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Keiyo Line
From Virtual Japan
The Keiyo Line is a railway in Japan that spans from Tokyo to Chiba. It should not be confused with the Keiō Line which has a similar sounding name. The Keiyo Line is run by the East Japan Railway Company (JR East) and is 43 km long.
The Keiyo Line is the primary way to get to the Tokyo Disneyland Resort. It starts at Soga station in Chiba, and it ends at an underground section of Tokyo Station.
History
The origin of the Keiyo Line’s name comes from the combination of the second characters of both of the cities in links.
The Keiyo line was originally designed only to handle freight and other large transports. It opened in 1975 and only traveled a short distance between Chiba and Soga Station. But in 1986, the Keiyo line was converted to a passenger service and traveled from Nishi and Chiba, until it was extended in 1988.
The segment that reached Tokyo station was added by 1990, and passenger numbers skyrocketed. It made this train line one of the only connections between China and Tokyo, and the train line ultimately became an all purpose passenger line (it previously still took some freight). Nowadays it is one of the main ways to travel to the Tokyo Disney resort, and a great deal of its riders end up being tourists.
On December 2, 2000, the Nishihunahashi Station converted to start moving goods vehicles (freight). These trains run through the Musashino line, but the architects realized that roughly 30 minute could be cut from total drive time if they came from Chiba.
At the moment, there are plans for the Keihin Tohoku line and the Negishi line to begin using the faster systems once Keiyo starts replacing their 201 system, which has since become outdated.
Service
The local trains travel to all stops except the Funabashi district in Nishi. One the Keiyo line becomes an express train, it stops only at Tokyo Station, Hatchōbori Station, Shin-Kiba Station, Maihama Station, Shin-Urayasu Station, Minami-Funabashi Station, and Kaihin-Makuhari Station before completing the rest of the trip towards Soga.
There are a few special trains run through the Keiyo line as well. There is a special train that runs to the Tokyo Disney resort, as well as a “moonlight in Tokyo” train that runs especially quickly and through various attractive scenery areas.