halves of the line. The exceptions are the "Super Hitachi" Expresses which operate between Ueno and Sendai/Haranomachi, trains going to Yotsukura and Hisanohama from Mito, and trains going to Ueno and Mito from Kusano, Hisanohama, and Sōma.

Contents

1 Timeline
2 Station List

2.1 Ueno — Iwaki
2.2 Iwaki — Sendai

Timeline

January 16 1889: Mito Railway (Mito — Oyama) begins operation.
November 26 1890: Mito Railway Freight Line (Mito — Nakagawa) begins operation.
March 1 1892: Mito Railway becomes part of the Japan Railway (not the present-day Japan Railway).
November 4 1895: Japan Railway Tsuchiura Line (Tsuchiura — Tomobe) begins operation.
December 1 1895: Hatori Station opens.
December 25 1896: Tsuchiura Line (Tabata — Tsuchiura), Sumidagawa Line (Tabata — Sumidagawa) begin operation.
February 25 1897: Iwaki Line (Mito — Taira [present-day Iwaki]) begins operation.
May 17 1897: Tsuchiura Line Kameari Station opens.
August 29 1897: Iwaki Line (Taira — Kunohama) begins operation.
November 10 1897: Iwaki Line (Nakamura [present-day Sōma] — Iwanuma) begins operation.
December 27 1897: Tsuchiura Line Kanamachi Station opens.
January 1898: Kitasenju — Sumidagawa connection opens.
April 1 1898: Ishigami Station opens.
April 3 1898: Iwaki Line (Haranomachi — Nakamura) begins operation.
May 11 1898: Iwaki Line (Odaka — Haranomachi) begins operation.
August 6 1898: Tsuchiura Line Mabashi Station opens.
August 23 1898: Iwaki Line (Kunohama — Odaka) begins operation, connecting Tabata and Iwanuma. Tsuchiura Line and Mito Line (Tomobe — Mito) and Iwaki Line are collectively renamed the Kaigan Line.
December 1 1898: Taka Station is renamed Iwaki-Ōta Station.
August 4 1900: Sanuki Station opens.
November 22 1904: Ōno Station opens.
April 1 1905: With the completion of Mikawashima — Nippori connection, the present-day route is finished. Nippori and Mikawashima Stations open. Service from Ueno to Tabata and back is abolished.
November 1 1906: Japan Railway is nationalized.
March 25 1909: Tatsuta Station opens.
October 12 1909: Kaigan Line split and renamed: Jōban Line (Nippori — Iwanuma) and Sumidagawa Line (Tabata — Sumidagawa). Jōban Line also handles freight services.
February 16 1910: Minami-Nakagō Station opens.
March 18 1910: Katsuta and Ogitsu Stations open.
May 1 1911: Kita-Kogane Station opens.
May 5 1911: Sumidagawa Line is merged into the Jōban Line.
June 1 1915: Yoshida Station is renamed Hamayoshida Station.
March 15 1921: Yonomori Station opens.
August 15 1922: Nittaki Station opens.
February 2 1925: Kōen-Shimo Station opens, but only operates during the ume blossom-viewing season.
October 28 1925: Nippori — Taira connection finished (joined with northern tracks in 1965).
December 11 1936: Nippori — Matsudo tracks are electrified.
October 1 1939: Shimomago Station is renamed Hitachi-Taga Station.
October 20 1939: Sukegawa Station is renamed Hitachi Station.
February 15 1944: Momouchi signal box is built between Namie and Odaka.
February 20 1944: Suetsugi signal box is built between Kunohama and Hirono.
June 1 1947: Suetsugi signal box becomes Suetsugi Station.
August 10 1948: Momouchi signal box becomes Momouchi Station.
May 10 1949: Shimoyama Station opens.
June 1 1949: Matsudo — Toride tracks are electrified.
July 6 1949: JNR president at the time, Shimoyama Sadanori, is mysteriously found dead between Kita-Senju and Ayase Stations after being missing for 15 hours in a Mitsukoshi Department Store in Nihonbashi.
May 10 1950: Sekimoto Station is renamed Ōtsukō Station.
May 1 1952: Kita-Matsudo Station opens.
July 10 1952: Komagamine Station opens.
October 1 1953: Minami-Kashiwa Station opens.
December 20 1956: Tsuzura Station is renamed Uchigō Station.
April 1 1957: Ishigami Station is renamed Tōkai Station.
June 1 1958: Semi-express "Tokiwa" begins operation.
October 10 1958: The Special Express "Hatsukari" begins operation (Ueno — Aomori). It stops at Ueno, Mito, Taira, and Sendai Stations when it runs on the Jōban Line tracks.
October 1 1959: Nagatsuka Station is renamed Futaba Station.
October 1 1960: Kanayama signal box is built between Tatsuta and Tomioka. Ōkuma signal box is built between Watari and Iwanuma.
March 20 1961: Nakamura Station is renamed Sōma Station.
June 1 1961: Toride — Katsuta tracks are electrified.
May 3 1962: The Mitakeshima Rail Crash occurs between Mitake and Minami-Senju when an Iwaki-bound passenger train crashes into the wreckage of a crash between an Ueno-bound passenger train and an Ueno-bound freight train. 160 people die and 296 are injured in the incident.
October 1 1962: Katsuta — Takahagi tracks are electrified.
May 1 1963: Takahagi — Taira tracks are electrified.
April 20 1963: Takahira signal box is built between Haranomachi and Kashima.
September 30 1963: Taira — Kusano tracks are electrified.
March 5 1966: "Tokiwa" semi-express becomes an express.
February 1 1967: Kōen-Shimo Station is renamed Kairakuen Station.
August 20 1967: With the electrification of the Kusano — Iwanuma tracks, the entire Jōban Line becomes electrified.
October 1 1968: "Hatsukari" express is moved to the Tōhoku Main Line.
October 1 1969: Kairakuen Station becomes a temporary station. Seasonal "Hitachi" express begins operation.
April 10 1970: Freight line Kita-Kashiwa Station opens.
October 1 1970: "Hitachi" operates as a regular express.
April 20 1971: Construction of the Kita-Senju — Abiko Fukufuku Line is finished and runs along the Eidan Subway Chiyoda Line (present-day Tokyo Metro Chiyoda Line). (The Chiyoda Line only ran as far as Kasumigaseki at the time). Tennōdai Station opens and Kita-Kashiwa Station is open to passengers.
April 1 1973: Shin-Matsudo Station opens.

