Takasaki Line


The Takasaki Line is a Japanese railway line which connects Ōmiya Station in Saitama, Saitama Prefecture and Takasaki Station in Takasaki, Gunma Prefecture. It is owned and operated by the East Japan Railway Company. The Ueno - Omiya - Takasaki - Shinmaebashi line was the first privately built railway in Japan.
All services on the line run to/from Ueno Station in Tokyo via the Tōhoku Main Line. The line was extended to Tokyo Station via the Ueno-Tokyo Line that opened in March 2015.
As the Takasaki Line serves many major cities within Saitama Prefecture, it is a vital means of transport within the prefecture. National Route 17 and its historical predecessor, the Nakasendō, run parallel to the line.

Services

Services on the Takasaki Line are typically divided into three categories: services to or from Ueno, Shōnan-Shinjuku Line services, and Ueno-Tokyo Line services. Between Ueno and Ōmiya, trains share the track with the Tōhoku Main Line, both of which serve as de facto express services compared to the parallel Keihin-Tōhoku Line. Northbound trains mostly terminate at or, with some at or. Southbound trains mostly travel through the Shōnan-Shinjuku Line to, or the Ueno-Tokyo Line to, on the Tokaido Line, with very few terminating at Ueno. Service on the line is provided by 15-car E231 series and E233-3000 series four-door suburban commuter EMUs with two Green cars; north of Kagohara, this is reduced to 10-cars.

Limited express / express

Prior to the opening of the Joetsu Shinkansen in 1982 and the Nagano Shinkansen in 1997, many Niigata- and Nagano-bound limited express and express services used the line, including the Toki, Asama, and Hakutaka. However, the Shinkansen reduced the need for most of these limited express services, and only a few remain. These include:

Commuter rapid

Commuter rapid services operate on weekday evenings only. They operate between Ueno and Maebashi/Takasaki.

Rapid ''Urban''

Since March 2015, Rapid Urban services now run from or on the Tokaido Line, through the Ueno-Tokyo Line, to Takasaki. This service stops at every station on the Tokaido Line, and skips some stations on the Takasaki Line.

Local

Local trains run approximately four times hourly; one or two of those terminates at Kagohara, while the rest terminate at Takasaki, Shin-Maebashi, or Maebashi.

Shōnan-Shinjuku Line services

Within the Takasaki Line, Shōnan-Shinjuku Line special rapid and rapid trains are each operated once per hour. Unlike regular Ueno bound or originating trains, they bypass Saitama-Shintoshin Station as it has no platform for the tracks used by the Shonan-Shinjuku Line. Previously bypassed Urawa Station now has a newly constructed platform that entered service in March 2013.
All trains are 10- or 15-car E231 or E233 series EMUs.

Special Rapid

Special rapid trains operate once hourly to Takasaki, making limited stops. They skip Ebisu Station.

Rapid

Rapid trains operate once hourly to Kagohara, stopping at all stations while within the Takasaki Line; this increases 2-3 times an hour during the mornings and evenings, when Takasaki-, Odawara-, and Kozu-bound trains also operate. North of Kagohara, all services are operated with 10-car trainsets.

Past services

Limited Express

Four trains bound for Kōnosu depart Ueno every weekday evening. Passengers can board only at Ueno; all other stations are for disembarking only. Service is provided by 7-car 185 series and 9-car 489 series EMU trainsets.

Station list

Legends:
The Nippon Railway Co., the first private railway company in Japan, opened the Ueno - Omiya - Shinmachi section in 1883, and extended the line to Takasaki the following year. The company was nationalised in 1906. The line was double-tracked between 1927 and 1930, and electrified in 1952.

Former connecting lines