Tōkaidō Main Line
The Tōkaidō Main Line (Japanese: 東海道本線, Hepburn: Tōkaidō-honsen) is a major Japanese railway line of the Japan Railways Group (JR Group) network, connecting Tokyo and Kōbe stations. It is 589.5 km (366.3 mi) long, not counting its many freight feeder lines around the major cities. The high-speed Tōkaidō Shinkansen largely parallels the line.
| Tōkaidō Main Line | |
|---|---|
| JT | |
Trains on the Tokaido Line. Clockwise from top left:
| |
| Overview | |
| Other name(s) |
|
| Native name | 東海道本線 |
| Locale | Kantō, Tōkai, Kansai regions |
| Termini | |
| Stations | 166 (passenger only) |
| Service | |
| Type | Heavy rail |
| Operator(s) | JR East JR Central JR West JR Freight |
| History | |
| Opened | October 14, 1872 |
| Technical | |
| Track length | 589.5 km (366.3 mi) |
| Track gauge | 1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in) |
| Electrification | 1,500 V DC overhead catenary |
| Operating speed | 130 km/h (81 mph) |
The term "Tōkaidō Main Line" is largely a holdover from pre-Shinkansen days; now various portions of the line have different names which are officially used by JR East, JR Central, and JR West. Today, the only daily passenger train that travels the entire length of the line is the combined overnight-train Sunrise Izumo - Sunrise Seto. During the day longer intercity trips using the line require several transfers along the way.
The Tokaido Main Line is owned and operated by three JR companies:
- East Japan Railway Company (JR East) (Tokyo - Atami) Tōkaidō Line
- Central Japan Railway Company (JR Central) (Atami - Maibara) Tōkaidō Line
- West Japan Railway Company (JR West) (Maibara - Kōbe) Biwako Line, JR Kyoto Line, JR Kobe Line