Chuo Main Line

The Chuo Main Line (中央本線), commonly called the Chuo Line, is one of the trunk lines of JR, the intercity rail group in Japan. It runs between Tokyo and Nagoya, although it is the slowest railway connection between the two cities (the Tokaido Shinkansen is much faster).

The Tokyo-Shinjuku portion is a vital cross-town rail link, and also the city's best-known suicide location due to the high speed and cramped schedule of the trains.

Despite the huge urban areas at either end of the Chuo Line, its central portion is very lightly travelled: the Shiojiri-Nakatsugawa corridor is only served by bi-hourly trains.

The eastern portion is run by the East Japan Railway Company, while the western portion is run by the Central Japan Railway Company. The dividing point between the two jurisdictions is Shiojiri Station.

History

The oldest portion of the Chuo Line is the segment from Nakano Station to Tachikawa Station, which dates back to 1889. The extension westward continued through the turn of the century, with Hachioji Station and eastern Yamanashi prefecture in 1901, and Kofu in 1903. The Nagoya-Shiojiri segment was completed by 1902, and connected to Kofu by 1905.

The section between Iidabashi Station and Nakano Station was the first electric railway in Japan

Main stations

• Tokyo Station
• Ochanomizu Station
• Iidabashi Station
• Ichigaya Station
• Shinjuku Station
• Nakano Station
• Kichijoji Station
• Mitaka Station
• Musashisakai Station
• Tachikawa Station
• Hachioji Station
• Takao Station
• Otsuki Station
• Yamanashishi Station
• Kofu Station
• Kobuchizawa Station
• Shiojiri Station
• Nakatsugawa Station
• Ena Station
• Tajimi Station
• Kozoji Station
• Kachigawa Station
• Chikusa Station
• Tsurumai Station
• Kanayama Station
• Nagoya Station