Musashino Line
The Musashino Line (武蔵野線) is a trunk railway line operated by the East Japan Railway Company (JR East).
It links Tsurumi Station, Yokohama, Kanagawa and Nishi-Funabashi Station, Funabashi, Chiba, forming a 100 km unclosed loop around central Tokyo. Passenger operations are limited to the 71.8 km portion between Fuchū-Hommachi Station and Nishi-Funabashi; the Tsurumi to Fuchūhommachi portion, called the Musashino South Line, is used almost exclusively by freight trains.
Some trains run on the Keiyō Line through Nishi-Funabashi to continue to Tokyo Station or Minami-Funabashi Station. Some go to Kaihinmakuhari Station via Minami-Funabashi.
Trains
Most trains on the Musashino Line are 205 series 8-car electric multiple units making all station stops.
Other trains include:
- Burari Kamakura, seasonal express service between Iwaki Station and Kamakura Station using the Musashino Line between Minami-Koshigaya and Tsurumi. Uses 485 series trains.
- Musashino, rapid service between Fuchu-Hommachi and Omiya Station. Uses 115 series trains.
Locomotive types seen hauling freight trains include EF64, EF65, EF66, EF81, EF200, EF210, EH200, EH500, and DE10.
Rolling stock previously used includes 101-1000 series 6-car EMUs, 201 series 6-car EMUs and 103 series 8-car EMUs (until 2005).
Stations
Tsurumi Station is considered to be the origin of the Musashino Line; trains going clockwise (toward Nishi-Funabashi) are therefore called outbound (下り kudari?) while trains going counter-clockwise (toward Fuchu-Hommachi) are called inbound (上り nobori?). This is often counterintuitive, as it results in through trains to Tokyo Station being labeled and numbered as outbound trains while on the Musashino Line; however, such trains switch to inbound after passing into the Keiyo Line.
