Narita Line

The Narita Line (成田線, Narita-sen) is the name for a combination of three railway lines located in Chiba Prefecture, Japan, operated by East Japan Railway Company (JR East).

Narita Line
A 209 series EMU on the Narita Line service in May 2017
Overview
Native name成田線
OwnerJR East
LocaleChiba Prefecture
Service
TypeHeavy rail
History
Opened19 January 1897
Technical
Track gauge1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in)
Electrification1,500 V DC overhead
Route map

The main line connects Sakura Station and Matsugishi Station (as an alternate route to the Sōbu Main Line), and is sometimes referred to as the Samatsu Line (佐松線, Samatsu-sen). A branch line from Abiko Station to Narita Station is often called the Abiko Line (我孫子線, Abiko-sen), and a second branch, known as the Airport Line (空港線, Kūkō-sen) connects Narita to Narita Airport Terminal 1 Station. The first two lines are owned and operated by JR East; the Airport Line is owned by a separate company, Narita Airport Rapid Railway, which allows JR East and Keisei Railway to use the line for passenger services.

Stations

Main line

Legend:

  • ● : All trains stop
  • | : All trains pass

All stations are located in Chiba Prefecture.

Line name No. Station Japanese Distance (km) Stops Transfers Location
Rapid Commuter Rapid Town/city
Sōbu Main Line JO28 Chiba 千葉 From
Chiba
0.0		 ● ●
Chūō-ku, Chiba
JO29 Higashi-Chiba 東千葉 0.9 | |  
JO30 Tsuga 都賀 4.2 ● ● Chiba Urban Monorail Line 2 Wakaba-ku, Chiba
JO31 Yotsukaidō 四街道 7.7 ● ●   Yotsukaidō
JO32 Monoi 物井 11.9 ● |  
JO33 Sakura 佐倉 16.1 ● ● ■ Sōbu Main Line (for Narutō) Sakura
Narita Line From
Sakura
0.0
JO34 Shisui 酒々井 6.4 ● ● Shisui
JO35 Narita 成田 13.1 ● ●
Narita
N/A Kuzumi 久住 20.0    
Namegawa 滑河 25.5
Shimōsa-Kōzaki 下総神崎 31.6 Kozaki
Ōto 大戸 36.1 Katori
Sawara 佐原 40.0 ■ Kashima Line
Katori 香取 43.6 ■ Kashima Line
Suigo 水郷 47.5
Omigawa 小見川 52.7
Sasagawa 笹川 57.7 Tonosho
Shimōsa-Tachibana 下総橘 62.9
Shimōsa-Toyosato 下総豊里 66.2 Chōshi
Shiishiba 椎柴 71.0
Matsugishi 松岸 75.4 ■ Sōbu Main Line
Sōbu Main Line From
Tokyo
117.3
Chōshi 銚子 120.5 Chōshi Electric Railway Line

Abiko branch line
Narita Station in May 2005
Name Japanese Distance
(km)		 Transfers Location
Town/city Prefecture
Abiko 我孫子 0.0
Abiko Chiba
Higashi-Abiko 東我孫子 3.4
Kohoku 湖北 6.3
Araki 新木 8.9
Fusa 布佐 12.1
Kioroshi 木下 14.0 Inzai
Kobayashi 小林 18.3
Ajiki 安食 23.2 Sakae
Shimōsa-Manzaki 下総松崎 27.3 Narita
Narita 成田 32.9
  • ■ Narita Line (Main line, Airport branch line) (JO35)
  • KS Keisei Lines (Keisei-Narita, as above)

Airport branch line
The Airport branch line (left) running alongside the 1,435 mm (4 ft 8 1⁄2 in) gauge Keisei Sky Access Line (right) in July 2010
No. Name Japanese Distance
(km)		 Rapid Commuter Rapid Transfers Location
JO35 Narita 成田 0.0 ● ●
Narita, Chiba
JO36 Narita Airport Terminal 2·3 空港第２ビル 9.8 ● ●
JO37 Narita Airport Terminal 1 成田空港 10.8 ● ●
  • KS Keisei Main Line (KS42)
  • KS Narita Sky Access Line (KS42)

Services

Main line and Airport branch line

Narita Express trains travel on the Narita Line but stop only at Narita Airport Terminal 2·3 and Narita Airport Terminal 1 stations, except during morning and evening rush hours when some trains stop at Narita Station.


Rapid commuter trains run between Tokyo and Narita Airport Terminal 1, stopping at all stations between Tsuga and Narita Airport Terminal 1.

Abiko branch line

All services on the Abiko branch line are local trains stopping at all stations. Some trains travel through onto the Jōban Line (Rapid) to Ueno and Shinagawa.

Rolling stock
  • A 209-2000 series EMU in December 2010
  • An E231 series EMU in January 2003
  • An E217 series EMU on an Airport Narita service in August 2009
  • An E257-500 series EMU in November 2006
  • An E259 series EMU in May 2009

Future

Past
  • A 103 series EMU in January 2003
  • A 113 series EMU in May 2010
  • A 183 series EMU on an Ayame service in November 2005
  • A 253 series EMU on a Narita Express service in March 2006
  • 211-3000 series EMU, June 2008

History

The Sakura - Narita - Namegawa section of the line was opened on 19 January 1897, by Sobu Railway, extended to Sawara the following year. The Narita to Abiko branch opened in 1901. The company was nationalised in 1920, and the Sawara to Matsugishi section opened between 1931 and 1933.

The Sakura to Narita section was electrified (at 1,500 V DC overhead) in 1968. The Abiko branch was electrified from 1 October 1973.[1] The Narita to Matsugishi section was electrified in 1974, and freight services ceased between 1984 and 1986.

The Sakura to Narita section was double-tracked in 1986, and the Airport branch opened in 1991 as an electrified, CTC-signalled line.

Accidents
Derailed wagons near Namegawa Station, March 2011

In the early hours of 10 March 2011, a day before 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami occurred, a freight train carrying ethylene oxide derailed and overturned on the Narita Line near Namegawa Station.[2]

References
  1. Segawa, Yutaka (October 1973). 成田線・東金線ならびに関西本線の電化開業について [Electrification of Narita, Togane, and Kansai Main lines]. The Railway Pictorial (in Japanese). Japan: Denkisha Kenkyūkai (284): 11–13.
  2. 貨物列車：ＪＲ成田線滑河駅近くで横転 けが人いない模様 [Freight train overturns on JR Narita Line near Namegawa Station]. Mainichi.jp (in Japanese). Japan: The Mainichi Newspapers. 10 March 2011. Archived from the original on 29 April 2011. Retrieved 17 October 2011.
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