203 series train at Abiko Station, operating through service to the Chiyoda Line.

March 31 1978: With the extension of its tracks to Yoyogi-Uehara Station, the Chiyoda Line shares tracks with the Odakyū Odawara Line up to Hon-Atsugi Station. 203 series trains are introduced to run through service to the Chiyoda Line.
November 15 1982: Abiko — Toride becomes part of the Fukufuku Line.
February 1 1984: Mito — Nakagawa freight line is closed.
March 14 1985: Bampaku-Chūō Station is temporarily opened (until September 16) for the Tsukuba Expo '85. The Uchigō-System-ku is abolished. The "Tokiwa" express ceases operations.
April 1 1987: With the split of JNR, the Jōban Line becomes part of JR East.
August 2 1988: Ōkuma signal box becomes Ōkuma Station.
March 11 1989: 651 series "Super Hitachi" limited-express EMUs enter service.
February 1 1993: Kanayama signal box is abolished.
February 10 1993: Takahira signal box is abolished.
December 3 1994: Taira Station is renamed Iwaki Station.
October 1 1997: E653 series "Fresh Hitachi" limited-express EMUs enter service.
March 14 1998: Hitachino-Ushiku Station opens where Bampaku-Chūō Station used to stand.
December 7 1998: 485 series "Hitachi" limited-express EMUs are retired.
March 3 2002: New E231-0 series EMUs introduced on commuter services.
March 13 2004: Kawashiri Station is renamed Jūō Station. Regular trains begin making stops at Mikawashima and Minami-Senju Stations throughout the day.
October 16 2004: Medium-distance trains are called rapid trains.
July 9 2005: New E531 series dual-voltage EMUs enter service on suburban services.
May 15 2006: Women-only cars introduced on early-morning all-stations up trains from Toride running through to Yoyogi-Uehara on the Tokyo Metro Chiyoda Line.
March 2007: Double-deck Green cars added to E531 series EMUs.

