Utsunomiya Line

Services

Services on the Utsunomiya Line are typically divided into those starting and terminating at Ueno and Shōnan-Shinjuku Line through services from Shinjuku, Ikebukuro, and points south. Between Ueno and Ōmiya, trains share the track with the Takasaki Line, both of which serve as de facto express services compared to the parallel Keihin-Tōhoku Line. The Utsunomiya Line has four trains per hour to/from Ueno, with another two trains per hour through from the Shōnan-Shinjuku Line, one of which is a rapid service.

The fastest service on the line, the rapid Rabbit, makes the run between Ueno and Utsunomiya in one hour and 26 minutes.

Service on the line is generally divided at Utsunomiya, though the number of through trains has been increasing steadily over the years. South of Utsunomiya, 10- and 15-car E231/E233 series four-door suburban commuter EMUs with Green cars attached service the line, while to the north service is provided chiefly by 4-car 205-600 series four-door EMUs.

Limited express

Limited express services use the line, including:

Commuter rapid

Commuter rapid services for Utsunomiya make fewer stops than the Rabbit rapid services described below. They are operated only on weekday evenings, departing Ueno between 18:00 and 22:00 and Utsunomiya between 16:00 and 21:00, with approximately one round-trip per hour. One train runs to Kuroiso. All trains are E231/E233 series 10- or 15-car EMUs.

Rapid Rabbit

Rapid Rabbit services run between Ueno and Utsunomiya, skipping some intermediate stations. Rabbit trains were first operated by the Japanese National Railways as an hourly/half-hourly rapid service. Since October 2004, however, Rabbit services run only twice during the morning; on weekends, they replace the weekday commuter rapid service. Trains are E231/E233 series EMUs.

Local

Local trains run four times hourly; one of those terminates at Koganei, while the rest terminate at Utsunomiya. During the morning peak, Ueno-bound trains run at intervals of 4–6 minutes. Services are provided by E231/E233 series 10- or 15-car EMUs.

Shōnan-Shinjuku Line services

Within the Utsunomiya Line, Shōnan-Shinjuku Line rapid and local trains are each operated once per hour. They do not stop at Saitama-Shintoshin Station since it has no platforms available. All trains are 10- or 15-car E231/E233 series EMUs.

Rapid

Rapid trains operate once hourly, making limited stops. They travel between Shinjuku and Utsunomiya in one hour, 35 minutes.

Local

Local trains operate once hourly (twice hourly during the morning), stopping at all stations. They travel between Shinjuku and Ōmiya in 32 minutes.

Utsunomiya – Kuroiso services

Between Utsunomiya and Kuroiso, local and rapid trains stop at every station. Trains operate approximately three times per hour, traveling between Utsunomiya and Kuroiso in approximately 50 minutes. Most trains are 205-600 series EMUs.

Limited Express

Home Liner Koga

Two trains bound for Koga depart Ueno every weekday evening. Passengers can board only at Ueno; all other stations are for disembarking only. Stops include: Ueno, Urawa, Ōmiya, Higashi-Ōmiya, Hasuda, Kuki, and Koga. Service is provided by 7-car 185 series and 9-car 489 series EMUs.

Station list

Tokyo—Ueno—Utsunomiya

Utsunomiya—Kuroiso

From March 2013, a fleet of eight refurbished 4-car 205 series EMUs was phased in on Utsunomiya Line services between Koganei and Kuroiso, replacing 211 series sets.