International Railroad Discussion > Yamanote Line Grade Crossing (Tokyo, Japan)

The loop line in Tokyo called the Yamanote Line is well known to the residents and visitors from around the world, railfans and non-railfans.

For the curious, plenty of resources are available for research on the Yamanote Line, in English and other languages, so I'll spare some detail on this post. While the original segment (on the west side of the loop) started service in 1885, the more important fact is that the entire loop line started service in 1925. By that time, most of the line was already grade separated to avoid conflict with the then-ubiquitous streetcar systems.

So the Yamanote Line as it stands today didn't have too many grade crossings to begin with.

About 15-20 years ago, I was aware that two grade crossings still existed on the Yamanote Line. I did some research couple of years ago to confirm this, and found out that one grade crossing between Mejiro and Ikebukuro (near where Seibu Ikebukuro Line crosses over the Yamanote Line) was eliminated in 2005.

So only one grade crossing remains on the Yamanote Line today, the one between Komagome and Tabata, on the northeast section of the loop.

In the past, I've tried to spot this crossing while riding the line, but it was difficult to pinpoint, especially onboard a crowded train. While foaming JR Freight trains last year, I found the crossing when I was walking around, looking for the start of the Yamanote Freight Line segment on the north end. Because the crossing bells aren't loud and the crossing itself isn't very wide, I see now why it was so easy to miss.

During a more recent trip, I decided to document the crossing with a purpose, to catch the brand new E235 EMU there. While randomly riding around the Yamanote Line, I noticed that there are about half a dozen (5-6) E235s in service, with the rest being the older E231s, which started service on the line in 2002.

In the first clip, I'm trying to document JR Freight #3086 at Harajuku Station on a rainy day. Typhoon #21 was approaching, and would make landfall in Tokyo the next day. The counter-clockwise E231 partially blocks the #3086, while the clockwise one departs the station seconds later.

I continued riding on the Yamanote Line, hopped on a Joban Line train at Ueno going south, and noticed that I just passed a counter-clockwise (southbound) E235 near Yurakucho. I detrained at Shinagawa and headed to the Keihin-Tohoku Line platform to document the E235 arriving (barely). Northbound Keihin-Tohoku Line E233 EMU then arrives (second clip).

I immediately came up with an intercept strategy to guarantee a nab of that E235 at the last Yamanote Line grade crossing. I hopped on the same Keihin-Tohoku Line E233 right away. While the E235 was going to make every stop going clockwise, I was going to beat it to the north end easily riding counter-clockwise, because the Keihin Tohoku Line, running parallel to the Yamanote Line was running as a rapid service, skipping several stations.

Even with a transfer back to the Yamanote Line at Tabata and walking 5+ city blocks from Komagome Station, I won the race easily, third clip, where I document the E235 taking the last grade crossing on the Yamanote Line. Counter-clockwise E231 makes a meet at the end of the clip.

What I didn't realize was that JR East was running a caravan of E235s, so I got two more right after. I get the next one with a "wedgier" angle at the crossing, fourth clip.

There used to be a third grade crossing west of where I was, so I document the third E235 accelerating near where it used to be, fifth clip. The hint is the location of the street on the other side of the ROW.

Hope I gave future TO visitors to Japan some foaming ideas on Tokyo's famous Yamanote Line. That's it for the quick report.

- Bilingual map of the Yamanote Line (Japanese & English), for reference.

- Next day, I caught the clockwise (northbound) E235 departing Harajuku Station. JR Freight #3086 did not show up, either cancelled or got rerouted due to post-typhoon disruptions?

- Video as described.

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Thanks for the wonderful post.

Interesting in the 2nd clip, at 1.00, the pantograph is lit from a light on the train - they must be using an in service train for some form of testing/research.

Very interesting. Thanks. More, please.

The directional arrows on the road crossing are an interesting additional warning for the multiple track crossings. It seems to add an additional level of safety so that folks know trains are coming from both directions.

Marty Harrison
Knob Noster, MO

eleven car trains are quite long; odd number of cars; busy trains.

I didn't detect any horns or whistles for the crossing. Is that standard for Japan?

Stephenloco Wrote:
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> Thanks for the wonderful post.
>
> Interesting in the 2nd clip, at 1.00, the
> pantograph is lit from a light on the train - they
> must be using an in service train for some form of
> testing/research.

Did a quick search on that topic (in Japanese). The preproduction E235 in testing/service has rail and catenary inspection capabilities in two of the cars, and that's what I might have run into at Shinagawa. That's the same one I chased two years ago as well as the one I rode last year. I reviewed the video I took, and the light on the pantograph can be seen on car #3 in some of the clips, to confirm that.

There's rumor in railfan circles that if JR Group of railroads lean more toward rail/catenary inspections via revenue service, Dr. Yellow's days might be numbered.

TomPlatten Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I didn't detect any horns or whistles for the
> crossing. Is that standard for Japan?

No specific rules for blowing the horn at crossings, so it's normal not to hear any. FYI, we had a thread discussing this few months ago.

Engineers do blow horns to alert pedestrians and waiting passengers if they think there's potential danger. I've seen quite a few distracted walkers (cell phones) make engineers nervous, where they do blow the horn. Happens frequently when a train is coming into a station.

Horns can be heard in my previous post of Japanese railroading, the video I took at the Seikan Tunnel Portal. Some are blowing the horn to alert MOW, while at least one was for me ("highball the foamer"). :-)

I was just at a club meeting in Durand, MI last night and someone else had video from Japan. Can't remember which station it was but the presenter said it was three stops from Tokyo Station and had both 3'6" and standard gauge. Always love seeing videos from Japan. Thank you for this and congratulations on making it to the featured video.

