The terminus at Tokyo Station is located underground, some distance to the south of the main station complex approximately halfway to Yūrakuchō Station. This means transferring between other lines at Tokyo Station can take between 15 and 20 minutes.
The name『Keiyō』is derived from the second character of the names of the locations linked by the line, Tokyo (東京) and Chiba (千葉). It should not be confused with the Keiō Line, a privately operated commuter line in western Tokyo.
Keiyō Line "Local" (各駅停車 kakueki-teisha)trains stop at all stations between Tokyo and Soga except Nishi-Funabashi.
Musashino Line ''Local'' through trains stop at all stations between Tokyo and Nishi-Funabashi before continuing to the Musashino Line. Some trains stop at Nishi-Funabashi, Minami-Funabashi, Shin-Narashino, and Kaihimmakuhari.
Keiyō Line "Rapid" (快速 kaisoku) trains stop at Tokyo, Hatchōbori, Shin-Kiba, Maihama, Shin-Urayasu, Minami-Funabashi, Kaihimmakuhari, and all stops to Soga.
Commuter rapid service (通勤快速, tsūkin-kaisoku) trains stop at Tokyo, Hatchōbori, Shin-Kiba, and Soga. It only operated during the Weekday rush hour. Discontinued with effect of the timetable revision implemented on 16 March 2024.[3]
The Keiyo Line was initially planned as a freight-only line. Its first section opened on 10 May 1975 as a 6.5 km (4.0 mi) link between the Chiba Freight Terminal (now the Mihama New Port Resort between Inagekaigan and Chibaminato Stations) and the freight yard next to Soga Station.[13] Passenger service began on 3 March 1986 between Minami-Funabashi and Chibaminato, and was extended east to Soga and west to Shin-Kiba on 1 December 1988.[13]
The final section of the Keiyo Line between Tokyo and Shin-Kiba opened on 10 March 1990.[13] The platforms at Tokyo Station were originally built to accommodate the Narita Shinkansen, a planned (but never built) high-speed rail line between central Tokyo and Narita International Airport.[14]
Planners originally envisioned the Keiyo Line interfacing with the Rinkai Line at Shin-Kiba, thus providing a through rail connection between Chiba and the Tokyo Freight Terminal in eastern Shinagawa, and also completing the outer loop for freight trains around Tokyo formed by the Musashino Line. This original plan would also allow through service with the Tokaido Main Line, allowing freight trains from central and western Japan to reach Chiba and points east.
However, in the 1990s, as the artificial island of Odaiba began developing as a commercial and tourist area in the middle of the Rinkai Line route, the Rinkai Line was re-purposed for use as a passenger line. While there is a through connection between the Rinkai Line and the Keiyo Line, it is only used by passenger trains in charter service, usually carrying groups to the Tokyo Disney Resort.
10 March 1990: Third stage opened between Tokyo & Shin-Kiba;[15] and the new Keiyo Line train, the 205 series, was also introduced to the public.
16 March 1991: Sazanami and Wakashio limited express services are rerouted via the Keiyo Line.[15]
2 July 1993: 255 series EMUs are introduced on View Sazanami and View Wakashio limited express services.[15]
16 October 2004: E257-500 series EMUs are introduced on Sazanami and Wakashio limited express services.[15]
20 August 2016: Station numbering introduced with Keiyo Line stations being assigned station numbers between JE01 (Tokyo) and JE16 (Chibaminato).[16][17]
Effective from the timetable revision scheduled for 16 March 2024, all rapid and commuter rapid services on the Keiyō Line are set to be discontinued during both the morning and evening rush hour, leaving local service as the only service variation during these time periods.[19] However, following requests from local and prefectural governments, two westbound rapid services to Tokyo Station in the morning rush were reinstated by JR East for the upcoming schedule revision.[20]
^Saka, Masayuki (August 2014). 東京メガループ 車両・路線の沿革と現況 [Tokyo Megaloop: History and current situation of trains and line]. Tetsudō Daiya Jōhō Magazine (in Japanese). Vol. 43, no. 364. Japan: Kōtsū Shimbun. pp. 28–39.
^"京葉線で通勤快速列車の運転終了" [Commuter Rapid service on Keiyo Line ended]. Japan Railfan Magazine Online (in Japanese). Japan: Koyusha Co., Ltd. 16 March 2024. Retrieved 14 April 2024.
^京葉線の201系が定期運用を終える [Keiyō Line 201 series withdrawn from regular service]. Japan Railfan Magazine Online (in Japanese). Japan: Koyusha Co., Ltd. 21 June 2011. Retrieved 21 June 2011.
^"E331系AK1編成長野へ配給" [E331 series set AK1 moved to Nagano]. RM News (in Japanese). Japan: Neko Publishing Co., Ltd. 27 March 2014. Archived from the original on 27 March 2014. Retrieved 10 April 2014.
^ 首都圏鉄道完全ガイド 主要JR路線編 [Tokyo Area Complete Railway Guide - Major JR Lines]. Japan: Futabasha. 6 December 2013. pp. 87–97. ISBN978-4-575-45414-7.
^ abcIshino, Tetsu, ed. (1998). 停車場変遷大辞典 国鉄・JR編 [Station Transition Directory - JNR/JR]. Vol. I. Japan: JTB. p. 211. ISBN4-533-02980-9.
^ abcdefKubo, Satoshi (August 2015). 東京駅開業100周年-5 京葉線ターミナル [Tokyo Station 100th Anniversary (5) Keiyo Line Terminal]. Japan Railfan Magazine (in Japanese). Vol. 55, no. 652. Japan: Koyusha Co., Ltd. p. 105.
^"⾸都圏エリアへ 「駅ナンバリング」を導⼊します" [Introduce “station numbering” to the Tokyo metropolitan area] (PDF). jreast.co.jp (in Japanese). 6 April 2016. Archived from the original(PDF) on 7 December 2022. Retrieved 7 January 2023.
^Kusamachi, Yoshikazu (7 April 2016). "JA・JK・JT・AKB…JR東日本、首都圏で駅ナンバリングなど導入へ" [JA, JK, JT, AKB … JR East to introduce station numbering in the Tokyo metropolitan area]. Response Automotive Media (in Japanese). Archived from the original on 6 August 2022. Retrieved 7 January 2023.
^"朝時間帯の2本が各駅停車から快速に変更へ！ 2024年3月ダイヤ改正内容の一部変更" [Partial Changes To Schedule Revisions in March 2024 Include Changing Two Trains to Run Rapid Service]. rail.hobidas.com (in Japanese). 17 January 2024.
JR East
Hokkaido Shinkansen
Yamagata Shinkansen
Tokaido Shinkansen
