The Musashino Line (武蔵野線) is a main line run by East Japan Railway Company (JR East). It links Tsurumi Station in Yokohama, Fuchu-Honmachi Station in Fuchu, Tokyo, Minami-Urawa Station in Saitama City, and Nishi-Funabashi Station in Funabashi, Chiba.
History
The line began as a plan for a freight line to replace the Yamanote freight line (山手貨物線). It was included in the Railway Construction Act of 1927 (鉄道敷設法), but the plan was frozen during World War II. After the war, freight trains on the Yamanote freight line increased. In 1952 Saitama Prefecture applied for a route from Tokorozawa through Urawa and Nagareyama to Abiko, as part of an outer ring line around the capital. In 1957 the Railway Construction Council approved construction under the provisional name Gyokuyo Line (玉葉線). The basic plan was shown in April 1964, and the Japan Railway Construction Public Corporation (日本鉄道建設公団) was told to build it. The section from Shin-Matsudo to Nishi-Funabashi was called the Kogane Line (小金線). On 1 September 1966 the transport minister approved construction of the 14.62 km Nishi-Funabashi to Kita-Baba section. A groundbreaking ceremony was held at Minami-Urawa Station on 17 December 1965.
The first section opened on 1 April 1973, from Fuchu-Honmachi to Shin-Matsudo and from Yono to Nishi-Urawa. It carried both passenger and freight trains. At first, passenger trains ran in the daytime between freight trains, about every 40 minutes, and about every 15 to 20 minutes at rush hour. In the late 1970s freight moved to concentrated trunk transport, which freed up room in the timetable. Population along the line grew, and more passenger trains were added. On 1 March 1976 the freight-only section from Tsurumi, through Shin-Tsurumi Yard, to Fuchu-Honmachi opened. From the start, 12 of the 17 stations had automatic ticket gates. This made it the first line in the Kanto region to use automatic gates across the whole line from opening. The Japanese National Railways (国鉄) judged the line suitable for a trial because its population was relatively small. Later, the number of users rose with the population, and transfers from other lines using non-magnetic tickets led to gate delays. This was one reason the National Railways and large private railways in Kanto were cautious about automatic gates.
Shin-Matsudo to Nishi-Funabashi was completed on 26 May 1978, and it opened to passengers on 2 October 1978. Shin-Yahashira, Ichikawa-Ono and Funabashi-Hoten stations opened at that time. On 17 August 1980 a fire broke out in a used-tyre warehouse under the viaduct near Nishi-Urawa Station. Tens of thousands of tyres burned. The viaduct was damaged, and the section from Kita-Asaka to Nishi-Urawa was closed for one month. Trains restarted on 17 September using only the two down tracks, with temporary supports so that no load fell directly on the piers. All four tracks near Nishi-Urawa were restored on 23 March 1981. On 1 February 1984 Shin-Tsurumi Yard was changed into a signal station. Shin-Misato station opened on 14 March 1985, and Musashi-Urawa station opened on 30 September 1985, when Tajima signal station was merged into it. Musashino Yard was abolished on 1 November 1986.
On 1 April 1987 the national railways were split up and privatised. East Japan Railway Company (JR East) took over the line, and Japan Freight Railway Company (JR Freight) became the freight operator from Tsurumi to Minami-Nagareyama. On 1 December 1988 through trains to the Keiyo Line (京葉線) began, and some trains ran through. On 10 October 1991 205 series six-car trains began service. They were brought in early for the December 1991 timetable change, which reshuffled the 103 series. From 12 October to 11 December 1991, Typhoon No. 21 flooded the Shin-Kodaira station area with groundwater. Tracks and platforms were under water, and the section from Nishi-Kokubunji to Shin-Akitsu was closed. On 1 December 1991 eight-car trains began running alongside six-car trains. The eight-car change applied to some sets used at the busiest times. The 103 series rework was delayed until 18 December because of the closure. On 20 October 1996 the 201 series ended service. From 1 December 1996 all ordinary trains were eight cars. Higashi-Matsudo station opened on 14 March 1998. On 10 April 2000 heavy-rain disaster prevention work between Higashi-Kawaguchi and Nishi-Funabashi was finished, and the heavy-rain running limits were eased. On 2 December 2000 the 16.4 km section from Minami-Nagareyama to Nishi-Funabashi opened under JR Freight.
