Minobu Line

The Minobu Line (身延線, Minobu-sen) is a railway line in the Tōkai region of Japan operated by the Central Japan Railway Company (JR Central). It connects Fuji Station in Fuji, Shizuoka to Kōfu Station in Kōfu, Yamanashi, and the Tōkaidō Main Line with the Chūō Main Line trunk railroads.

Minobu Line
JR Central 313 series EMU on the Minobu Line in February 2021
Overview
Owner	JR Central
Termini	Fuji Kōfu
Stations	39
Service
Type	Heavy rail
Operator(s)	JR Central
History
Opened	1890
Last extension	30 March 1928; 96 years ago
Technical
Line length	88.4 km (54.9 mi)
Track gauge	1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in)
Electrification	1,500 V DC (overhead line)
Operating speed	85 km/h (53 mph)
Signalling	Automatic Closed block
Train protection system	ATS-PT
Maximum incline	2.5%
Route map Legend Tōkaidō Main Line 0.0 Fuji Motoichiba closed 1969 Fuji depot 1.5 Yunoki 2.8 Tatebori Tomei Expressway 5.6 Iriyamase Shin-Tomei Expressway 8.0 Fujine 9.3 Gendōji 10.7 Fujinomiya 11.9 Nishi-Fujinomiya Junigawa 16.9 Numakubo 19.2 Shibakawa Shibakawa 24.0 Inako Inako River Shizuoka Prefecture Yamanashi Prefecture 26.3 Tōshima Sano River 29.4 Ide 31.9 Yorihata 34.1 Utsubuna 39.8 Kai-Ōshima Wada Tunnel 43.5 Minobu 45.7 Shionosawa Shimobe River 50.2 Hadakajima Chubu Crossing Expressway Shimobe River 51.7 Shimobe-onsen 54.1 Kai-Tokiwa 56.1 Ichinose Katsusaka tunnel 58.8 Kunado Chubu Crossing Expressway 60.3 Kai-Iwama Chubu Crossing Expressway 61.8 Ochii Chubu Crossing Expressway 66.8 Kajikazawaguchi Chubu Crossing Expressway 69.8 Ichikawa-Daimon 70.7 Ichikawa-Hommachi 71.7 Ashigawa 72.8 Kai-Ueno Fuefuki River 76.3 Higashi-Hanawa 77.5 Koikawa New Yamanashi Ring Road 78.9 Jōei Chuo Expressway 81.2 Kokubo Arakawa 83.1 Kai-Sumiyoshi 84.0 Minami-Kōfu Muddy River 86.3 Zenkōji 87.2 Kanente JR Central JR East 88.4 Kōfu Chūō Main Line

The Fuji Horse Tramway (富士馬車鉄道, Fuji Basha Tetsudō) opened a line from Suzukawa (present Yoshiwara) on the Tōkaidō Main Line to Ōmiya (present Fujinomiya) (the southern end of the current route) in 1890.

The Fuji Minobu Railway (富士身延鉄道, Fuji Minobu Tetsudō) purchased the tramway in 1912, and converted it to a steam railway the following year, gradually extending the line to Minobu, a distance of 26.9 miles (43.3 km) by 1920. In 1927, the line was electrified, and in 1928 extended to Kōfu on the Chūō Main Line completing the line with a distance of 54.7 miles (88.0 km).

In 1938 the Minobu line was leased by the government, and nationalized in 1941. The alignment at Fuji was changed in 1968 to allow through trains to operate from Tokyo without requiring a reversal of direction, and the Fuji - Fujinomiya section was double-tracked between 1969 and 1974.

CTC signalling was commissioned in 1982, and freight services ceased in 1987, the year that Central Japan Railway Company (JR Central) took over operations of the Minobu Line following privatization of the Japanese National Railways.

• Fujinomiya station - The Fuji Horse Tramway operated a 20 km 610mm gauge line to Kami-ide between 1909 and 1939.

The Fujikawa limited express service operates between Kōfu and Shizuoka via Fuji using JR Central 373 series EMU trains. Other trains are all-stations "Local" services, with higher frequencies on the Fuji - Nishi-Fujinomiya and Kajikazawaguchi - Kōfu sections compared to the section in between. 313 series and 211 series EMUs are used on local services.

Stations marked with "｜" only local services stop. Stations marked with "●" local and Fujikawa limited express services stop.

• List of railway lines in Japan

• Minobu Line Station information