The term Kankō (緩行, lit. "slow run") distinguishes local trains on the Chūō-Sōbu line from rapid service trains running on the Chūō Main Line between Mitaka and Ochanomizu and on the Sōbu Main Line between Kinshichō and Chiba.
Service patterns
Chūō-Sōbu Line
Regularly, trains terminate at Chiba or Tsudanuma at the east side, and terminate at Nakano or Mitaka at the west side
Certain limited express and seasonal trains run through, or stop at stations on this line. For information on the Shinjuku Wakashio and the Shinjuku Sazanami that make stops on the Chūō-Sōbu Line at Akihabara, see their respective articles.
Former Early morning / Late night
At around 9 -10pm, a few westbound trains headed beyond Mitaka onto the Chūō Line (Rapid), with some terminating at Musashi-Koganei, and the others at Tachikawa. The other trains during the hour operated regularly.
At around 4 - 6am and 11pm - 1am, Chūō-Sōbu Line services were divided at Ochanomizu Station, into two sections.
At the western section (Mitaka – Ochanomizu), Chūō Line (Rapid) trains ran through the Chūō-Sōbu Line tracks between Nakano and Ochanomizu, with services serving between Tokyo and as far as Takao, or even Ōme, which stops at all stations.
At the eastern section (Ochanomizu – Chiba), local trains operated and terminated at the two ends of the section.
This service pattern last operated on 13 March 2020. To prepare for the eventual installation of platform doors on Chūō-Sōbu Line platforms and the future addition of Green Cars on the Rapid line, Chūō Line Rapid service trains no longer regularly operate on the Chūō-Sōbu Line tracks.[2]
Station list
Legend
●: All trains stop
■: Some trains pass
▲: All trains pass on weekends and holidays
｜: All trains pass
Rolling stock
Chūō-Sōbu Line
Trains used on the line are based at Mitaka Depot.
E231-0 series 10-car EMUs (yellow stripe) (since February 2000)[3]
E231-500 series 10-car EMUs (yellow stripe) (since 1 December 2014)[4]
Tozai Line - Toyo Rapid Line through service
Trains run between Mitaka and Tsudanuma (Chūō-Sōbu Line) or Toyo-Katsutadai (Toyo Rapid Line), all via the Tokyo Metro Tozai Line between Nakano and Nishi-Funabashi.
E231-800 series 10-car EMUs (light blue and blue stripe) (Does not run on the Toyo Rapid Line)
A Chūō–Sōbu Line train crosses a bridge in Chiyoda, Tokyo, 2021
Women-only cars, designed to prevent gropers, were introduced on this line during morning peak periods starting on 20 November 2006.
On 20 August 2016, station numbering was introduced to the Chuo-Sobu line with stations being assigned station numbers between JB01 and JB39.[6][7] Numbers increase towards in the eastbound direction towards Chiba.
References
^"平成27年 大都市交通センサス 首都圏報告書" (PDF). P.92. 国土交通省.
^"2020年3月ダイヤ改正について (Schedule changes for March 2020)" (PDF). 13 December 2019.
^ a b c d e JR首都圏通勤電車図鑑. Japan Railfan Magazine. Vol. 48, no. 570. Koyusha Co., Ltd. October 2008. p. 27.
^中央総武緩行線でE231系500番台が営業運転を開始 [E231-500 series enters revenue service on Chuo-Sobu Line]. Japan Railfan Magazine Online (in Japanese). Japan: Koyusha Co., Ltd. 2 December 2014. Retrieved 2 December 2014.
^ 特集 209系 第２章へ [209 series - The second chapter]. Japan Railfan Magazine. Vol. 49, no. 576. Koyusha Co., Ltd. April 2009. pp. 9–47.
^"⾸都圏エリアへ 「駅ナンバリング」を導⼊します" [Introduce “station numbering” to the Tokyo metropolitan area] (PDF). jreast.co.jp (in Japanese). 6 April 2016. Archived from the original (PDF) on 7 December 2022. Retrieved 7 January 2023.
^Kusamachi, Yoshikazu (7 April 2016). "JA・JK・JT・AKB…JR東日本、首都圏で駅ナンバリングなど導入へ" [JA, JK, JT, AKB … JR East to introduce station numbering in the Tokyo metropolitan area]. Response Automotive Media (in Japanese). Archived from the original on 6 August 2022. Retrieved 7 January 2023.
External links
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Chūō-Sōbu Line.
