Abandoned Tsurumi "High Line"

[Mudkip Orange]

So there's a doubletrack freight line that heads south out of Tokyo, drops underneath the Ota market, and re-emerges a bit past Haneda. From there the line cruises towards Hama-Kawasaki station. There, the inner and outer tracks head north to connect to the Nambu Line, while a central track rises up and clears the junction and station entrances before dropping down into the middle of the Tsurumi Line. But if you look on Google, the tracks have been ripped out in some places, and elsewhere are clearly overgrown.

 

So the question is, why was this built, and why was it abandoned? The current Tsurumi Station layout has the Tsurumi Line entering a stub platform with no physical connection to the Tokaido line at that point, but I wonder if it wasn't laid out differently in the past. And if it's always been that way, the primary reason to build the high line would've been to move freight cars out of the Tsurumi Docks area and into one of the yards north of there. So what's changed that makes this no longer a need? Unit trains? Reduced shipping volume?

[miyakoji]

Looks like it's the Tokaido Freight Line.  There were lots of these freight bypasses in Japan.  I think the whole Musashino Line was intended to be one but then residents along the line demanded that it have passenger service as well.  There's a few around Osaka, some of which are in use, others were (or are being) converted into the Osaka Higashi Line, and the so-called Hanwa Freight Line was officially abandoned in 2009.  The Nanpo Freight Line in Nagoya was built and not one train ever ran on it.

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/T%C5%8Dkaid%C5%8D_Freight_Line

[Ochanomizu]

:dontknow:

[Nick_Burman]

So there's a doubletrack freight line that heads south out of Tokyo, drops underneath the Ota market, and re-emerges a bit past Haneda. From there the line cruises towards Hama-Kawasaki station. There, the inner and outer tracks head north to connect to the Nambu Line, while a central track rises up and clears the junction and station entrances before dropping down into the middle of the Tsurumi Line. But if you look on Google, the tracks have been ripped out in some places, and elsewhere are clearly overgrown.

 

So the question is, why was this built, and why was it abandoned? The current Tsurumi Station layout has the Tsurumi Line entering a stub platform with no physical connection to the Tokaido line at that point, but I wonder if it wasn't laid out differently in the past. And if it's always been that way, the primary reason to build the high line would've been to move freight cars out of the Tsurumi Docks area and into one of the yards north of there. So what's changed that makes this no longer a need? Unit trains? Reduced shipping volume?

 

Mudkip,

 

The High Line was built in a period where there was more traffic moving around, so that trains coming down the TFL from Tokyo could access the Tsurumi line without fouling movements (especially switching - although Hamakawasaki yard is double-ended, the north end was inside Nippon Kokan property) at Hamakawasaki. It must have been abandoned because of the drop in traffic origination on the Tsurumi line. If you go to Google Earth you'll notice that there are only two or three customers left on the Tsurumi line, traffic which can easily be catered with a reversal move through Hamakawasaki. One example is the beitan train, this originates on the Tsurumi line, runs around at Hamakawasaki and then heads straight up the Nambu line - no need to access the TFL.

 

I believe that it's still there only because it must be too expensive to demolish, and also because it might be used in a future passenger route.

 

Cheers NB

[Nick_Burman]

Further to my last reply, the project is the "Keihin Bypass" from Sakuragicho to Sengakuji. It will follow the Tsurumi Line from Tsurumi Ono to Hamakawasaki, then use the TFL to Sengakuji. But, as the Germans put it, this is just zukunftsmusik...

 

I'm also attaching a diagram drawn by Charles Small of Hamakawasaki yard as it was. Note Nippon Kokan industrial line splitting yard. The Tokaido Freight Line was decades in the future.

 

Cheers NB

[Ronny]

but it might be used in a future passenger route? there's space for stations?

[Nick_Burman]

but it might be used in a future passenger route? there's space for stations?

 

The stations on the Tsurumi line are already there, they'll need to be beefed up. New stations would be needed on the TFL. Since the line north of Shiohama Yard is mainly underground, providing stations would be relatively easy.

 

Cheers NB

[Jcarlton]

On the one hand, as far as I know, the freight operations left on Tsurumi Line are the Showa coal operation and the Anzen jet loading for the USAF and the JSDF air force  The Freight yards and access for them has almost been shutdown.  As why the structures stays up? Well I guess it's worthwhile keeping options open and there's no real push for development down in that are of Kawasaki.

[Nick_Burman]

On the one hand, as far as I know, the freight operations left on Tsurumi Line are the Showa coal operation and the Anzen jet loading for the USAF and the JSDF air force  The Freight yards and access for them has almost been shutdown.  As why the structures stays up? Well I guess it's worthwhile keeping options open and there's no real push for development down in that are of Kawasaki.

 

Toshiba at Umi-Shibaura also - occasional transformer moves.

 

 

Cheers NB