The Yokosuka Line (横須賀線) is a main line run by East Japan Railway Company (JR East). Its formal section runs from Ofuna Station in Kamakura to Kurihama Station in Yokosuka, Kanagawa Prefecture.
History
The line was built at the request of the Navy and the Army. Their two ministers wrote to Prime Minister Ito Hirobumi on 22 June 1886 asking for it. The purposes were the Yokosuka naval base, the Kannonzaki battery of the Tokyo Bay fortress, and Nagai, a place where enemy landings were expected. The cabinet approved the Yokosuka Railway on 10 March 1887. Survey work began on 22 April 1887. A budget of 45万円 was moved from the Tokaido Line construction cost. Work began in January 1888. The route was built forcefully. It crossed the grounds of Engaku-ji temple and cut through the approach to Tsurugaoka Hachimangu shrine in Kamakura. Yokosuka station was planned in the town, but it was built on navy-provided land away from the town. The line opened on 16 June 1889 from Ofuna to Yokosuka, with new stations at Kamakura, Zushi and Yokosuka. At first it ran four return passenger trains, taking 45 minutes, and one return freight train, pulled by steam locomotives. Before the opening, on 12 March 1889, an imperial train ran from Shimbashi to a temporary stop inside the sailors' barracks at Yokosuka, for the launch of a ship at the navy yard.
On 16 April 1892 one return passenger train began running through to Shimbashi. On 1 April 1895 the line became part of the Tokaido Line under the track naming rules. On 1 May 1904 Tauura station opened. On 12 August 1914 the Zushi to Numa section was doubled, and Numa signal station was opened between Zushi and Tauura. On 13 September 1916 Ofuna to Kamakura was doubled. In March 1917 Kamakura to Zushi was doubled. On 19 October 1920 Numa to Tauura was doubled.
On 25 December 1924 the Tauura to Yokosuka section was doubled. In July 1925 the whole line was electrified. On 13 December 1925 electric locomotives began pulling trains from Tokyo to Yokosuka. For a time a steam locomotive was coupled behind each electric locomotive, until the crews had learned the system and the electric locomotives were reliable. By 15 September 1929 electric-hauled trains ran every 30 minutes and took 85 minutes from Tokyo to Yokosuka. In March 1930 electric multiple-unit trains began running between Tokyo and Yokosuka, 58.2 km, every 30 minutes (15 minutes at peak), taking 68 minutes. The line is more than 50 km long, so the 32 series cars were designed for longer runs. When the electric trains began, the stops between Tokyo and Yokohama were cut to Shimbashi and Shinagawa only, which saved 18 minutes. On 25 November 1930 smoking was banned on all national railway electric trains, including the Yokosuka Line. Japanese Wikipedia says the ban was tightened because smokers were especially common in the Yokosuka Line's second-class cars.
In the Second World War the line was treated as a special military line. On 1 April 1944 it was extended from Yokosuka to Kurihama, a distance of 8.0 km. In April 1944 second-class cars were dropped under emergency rules. The Navy asked for them back, and by September second-class cars returned, but only on about one-third of the trains. After the war, shortages made repairs hard. In 1946 some trains were pulled by electric locomotives because cars could not be repaired. In 1950 two-door cross-seat cars came from the Kansai area, and new 70 series cars were ordered. The 32 series moved to the Minobu and Iida lines. The line became a commuter line serving the suburbs. On 1 April 1952 Higashi-Zushi station opened. On 20 April 1960 the Ofuna depot was built, and Yokosuka line cars moved there from Tamachi depot. In 1968 the line received new-performance traction, and trains were later lengthened to 15 cars.
On 9 November 1963 at Tsurumi in Yokohama, Yokosuka Line trains on both tracks collided with a freight train. 161 people died and 120 were injured. In 1971 the Kokufu and Kurihama depots were closed. On 1 October 1974 freight service between Yokosuka and Kurihama ended. Suburban growth from the 1950s to the 1970s made rush-hour crowding worse. North of Ofuna the line shared track with the Tokaido Line, and capacity ran out there. In 1980 the Tokaido freight line was used to add tracks, and the trains of the two lines were separated. The Yokosuka trains then ran through to the Sobu Line rapid trains. On 1 February 1984 freight service between Zushi and Yokosuka ended. On 2 April 1986 temporary trains ran from Shinjuku to Zushi by way of the Osaki branch. On 1 April 1987 East Japan Railway Company took over the line after the national railways were split up. Japan Freight Railway became the freight operator from Ofuna to Tauura.
On 3 December 1994 E217 series trains began service. On 2 May 1998 Saturday and holiday trains from the Yokohama and Negishi lines began running through to Zushi. On 30 September 2000 the Tokyo Metropolitan Area Transport Management System (ATOS) began between Tokyo and Ofuna. In the 1990s the Narita Express reached Ofuna. In the 21st century, the Shonan-Shinjuku Line began running via Shibuya, Shinjuku and Ikebukuro, through to the Tohoku Line (Utsunomiya Line). On 16 October 2004 Shonan-Shinjuku service was greatly increased, and Shinjuku turn-back trains were ended. On 1 May 2006 JR Freight's freight service between Zushi and Tauura ended. On 15 March 2008 the through trains from the Yokohama and Negishi lines were ended as Shonan-Shinjuku trains increased. On 16 June 2009 the line marked 120 years, with photo exhibitions and events.
On 15 March 2014 some Narita Express trains from Yokohama and Ofuna were extended to Yokosuka on Saturdays and holidays in the peak season, with stops at Kita-Kamakura, Kamakura and Zushi. On 21 December 2020 the E235 1000 series began service. On 8 March 2025 the E217 series ended regular service, and all trains became E235 1000 series. In 2026 tunnel repair work between Tokyo and Shinagawa meant that section was closed from 5 June (Friday) to 7 June (Sunday), with more full-day closures planned for September and November. On 1 July 2026 the line moved from the Yokohama branch office to the Yokohama business headquarters.
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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.