On 1 December 2002 the timetable changed. The Musashino Dream nickname was dropped, and daytime holiday service was increased. In 2003 automatic route control began in stages at each station. On 9 November 2003 the down track between Minami-Koshigaya and Yoshikawa was raised onto a viaduct near the Koshigaya Lake Town site. The up track was raised on 27 June 2004. On 10 December 2005 the timetable changed, and the 103 series ended service. On 15 March 2008 Koshigaya Lake Town station opened. The timetable change moved the last down train from Higashi-Tokorozawa to Minami-Koshigaya about 26 minutes later, so it left Minami-Urawa 37 minutes past midnight. On 4 December 2010 the timetable changed again. The Musashino-go became a regular train that stopped at every station on the line, and the Shimousa-go began running. The 209 series also entered service. The Tokyo area train management system (ATOS) began use on 22 January 2012, and Yoshikawa-Minami station opened on 17 March 2012. On 16 March 2013 the weekday daytime service was increased, and trains through to Tokyo Station all became local trains that stop at every station. On 1 April 2013 the Fuchu-Honmachi to Shin-Matsudo section passed from the Railway Construction and Transport Agency (鉄道・運輸機構) to JR East, when its lease period ended.
On 17 September 2014 a temporary limited express called Musashino Kaiji (むさしのかいじ) began service. On 30 September 2015 mobile phone dead zones were removed in the Kodaira Tunnel (2,654 m) between Nishi-Kokubunji and Shin-Kodaira, and in the Higashi-Murayama Tunnel (4,380 m) between Shin-Kodaira and Shin-Akitsu. In March 2016 the Shin-Tsurumi to Fuchu-Honmachi section passed to JR East when its lease period ended. On 1 November 2017 E231 series trains began service. On 2 October 2018 the Shin-Matsudo to Nishi-Funabashi section passed to JR East when its lease period ended. In October 2018 the line marked the 40th anniversary of its full opening. An E231 train with an anniversary headmark ran across the whole line from 23 November 2018 to 31 March 2019. On 19 October 2020 the 205 series ended service. On 20 January 2021 the last trains between Fuchu-Honmachi and Higashi-Tokorozawa were brought forward by up to 23 minutes, because of a COVID-19 state of emergency and requests from the government and local authorities. On 9 October 2021 the Holiday Express Kamakura (ホリデー快速鎌倉) changed to run to and from Yoshikawa-Minami instead of Minami-Koshigaya, and began stopping at Koshigaya Lake Town. It ended on 25 September 2022. From 1 October 2022 a temporary limited express Kamakura replaced it, and Koshigaya Lake Town, Minami-Urawa and Higashi-Tokorozawa were removed from its stops. On 1 April 2023 a 50th anniversary headmark train began, to run until 30 June 2023. Goods were sold at NewDays shops along the line. On 25 November 2023 a special limited express, the Musashino 50th Anniversary Kamakura, ran from Yoshikawa-Minami to Kamakura, using a five-car E257 series 5500 番台 set.
On 9 June 2025 a news report said that through running with Seibu Railway (西武鉄道) was planned around fiscal 2028, using a connecting line near Shin-Akitsu. The two companies were still discussing the route and the service pattern. On 1 July 2026 JR East reorganised its branch offices into business divisions. The Tsurumi station area came under the Kawasaki Business Division. The Fuchu-Honmachi to Misato section came under the Musashino Business Division, while work at Minami-Urawa Station stayed with the Urawa Business Division. The Minami-Nagareyama to Shin-Matsudo section came under the Matsudo Business Division, and the Shin-Yahashira to Nishi-Funabashi section came under the Keiyo-Sobu Business Division.
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Written by an AI from the line's history on Japanese Wikipedia, nothing else, and checked by a program for dates and numbers that are not in those facts. It can still be wrong. Adapted from Japanese Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0; this text is shared under the same licence.