Edit: After doing some research I think it was Okachimachi Station but I'm not positive.



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 11/05/17 04:43 by SD80MACfan.

SD80MACfan Wrote:
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> Edit: After doing some research I think it was
> Okachimachi Station but I'm not positive.

Hamamatsucho and Tamachi have view of both gauges, and that's 3rd and 4th stops south from Tokyo Station. Elevated angles are available near both stations. I have a video from Tamachi. Does the video you saw look similar?

https://www.trainorders.com/discussion/read.php?6,3715328,3715338#3715338

Okachimachi might not have view of all the tracks, since the Shinkansen tracks go underground between Tokyo and Ueno, and Akihabara (2nd stop north from Tokyo) is where they go underground going north toward Ueno.

MEKoch Wrote:
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> eleven car trains are quite long; odd number of
> cars; busy trains.

"Standard" length of cars for JR East's short distance commuters in Tokyo Metropolitan area like Keihin-Tohoku, Chuo, Sobu Local, Joban, and Keiyo Lines are 10 cars. Decades ago, Yamanote Line was also 10 cars long, but due to unbearable congestion, JR East added the 11th car in 1990s - quick research (only one source) says 1991.

JR East had to spend lots of money extending platform length on the Yamanote Line for that 11th car, which at the time had less seats and more doors and the 11th car was labeled specifically to alert the passengers. 205 Series EMUs were the ones affected - I just used that fact and found some Google Image search sample of that 11th car (see the blog entry below):

http://blog.goo.ne.jp/shashoudj/e/8e0a08e2311054cca656730eb9c8d5f9

The longer distance commuters like Tokaido, Yokosuka, Sobu Rapid, Takasaki, Utsunomiya, and Joban Rapid Lines are 15 cars long. Usually they are 10+5 and they decouple one section enroute, so the train is shorter once it's farther away from Tokyo. Some of the longer distance commuters use the Shonan-Shinjuku and Ueno-Tokyo Lines which parallel the Yamanote Line, one of the west side of the loop, and the other on the east, respectively. The purpose of those lines were to relieve the Yamanote Line from capacity meltdown.

Typical capacity of an 11 car set is around ~1500 people. Congestion reached ~250% of capacity at one point until the Shonan-Shinjuku Line started service. Currently, the Yamanote Line average ~167% capacity thanks to the recent start of Ueno-Tokyo Line in March of 2015. People who will be visiting Tokyo from now on might be surprised to see that there are seats available on the Yamanote Line (I was pretty amazed) while before, you'd often be packed like sardines unable to even turn around while standing.

cchan006 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> SD80MACfan Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > Edit: After doing some research I think it was
> > Okachimachi Station but I'm not positive.
>
> Hamamatsucho and Tamachi have view of both gauges,
> and that's 3rd and 4th stops south from Tokyo
> Station. Elevated angles are available near both
> stations. I have a video from Tamachi. Does the
> video you saw look similar?
>
> https://www.trainorders.com/discussion/read.php?6,
> 3715328,3715338#3715338
>
> Okachimachi might not have view of all the tracks,
> since the Shinkansen tracks go underground between
> Tokyo and Ueno, and Akihabara (2nd stop north from
> Tokyo) is where they go underground going north
> toward Ueno.


It looks a bit similar, except the shots were taken from both ends of the platform. Another thing I forgot about was that it was near a coach yard and equipment moves occasionally went through the area.

Very Cool!! Thanks for all the work.

Great posts and info. Never saw the grade crossing when I rode it extensively. I wasn't looking for one, but I also assumed there weren't any.

Interesting to hear about the new parallel lines. Yes, a seat on the Yamanote except mid-day and late evening was indeed rare on my four visits. A few rush-hour adventures were breathtaking, although I never saw any 'crammers' in action.

-Mike

Mike Massee
Tehachapi, CA
Photography, Railroading and more..

Harlock Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Interesting to hear about the new parallel lines.
> Yes, a seat on the Yamanote except mid-day and
> late evening was indeed rare on my four visits. A
> few rush-hour adventures were breathtaking,
> although I never saw any 'crammers' in action.
>
> -Mike

Yamanote Line's west side (the original line, and the reason for the name "Yamanote" which describes the Tokyo Foothills to the west) got congestion relief early on, in 1985 with the start of the Saikyo Line, and in 2001 when the Shonan-Shinjuku Line started.

Shonan-Shinjuku Line is merely a description of services that connect Takasaki/Tohoku (Ustunomiya) Lines to the north with the Tokaido/Yokosuka Lines to the south and west, using the Yamanote Freight Line via Shinjuku to bypass Tokyo Station.

That still didn't solve the massive congestion on the east side of the loop (via Tokyo), where capacity meltdown was imminent with people using the Yamanote Line (and the parallel Keihin-Tohoku Line) to transfer between Ueno and Tokyo, where most non-Shinkansen trains terminated. I'm sure you saw that insanity when you tried to go to Akihabara (which is between Ueno and Tokyo).

The Ueno-Tokyo Line mega project reconnected the 1067 mm gauge lines between Ueno and Tokyo in 2015, which was severed due to Shinkansen construction back in the 1980s and 1990s. The new connector briefly flies over the Shinkansen tracks due to the dense real estate in the area.

While doing research on the Ueno-Tokyo Line couple of years ago, I read some blogs where "veteran" commuters were complaining about lack of seats on the Tokaido, Takasaki/Utsunomiya, and Joban Lines since most of the trains no longer originated in Ueno or Tokyo, but became through trains with people already in them. In exchange, Yamanote Line on the east side of the loop has become less congested.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=5QMcFUHORSU

worst crossing in japan it says