Hakone Tozan Line

The Hakone Tozan Line (箱根登山鉄道線, Hakone Tozan Tetsudō-sen, lit. Hakone Mountain-Climbing Railroad Line) is a mountain railway in Japan operated by Odakyu Hakone, an Odakyu Group company that also owns the Hakone Tozan Cable Car.

Hakone Tozan Line
Hakone Tozan Railway 1000 series trainset "Bernina" at Gōra Station
Overview
Native name	箱根登山鉄道線
Owner	Odakyu Group
Locale	Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan
Termini	Odawara Gōra
Stations	11
Service
Operator(s)	Odakyu Hakone
Depot(s)	Iriuda
History
Opened	1 June 1919; 105 years ago (1919-06-01)
Technical
Line length	15.0 km (9.3 mi)
Number of tracks	1
Track gauge	partly 1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) standard gauge and 1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in)
Minimum radius	555 ft (169 m)
Electrification	750 V and 1,500 V DC (Overhead catenary)
Signalling	Automatic closed block
Train protection system	D-ATS-P
Highest elevation	553 m (1,814 ft)
Maximum incline	8%
Route map Legend OH62 Sōunzan OH61 Kami-Gōra OH60 Naka-Gōra Hakone Tozan Cable Car OH59 Kōen-Kami OH58 Kōen-Shimo OH57 Gōra OH56 Chōkoku-no-Mori OH55 Kowakidani OH54 Miyanoshita Sennindai Signal Stop Kami-Ōhiradai Switchback OH53 Ōhiradai Demaya Switchback OH52 Tōnosawa OH51 Hakone-Yumoto OH50 Iriuda Iriuda depot OH49 Kazamatsuri OH48 Hakone-Itabashi OH47 Odawara This diagram: view talk edit

Hakone Tozan Railway 2000 series trainset "St. Moritz" at Odawara Station in 2006

The section of the line from Odawara Station to Hakone-Yumoto Station began operating in 1919, with the current terminus of Gōra being reached in 1930. Since 2006, only Odakyū Odawara Line trains run on the section from Odawara Station to Hakone-Yumoto Station, as that section was converted from dual-gauge (standard and narrow) to just narrow-gauge. From Gora, travelers can continue up the mountain on the Hakone Tozan Cable Car.

The railway is capable of climbing one meter vertically for every 12.5 metres (41 feet) of horizontal distance, with a maximum gradient of 8%. The line traverses Fuji-Hakone-Izu National Park, so the line was carefully designed to limit the impact on the scenery. Due to the difficult topography, the line has three switchbacks used to ascend particularly steep sections.

The section of the line between Hakone-Yumoto and Gora was suspended in October 2019 due to heavy damage caused by Typhoon Hagibis.^[1] On 9 July 2020, after repairs had been completed, test trains began running over the line and full service was restored two weeks later on 23 July.^[2][3]

Description

A 3000 series car on the 8% gradient near Hakone-Yumoto Station

Dual-gauge section at Iriuda Station

• Length: 15.0 km (9.3 mi)
• Gauge:
  • Odawara - Iriuda: 1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in)
  • Iriuda - Hakone-Yumoto: 1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in)/1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) (dual gauge)
  • Hakone-Yumoto - Gōra: 1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in)
• Stations: 11 (including termini)
• Track: single
• Power:
  • Odawara - Hakone-Yumoto: 1,500 V DC overhead supply
  • Hakone-Yumoto - Gōra: 750 V DC overhead supply
• Block system: Automatic (cab signal/digital) (CTC)

Stations

All stations are in Kanagawa.

• Trains: "S" = All stop, "|" = All pass.

