Chuo Line 中央本線
The Chuo Main Line in Tajimi, Gifu - serving mainly the localities
©Japan Visitor
The Chuo Main Line is a Japan Rail-operated railway line that goes between Tokyo and Nagoya, and is not to be confused with the Chuo Line (Rapid), which is the special section of the line that serves just the Tokyo area.
The JR Chuo Line, also known as the Chuo Main Line, is a Japan Rail (JR) railway line linking Tokyo Station and Nagoya Station.
The Chuo Main Line is almost 397 km long and has 112 stations.
Difference Between Chuo Main Line and Chuo Line (Rapid)
The Chuo Main Line overlaps with, but should not be confused with the Chuo Line (Rapid), which is part of the Chuo-Sobu Line. The Chuo-Sobu Line is a special stretch of the Chuo Line and the adjoining Sobu Line, and serves only the Tokyo metropolis.
If you look them up on a map, Chuo Line stations are shown in orange. Sobu Line stations are in blue; Chuo-Sobu Line stations are in yellow.
History
Work on what would become the Chuo Main Line began in 1889, and the line as far as Nagoya was completed in 1911. In the following decades eletrification work was carried out and completed in 1966.
Chuo Main Line: a Local Service
Although the Chuo Main Line goes from Tokyo to Nagoya, no one uses it to travel between these cities. It is used as a local service. For intercity transit, the Tokaido Shinkansen bullet train is much faster and more convenient, especially if you are a visitor to Japan with a Japan Rail Pass.
Chuo Main Line Sections
No train on the Chuo Main Line makes the full, uninterrupted journey between Tokyo and Nagoya. Rather, there are five sections of the track, and you must change trains between each: Tokyo - Takao, Takao - Kofu, Kofu - Shiojiri, Shiojiri - Nakatsugawa, and Nakatsugawa - Nagoya.
Inside a Chuo Line train
©Japan Visitor
