The railway is capable of climbing one meter vertically for every 12.5 metres (41 feet) of horizontal distance, with a maximum gradient of 8%. The line traverses Fuji-Hakone-Izu National Park, so the line was carefully designed to limit the impact on the scenery. Due to the difficult topography, the line has three switchbacks used to ascend particularly steep sections.
The section of the line between Hakone-Yumoto and Gora was suspended in October 2019 due to heavy damage caused by Typhoon Hagibis.[1] On 9 July 2020, after repairs had been completed, test trains began running over the line and full service was restored two weeks later on 23 July.[2][3]
Description
A 3000 series car on the 8% gradient near Hakone-Yumoto StationDual-gauge section at Iriuda Station
Length: 15.0 km (9.3 mi)
Gauge:
Odawara - Iriuda: 1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in)
Iriuda - Hakone-Yumoto: 1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in)/1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) (dual gauge)
Local trains runs between Odawara and Hakone-Yumoto, partly from/to Shin-Matsuda Station using 4-car Odakyu EMUs.
Section between Hakone-Yumoto and Gōra is operated by local trains only, using Hakone Tozan 2/3-car EMUs.
Trains stop at three signal stops which have no passenger platforms.
There are three switchbacks: Deyama, Ōhiradai, and Kami-Ōhiradai.
Journey time between Odawara - Hakone-Yumoto is approximately 15 minutes, Hakone-Yumoto - Gōra is approximately 40 minutes, Shinjuku - Hakone-Yumoto is approximately an hour and 25–35 minutes by limited express.
Signal stops
There are three signal stops on the Hakone Tozan Line in addition to the regular passenger stations. All of them have a siding track and two of them have switchbacks.
Deyama Switchback
Signal stop with a switchback. 234 m AMSL.35°13′57″N 139°05′14″E / 35.232402°N 139.087167°E / 35.232402; 139.087167
Kami-Ōhiradai Switchback
Signal stop with a switchback near Ōhiradai station which also has a switchback. 359 m AMSL.35°14′08″N 139°04′32″E / 35.235604°N 139.075444°E / 35.235604; 139.075444
Sennindai Signal Stop
Signal stop without a switchback. 410 m AMSL.35°14′18″N 139°04′09″E / 35.238215°N 139.069042°E / 35.238215; 139.069042
October 1, 1888: Odawara Horse-drawn Railway opens from Kōzu Station via Odawara Station, to Hakone-Yumoto Station.
October 31, 1896: Operating company name is changed to Odawara Electric Railway.
March 21, 1900: Line is electrified (as a tram, 600 V DC).
June 1, 1919: Line opens between Hakone-Yumoto and Gōra as an electrified (600 V DC) funicular railway.
December 16, 1920: Tram line closes between Kōzu - Odawara, and connected with the JGR (now JR) Tōkaidō Main Line at Odawara.
August 16, 1928: Hakone Tozan Railway is founded.
October 1, 1935: Mainline railway is extended from Hakone-Yumoto to Odawara. Tram line remains between Odawara - Hakone-Itabashi, and is renamed the "Odawara Town Line".
December 20, 1940: Tram section is renamed "Odawara City Line".
June 1, 1948: Hakone Tozan Railway becomes part of the Odakyu Group.
August 1, 1950: Odakyu Electric Railway begins operating Limited Express and Express trains from Shinjuku to Hakone-Yumoto. The line voltage is changed to 1,500 V DC for the dual gauge section between Odawara and Hakone-Yumoto.
June 1, 1956: Odawara City Line (tram) is abandoned.
July 14, 1993: Hakone-Yumoto - Gōra section is uprated from 600 to 750 V DC. Operations start using 3-car EMUs.
March 18, 2006: Hakone Tozan Railway discontinues operation using its own units between Odawara and Hakone-Yumoto. Dual-gauge section reduced to Iriuda - Hakone-Yumoto.
October 12, 2019: The section between Hakone-Yumoto and Gora closed due to severe damage caused by Typhoon Hagibis. The heavy rains caused landslides over the tracks and washed away ballast.[1] In November 2019, the railway announced that repairs would keep the line closed until the fall of 2020.[7]
On July 9, 2020, test trains began running on the fixed line with services scheduled to begin on July 23.[2]
On April 1, 2024, the name of the operator company was changed from Hakone Tozan Railway Co., Ltd. to Odakyu Hakone Co., Ltd.[8]
Microsoft Train Simulator
This route appears in Microsoft Train Simulator complete with scenarios simulating prototypical operation (Only from Odawara to Hakone-Yumoto).
References
^ a bKinoshita, Shotaro (18 October 2019). "Famous Japan mountain railway to take months to recover after Typhoon Hagibis: operator". mainichi.jp. The Mainichi. Retrieved 30 October 2019.
^ a bMurano, Eiichi (9 July 2020). "Test runs begin to resume trains along Hakone mountain route". asahi.com. The Asahi Shimbun. Retrieved 9 July 2020.
^"Traversing Hakone's "Golden Course" by Land, Air, and Water". nippon.com. 2020-08-14. Retrieved 2023-09-17.
^箱根登山鉄道3000形を導入 [Hakone Tozan Railway to introduce 3000 series]. Japan Railfan Magazine Online (in Japanese). Japan: Koyusha Co., Ltd. 6 June 2013. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 6 December 2016.
^箱根登山鉄道，3100形を導入 [Hakone Tozan Railway to introduce 3100 series]. Japan Railfan Magazine Online (in Japanese). Japan: Koyusha Co., Ltd. 6 December 2016. Archived from the original on 6 December 2016. Retrieved 6 December 2016.
^"地下鉄に乗り入れなくなった関東大手私鉄車両 想定しながら乗り入れてない車両まで6選" [6 major private railway vehicles in Kanto that can no longer enter the subway]. Traffic News (in Japanese). 2021-03-20. p. 1. Retrieved 2022-04-12.
^"箱根湯本駅－強羅駅間の運転再開の見込みについて" [Expected Resumption of Operation between Hakone-Yumoto Station and Gora Station] (PDF) (Press release) (in Japanese). Hakone Tozan Railway. 22 November 2019. Retrieved 25 November 2019.
^Odakyu Hakone Holdings Co., Ltd. (24 January 2024). "小田急箱根グループの組織再編に関するお知らせ" [Notice regarding reorganization of Odakyu Hakone Group] (PDF) (in Japanese).
External links
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Hakone Tozan Railway.
Hakone Tozan Railway Official Site
Hakone Navi (Odakyu official sightseeing guide, in English)
