Jōban Line

The Jōban Line (Japanese: 常磐線, Hepburn: Jōban-sen) is a railway line in Japan operated by the East Japan Railway Company (JR East). The line officially begins at Nippori Station in Arakawa, Tokyo before the line officially ends at Iwanuma Station in Iwanuma, Miyagi. However, following the opening of the Ueno–Tokyo Line, Jōban Line train services originate at Shinagawa or Ueno; likewise, Jōban Line trains continue past Iwanuma onto the Tōhoku Main Line tracks to Sendai. The line approximately parallels the Pacific coasts of Chiba, Ibaraki, and Fukushima Prefectures.
The name "Jōban" is derived from the names of the former provinces of Hitachi (Japanese: 常陸), and Iwaki (Japanese: 磐城), which are connected by the line to reach Tokyo.
The section of the Jōban Line between Tomioka and Namie, which extends through the exclusion zone surrounding the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear meltdown, closed in the wake of the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami and Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster. After some major repairs, the section reopened on 14 March 2020 after 9 years without service.
The Mito Railway opened the line in sections between 1889 and 1905. The dates of the individual section openings are given below. After the line was nationalised in 1906, a program of double-tracking commenced in 1910, with the 219 km (136 mi) section between Nippori and Yotsukura completed in 1925. The Hirono - Kido and Ono - Futaba sections were double-tracked in 1976.
The first section electrified was Nippori - Matsudo (at 1,500 V DC) in 1936, and extended to Toride in 1949. The Toride - Kusano section was electrified at 20 kV AC between 1961 and 1963, and extended to Iwanuma in 1967.
The 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami caused severe disruption to the line, with services to Iwaki (209.4 km (130.1 mi) from Nippori) re-established by 17 April, to Yotsukura (a further 9.8 km (6.1 mi)) by 14 May, and to Hirono (another 13.2 km (8.2 mi)) by 10 October 2011. Services on the 8.5 km (5.3 mi) Hirono - Tatsuta section returned on 1 June 2014.
At the northern end, services on the isolated 20.1 km (12.5 mi) Haranomachi - Soma section were restored on 21 December 2011, with services from Iwanuma to Hamayoshida (219 km (136 mi)) restored on 16 March 2013. Services resumed on the 9.4 km (5.8 mi) Haranomachi - Odaka section on 12 July 2016 and the 22.6 km (14.0 mi) Hamayoshida - Soma section was rebuilt at a higher, tsunami-proof level, and reopened on 10 December 2016, re-establishing the connection to Sendai for stations north of Odaka. The line fully reopened on 14 March 2020.
The Jōban Line connects Tokyo and the Tōhoku region. After the opening of the Tōhoku Shinkansen in 1982, the Jōban Line was split into two parts at Iwaki. South of Iwaki is mainly double track (Ayase - Toride is quad track), and north of Iwaki is predominantly single track. After the Fukushima disaster in 2011, the Jōban Line is further segmented in the Iwaki – Sendai section.
This entire section is served by a variety of services, which will be explained below by the sections where they operate in.
Limited express trains operate across the entire section.
This section is mainly served by local, rapid, medium-distance train services serving the Greater Tokyo area.
Trains that run beyond Toride are distinctly referred to as the Jōban Line (常磐線), without the term "Rapid". Trains that are called Jōban Line (Rapid) cannot go beyond Toride, as their rolling stock cannot be powered by alternating current, which is the type of electrification that the section uses.
This section is mainly served by local trains.
This section is mainly served by local trains.
Before the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster and the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami, local trains and limited express trains used to run across the entire section. However, due to the damages caused after the disaster, the section between Tomioka to Harunomachi had to be closed down, and services were suspended. After certain sections of the line were reconstructed, regular services were gradually allowed to resume.
This section is served by local service trains. This section was closed due to damage caused by the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami, but it has since reopened. (explained below).
This section, which extends through the exclusion zone surrounding the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear meltdown, was suspended after the 2011 disaster. This section re-opened on 14 March 2020. Before this date, services were provided by an interim bus service.
This section is served by local service trains which serve the Greater Sendai area.
The section was once partially closed due to the 2011 disaster, but has since reopened in stages. The reconstructed segment between Hamayoshida and Sōma was reopened on 10 December 2016, prior to which services were provided by an interim bus service. JR East is currently inspecting the segment between Namie and Odaka in preparation for the surrounding areas being cleared for re-settlement. Train services between Namie and Odaka resumed on 1 April 2017. Train services between Tatsuta and Tomioka resumed on 21 October 2017.
Legend