Station List

Ueno — Iwaki

Station Name	Japanese	Local (Jōban Kankō; Line)	Regular Service, Medium-Distance	Rapid	Commuter Rapid	Special Rapid	Transfers and Other Notes	Location
Ueno	上野		●	●	●	●	Tōhoku Shinkansen, Yamagata Shinkansen, Akita Shinkansen, Jōetsu Shinkansen, Tōhoku Line (Utsunomiya Line), Takasaki Line, Yamanote Line, Keihin-Tōhoku Line, Keisei Main Line, Ginza Line, Hibiya Line	Taitō-ku
Nippori	日暮里		●	●	●	●	Yamanote Line, Keihin-Tōhoku Line, Keisei Main Line	Arakawa-ku
Mikawashima	三河島		●	●	\|	\|
Minami-Senju	南千住	To Chiyoda Line	●	●	\|	\|	Hibiya Line, Tsukuba Express
Kita-Senju	北千住	(●)	●	●	\|	\|	Chiyoda Line thru trains, Hibiya Line, Tōbu Isesaki Line, Tsukuba Express	Adachi-ku
Ayase	綾瀬	●※	\|	\|	\|	\|	Chiyoda Line	Adachi-ku
Kameari	亀有	●	\|	\|	\|	\|		Katsushika-ku
Kanamachi	金町	●	\|	\|	\|	\|	Keisei Kanamachi Line	Katsushika-ku
Matsudo	松戸	●	●	●	●	●	Shin-Keisei Line	Matsudo, Chiba
Kita-Matsudo	北松戸	●	\|	\|	\|	\|
Mabashi	馬橋	●	\|	\|	\|	\|	Sōbu Nagareyama Line
Shin-Matsudo	新松戸	●	\|	\|	\|	\|	Musashino Line, Sōbu Nagareyama Line (Kōya Station)
Kita-Kogane	北小金	●	\|	\|	\|	\|
Minami-Kashiwa	南柏	●	\|	\|	\|	\|		Kashiwa, Chiba
Kashiwa	柏	●	●	●	●	●	Tōbu Noda Line
Kita-Kashiwa	北柏	●	\|	\|	\|	\|
Abiko	我孫子	●	●	●▲	\|	\|	Narita Line (▲: part of the rapid will go to Narita from Abiko)	Abiko, Chiba
Tennōdai	天王台	○	●	●	\|	\|		Abiko, Chiba
Toride	取手	○	●	●	●	●	Kantō Jōsō Line, Chiyoda Line thru train terminus	Toride, Ibaraki
Fujishiro	藤代		●		\|	●		Toride, Ibaraki
Sanuki	佐貫		●		\|	●	Kantō Ryūgasaki Line	Ryūgasaki, Ibaraki
Ushiku	牛久		●		●	●		Ushiku, Ibaraki
Hitachino-Ushiku	ひたち野うしく		●		\|	●		Ushiku, Ibaraki
Arakawaoki	荒川沖		●		\|	●		Tsuchiura, Ibaraki
Tsuchiura	土浦		●		●	●
Kandatsu	神立		●		●
Takahama	高浜		●		●			Ishioka, Ibaraki
Ishioka	石岡		●		●		Kashima Railway Line	Ishioka, Ibaraki
Hatori	羽鳥		●		●			Omitama, Ibaraki
Iwama	岩間		●		●			Kasama, Ibaraki
Tomobe	友部		●※		▲		Mito Line (▲: part of the train will go to Mito from Tomobe)	Kasama, Ibaraki
Uchihara	内原		●		●			Mito, Ibaraki
Akatsuka	赤塚		●		●
Kairakuen	偕楽園	Trains stop here only during the daytime during ume-viewing season
Mito	水戸		●		●		Suigun Line, Kashima Rinkai Ōarai Kashima Line
Katsuta	勝田		●		●		Ibaraki Minato Line	Hitachinaka, Ibaraki
Sawa	佐和		●		●			Hitachinaka, Ibaraki
Tōkai	東海		●		●			Tōkai, Ibaraki
Ōmika	大甕		●		●			Hitachi, Ibaraki
Hitachi-Taga	常陸多賀		●		●
Hitachi	日立		●		●
Ogitsu	小木津		●		●
Jūō	十王		●		●
Takahagi	高萩		●		●			Takahagi, Ibaraki
Minami-Nakago	南中郷		●					Kitaibaraki, Ibaraki
Isohara	磯原		●
Ōtsukō	大津港		●
Nakoso	勿来		●					Iwaki, Fukushima
Ueda	植田		●
Izumi	泉		●				Fukushima Rinkai Railway (freight)
Yumoto	湯本		●
Uchigō	内郷		●
Iwaki	いわき		●				Banetsutō Line

Iwaki — Sendai

As the major half of the Jōban Line is the Ueno — Iwaki track, the other half (Iwaki — Sendai) is listed here:

Iwaki, Fukushima stations:

Iwaki (いわき)
Kusano (草野)
Yotsukura (四ツ倉)
Hisanohama (久ノ浜)
Suetsugi (末続)

Hirono, Fukushima station:

Hirono (広野)

Naraha, Fukushima stations:

Kido (木戸)
Tatsuta (竜田)

Tomioka, Fukushima stations:

Tomioka (富岡)
Yonomori (夜ノ森)

Ōkuma, Fukushima station:

Ōno (大野)

Futaba, Fukushima station:

Futaba (双葉)

Namie, Fukushima station:

Namie (浪江)

Odaka, Fukushima stations:

Momouchi (桃内)
Odaka (小高)

Haramachi, Fukushima stations:

Iwaki-Ōta (磐城太田)
Haranomachi (原ノ町)

Kashima, Fukushima station:

Kashima (鹿島)

Sōma, Fukushima stations:

Nittaki (日立木)
Sōma (相馬)

Shinchi, Fukushima stations:

Komagamine (駒ヶ嶺)
Shinchi (駒ヶ嶺)

Yamamoto, Miyagi stations:

Sakamoto (坂元)
Yamashita (山下)

Watari, Miyagi stations:

Hamayoshida (浜吉田)
Watari (亘理)
Ōkuma (逢隈)

Iwanuma, Miyagi station:

Iwanuma (岩沼)

At this point, Jōban Line trains run on the Tōhoku Main Line tracks

Natori, Miyagi stations:

Tatekoshi/Sendai Airport Exit (館腰・仙台空港口)
Natori (名取)

Sendai, Miyagi stations:

(Taihaku-ku)

Minami-Sendai (南仙台)
Nagamachi (長町)

(Aoba-ku)

Sendai (仙台)

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