The Utsunomiya Line (Japanese: 宇都宮線, romanized: Utsunomiya-sen) is the name given to a 163.5-kilometer (101.6 mi) section of the Tōhoku Main Line between Tokyo Station in Tokyo and Kuroiso Station in Nasushiobara, Tochigi, Japan. It is part of the East Japan Railway Company (JR East) network.
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👉 Utsunomiya Line in the context of Ueno Station
Ueno Station (上野駅, Ueno-eki) is a major railway station in Tokyo's Taitō ward. It is the station used to reach the Ueno district and Ueno Park—which contains Tokyo National Museum, The National Museum of Western Art, Ueno Zoo, Tokyo University of the Arts and other famous cultural facilities. A major commuter hub, it is also the traditional terminus for long-distance trains from northern Japan, although with the extension of the Shinkansen lines to Tokyo Station this role has diminished in recent years. A similar extension of conventional lines extended Takasaki Line, Utsunomiya Line and Jōban Line services to Tokyo Station via the Ueno-Tokyo Line in March 2015, using existing little-used tracks and a new viaduct; the Ueno-Tokyo Line connects these lines with the Tōkaidō Main Line, allowing through services to Shinagawa, Yokohama, Odawara and Atami stations.
Ueno Station is close to Keisei Ueno Station, the Tokyo terminus of the Keisei Main Line to Narita Airport Station.
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Utsunomiya Line in the context of Tōhoku Main Line
The Tōhoku Main Line (Japanese: 東北本線, romanized: Tōhoku-honsen) is a 575.7-kilometre-long (357.7 mi) railway line in Japan operated by the East Japan Railway Company (JR East). The line starts from Tokyo Station in Chiyoda, Tokyo and passes through such cities as Saitama, Utsunomiya, Fukushima, and Sendai, before reaching the end of the line in Morioka. The line originally extended to Aomori, but was truncated upon the extension of the Tōhoku Shinkansen beyond Morioka, which mostly parallels the Tōhoku Main Line. A portion of the Tōhoku Main Line is also shared with the Keihin–Tōhoku Line (29.6 km (18.4 mi) between Tokyo Station and Ōmiya Station in Ōmiya-ku, Saitama) and the Saikyō Line (18 km (11 mi) between Akabane Station in the Kita ward of Tokyo and Ōmiya Station).
The 159.9-kilometre-long (99.4 mi) portion of the line between Tokyo Station and Kuroiso Station in Nasushiobara, Tochigi is referred to by JR East as the Utsunomiya Line, and the remaining section is referred to as the Tōhoku Line in regular service. Because of the difference in electrification south (1,500 V DC) and north (20 kV AC) of Kuroiso, there are no regularly scheduled passenger services that travel through that station.
Utsunomiya Line in the context of Keihin–Tōhoku Line
The Keihin–Tōhoku Line (Japanese: 京浜東北線, Hepburn: Keihin-tōhoku-sen) is a railway line in Japan which connects the cities of Saitama, Kawaguchi, Tokyo, Kawasaki, and Yokohama. It is part of the East Japan Railway Company (JR East) network. The line's name is derived from the characters for Tokyo (Japanese: 東京), Yokohama (Japanese: 横浜) and the Tōhoku Main Line (Japanese: 東北本線). The line runs parallel with the Tōkaidō Main Line between Yokohama and Tokyo and the Utsunomiya Line (part of the Tōhoku Main Line) except between Ueno and Akabane stations where the two lines are physically separate and thus alternate routes.
Most Keihin–Tōhoku Line trains have a through service onto the Negishi Line between Yokohama and Ōfuna stations. As a result, the entire service between Ōmiya and Ōfuna is typically referred to as the Keihin-Tōhoku–Negishi Line (Japanese: 京浜東北・根岸線) on system maps and in-train station guides. Keihin–Tōhoku–Negishi Line trains are recognizable by their light blue stripe (the line's color on maps is also light blue).
Utsunomiya Line in the context of Ueno–Tokyo Line
The Ueno–Tokyo Line (Japanese: 上野東京ライン, romanized: Ueno–Tōkyō Rain), formerly known as the Tōhoku Through Line (Japanese: 東北縦貫線, romanized: Tōhoku-Jūkan-sen) is a railway line in Tokyo, Japan, operated by the East Japan Railway Company (JR East), linking Ueno Station and Tokyo Station, extending the services of the Utsunomiya Line, the Takasaki Line, and the Jōban Line southward and onto the Tōkaidō Main Line and vice versa. While on official maps the line is purple, rolling stock and signage show the line as orange stacked on green, the colours used by the lines it connects. The project began in May 2008 and was opened with the 14 March 2015 timetable revision, costing about JPY 40 billion.
Direct travel was expected to ease congestion on the Yamanote Line and Keihin–Tōhoku Line, and the travel time was reduced by around 7 to 10 minutes because of through trains between the lines of Utsunomiya and Takasaki and the Main Line of Tokaido in addition to through trains that pass the Shinagawa Station on the Joban Line.