No.	Stations/ Signal Stations	Japanese	Distance		Elevation	Stops			Location
						Limited Express	Local	Local
OH47	Odawara	小田原		0.0 km (0 mi)	26 m (85 ft)	S	S		Odawara
OH48	Hakone-Itabashi	箱根板橋	1.7 km (1.1 mi)	1.7 km (1.1 mi)	27 m (89 ft)	|	S
OH49	Kazamatsuri	風祭	1.5 km (0.93 mi)	3.2 km (2.0 mi)	48 m (157 ft)	|	S
OH50	Iriuda	入生田	1.0 km (0.62 mi)	4.2 km (2.6 mi)	66 m (217 ft)	|	S	(terminus)
OH51	Hakone-Yumoto	箱根湯本	1.9 km (1.2 mi)	6.1 km (3.8 mi)	108 m (354 ft)	S	S	S	Hakone, Ashigarashimo District
OH52	Tōnosawa	塔ノ沢	1.0 km (0.62 mi)	7.1 km (4.4 mi)	165 m (541 ft)	(terminus, from/to Shinjuku (some from/to Kita-Senju))	(terminus, from/to Shin-Matsuda)	S
–	Deyama Switchback	出山信号場	1.2 km (0.75 mi)	8.3 km (5.2 mi)	234 m (768 ft)			No passengers
OH53	Ōhiradai	大平台	1.6 km (0.99 mi)	9.9 km (6.2 mi)	349 m (1,145 ft)			S
–	Kami-Ōhiradai Switchback	上大平台信号場	0.5 km (0.31 mi)	10.4 km (6.5 mi)	359 m (1,178 ft)			No passengers
–	Sennindai Signal Stop	仙人台信号場	0.8 km (0.50 mi)	11.2 km (7.0 mi)	410 m (1,350 ft)			No passengers
OH54	Miyanoshita	宮ノ下	0.9 km (0.56 mi)	12.1 km (7.5 mi)	448 m (1,470 ft)			S
OH55	Kowakidani	小涌谷	1.3 km (0.81 mi)	13.4 km (8.3 mi)	535 m (1,755 ft)			S
OH56	Chōkoku-no-Mori	彫刻の森	0.9 km (0.56 mi)	14.3 km (8.9 mi)	551 m (1,808 ft)			S
OH57	Gōra	強羅	0.7 km (0.43 mi)	15.0 km (9.3 mi)	553 m (1,814 ft)			S

• Transfers:
  • At Odawara Station:
    • Odakyū Odawara Line
    • JT Tōkaidō Line, JS Shōnan-Shinjuku Line
    • Tōkaidō Shinkansen
    • ■ Izu-Hakone Railway Daiyūzan Line
  • At Gōra Station:
    • OH Hakone Tozan Railway - OH Hakone Tozan Cable Car
• Hakone-Yumoto Station is the terminus for all Hakone Tozan Line trains.
• On the Odawara - Hakone-Yumoto section, Limited Express "Romancecar" and Local trains run through to and from the Odakyu Odawara Line.
  • Odakyu LE, Super Hakone, Hakone and Homeway services run from/to Shinjuku Station.
  • Odakyu LE Metro Hakone runs between Hakone-Yumoto and Kita-Senju Station, on Tokyo Metro Chiyoda Line at weekends only.
  • Local trains runs between Odawara and Hakone-Yumoto, partly from/to Shin-Matsuda Station using 4-car Odakyu EMUs.
• Section between Hakone-Yumoto and Gōra is operated by local trains only, using Hakone Tozan 2/3-car EMUs.
  • Trains stop at three signal stops which have no passenger platforms.
  • There are three switchbacks: Deyama, Ōhiradai, and Kami-Ōhiradai.
• Journey time between Odawara - Hakone-Yumoto is approximately 15 minutes, Hakone-Yumoto - Gōra is approximately 40 minutes, Shinjuku - Hakone-Yumoto is approximately an hour and 25–35 minutes by limited express.

Signal stops

There are three signal stops on the Hakone Tozan Line in addition to the regular passenger stations. All of them have a siding track and two of them have switchbacks.

Deyama Switchback

Signal stop with a switchback. 234 m AMSL. 35°13′57″N 139°05′14″E

Kami-Ōhiradai Switchback

Signal stop with a switchback near Ōhiradai station which also has a switchback. 359 m AMSL. 35°14′08″N 139°04′32″E

Sennindai Signal Stop

Signal stop without a switchback. 410 m AMSL. 35°14′18″N 139°04′09″E

• 
  Deyama switchback
• 
  Kami-Ōhiradai switchback
• 
  Sennindai signal stop

Rolling stock

Hakone Tozan Railway (Hakone-Yumoto - Gōra)

MoNi 1 car at Gōra station in January 2010.

• MoHa 1 (formerly ChiKi 1, since 1919)
• MoHa 2 (formerly ChiKi 2, since 1927)
• 1000 series ("Bernina", named after the Rhätische Bahn railway of the same name in Switzerland)
• 2000 series ("St. Moritz", after the Swiss resort town and Bernina Railway terminus)
• 3000 series (since November 2014)^[4]
• 3100 series two-car EMU (since May 2017)^[5]
• MoNi 1 (non-revenue car, since 1975)

All trains are based at Iriuda Depot.

Former

Yu 1 goods wagon at Gōra station in 1992.

• MoHa 3 (withdrawn in 1997)
• Mu 1 (goods wagon, withdrawn in 1952/1992)
• Yu 1 (goods wagon, withdrawn in 1976)

Odakyu Electric Railway (Shinjuku - Odawara - Hakone-Yumoto)

Romancecar EMUs

• Odakyu 7000 series LSE
• Odakyu 10000 series HiSE
• Odakyu 20000 series RSE
• Odakyu 30000 series EXE
• Odakyu 50000 series VSE
• Odakyu 60000 series MSE (also from Kita-Senju)

Commuter EMUs

• Odakyu 1000 series^[6]
• Odakyu 5000 series
• Odakyu 8000 series

History

Map of the Hakone Tozan Railway

• October 1, 1888: Odawara Horse-drawn Railway opens from Kōzu Station via Odawara Station, to Hakone-Yumoto Station.
• October 31, 1896: Operating company name is changed to Odawara Electric Railway.
• March 21, 1900: Line is electrified (as a tram, 600 V DC).
• June 1, 1919: Line opens between Hakone-Yumoto and Gōra as an electrified (600 V DC) funicular railway.
• December 16, 1920: Tram line closes between Kōzu - Odawara, and connected with the JGR (now JR) Tōkaidō Main Line at Odawara.
• August 16, 1928: Hakone Tozan Railway is founded.
• October 1, 1935: Mainline railway is extended from Hakone-Yumoto to Odawara. Tram line remains between Odawara - Hakone-Itabashi, and is renamed the "Odawara Town Line".
• December 20, 1940: Tram section is renamed "Odawara City Line".
• June 1, 1948: Hakone Tozan Railway becomes part of the Odakyu Group.
• August 1, 1950: Odakyu Electric Railway begins operating Limited Express and Express trains from Shinjuku to Hakone-Yumoto. The line voltage is changed to 1,500 V DC for the dual gauge section between Odawara and Hakone-Yumoto.
• June 1, 1956: Odawara City Line (tram) is abandoned.
• July 14, 1993: Hakone-Yumoto - Gōra section is uprated from 600 to 750 V DC. Operations start using 3-car EMUs.
• March 18, 2006: Hakone Tozan Railway discontinues operation using its own units between Odawara and Hakone-Yumoto. Dual-gauge section reduced to Iriuda - Hakone-Yumoto.
• March 15, 2008: New Odakyu "Romancecar" through service starts from Kita-Senju Station.
• October 12, 2019: The section between Hakone-Yumoto and Gora closed due to severe damage caused by Typhoon Hagibis. The heavy rains caused landslides over the tracks and washed away ballast.^[1] In November 2019, the railway announced that repairs would keep the line closed until the fall of 2020.^[7]
• On July 9, 2020, test trains began running on the fixed line with services scheduled to begin on July 23.^[2]
• On April 1, 2024, the name of the operator company was changed from Hakone Tozan Railway Co., Ltd. to Odakyu Hakone Co., Ltd.^[8]

Microsoft Train Simulator

This route appears in Microsoft Train Simulator complete with scenarios simulating prototypical operation (Only from Odawara to Hakone-Yumoto).

References

1. Kinoshita, Shotaro (18 October 2019). "Famous Japan mountain railway to take months to recover after Typhoon Hagibis: operator". mainichi.jp. The Mainichi. Retrieved 30 October 2019.
2. Murano, Eiichi (9 July 2020). "Test runs begin to resume trains along Hakone mountain route". asahi.com. The Asahi Shimbun. Retrieved 9 July 2020.
3. "Traversing Hakone's "Golden Course" by Land, Air, and Water". nippon.com. 2020-08-14. Retrieved 2023-09-17.
4. 箱根登山鉄道3000形を導入 [Hakone Tozan Railway to introduce 3000 series]. Japan Railfan Magazine Online (in Japanese). Japan: Koyusha Co., Ltd. 6 June 2013. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 6 December 2016.
5. 箱根登山鉄道，3100形を導入 [Hakone Tozan Railway to introduce 3100 series]. Japan Railfan Magazine Online (in Japanese). Japan: Koyusha Co., Ltd. 6 December 2016. Archived from the original on 6 December 2016. Retrieved 6 December 2016.
6. "地下鉄に乗り入れなくなった関東大手私鉄車両 想定しながら乗り入れてない車両まで6選" [6 major private railway vehicles in Kanto that can no longer enter the subway]. Traffic News (in Japanese). 2021-03-20. p. 1. Retrieved 2022-04-12.
7. "箱根湯本駅－強羅駅間の運転再開の見込みについて" [Expected Resumption of Operation between Hakone-Yumoto Station and Gora Station] (PDF) (Press release) (in Japanese). Hakone Tozan Railway. 22 November 2019. Retrieved 25 November 2019.
8. Odakyu Hakone Holdings Co., Ltd. (24 January 2024). "小田急箱根グループの組織再編に関するお知らせ" [Notice regarding reorganization of Odakyu Hakone Group] (PDF) (in Japanese).

External links

• Hakone Tozan Railway Official Site
• Hakone Navi (Odakyu official sightseeing guide, in English)