The Shinkin Line (a freight branch of the Sobu Main Line) and the Mabashi Branch (a branch of the Musashino Line) have no scheduled passenger service. The only way to ride them is on a chartered group train. While searching online for freight line tours, I found the 3rd Shinkin Line Passenger Service Prayer Train Utsunomiya Tour, organized by the “Shinkin Line Iine! Citizens’ Association.” The itinerary covered both the Shinkin Line and the Mabashi Branch, so I signed up.
Itinerary
The train was an E257 series, 9-car formation (set OM-93). Several seat types were available; the main options were window seat (¥14,000), aisle seat (¥10,000), and pair seat for two passengers (¥12,000 per person, ¥24,000 total). Tickets were issued in three segments: Ryogoku–Chiba, Chiba–Utsunomiya, and Utsunomiya–within the Yamanote Line.
Ryogoku to Chiba
Departed Ryogoku at 8:46. Most participants were rail enthusiasts, though some families were on board too. The train first ran east on the Sobu Main Line to Chiba, where it reversed. We stopped at Chiba for about 17 minutes before heading back toward Shin-Koiwa.
The Shinkin Line
Returning from Chiba, the train entered the Shin-Koiwa rail yard and made a brief stop. From here, we entered the Shinkin Line.
The Shinkin Line is a freight branch of the Sobu Main Line connecting Shin-Koiwa Signal Station and Kanamachi Station, 6.6 km in total. It runs north–south through Katsushika Ward. Normally only a handful of freight trains per day use this single-track line. Katsushika Ward has been studying the possibility of introducing passenger service—hence the tour’s name, “Passenger Service Prayer Train.”
Trainspotters lined the route. An E257 running on tracks that normally never see passenger trains must have been an unusual sight for residents too. What struck me was the incongruity of a single track cutting through dense residential neighborhoods. Shin-Koiwa rail yard to Kanamachi took about 13 minutes.
Mabashi Branch to Omiya
From Kanamachi we joined the Joban Line and headed to Mabashi. There, we turned onto the Mabashi Branch of the Musashino Line—a short spur connecting Mabashi Station to the Musashino Line main track. This branch also has no scheduled passenger service. For more on the Musashino Line’s branch lines, see this article.
The Mabashi Branch was over in a flash, but there was a sense of satisfaction in finally riding a section that can’t be covered on regular trains. After that, we continued via the Musashino Line to the Tohoku Freight Line. The Tohoku Freight Line runs parallel to the Tohoku Main Line and carries some passenger services such as the Shonan-Shinjuku Line. From Omiya, we continued to Utsunomiya.
Utsunomiya
Arrived in Utsunomiya at 13:22. Free time after arrival. I had gyoza at Tonkiki. There was a line, so if you’re planning to eat gyoza in Utsunomiya, budget extra time.
The return was on the charter train back to Ueno via the Tohoku Main Line. Arrived at 18:37.
Coverage Results
This trip added two lines to the coverage count: the Shinkin Line (Sobu Main Line freight branch, Shin-Koiwa Signal Station–Kanamachi) and the Mabashi Branch (Musashino Line branch). Neither has scheduled passenger service, so a chartered group train is the only option. These tours are held irregularly, so anyone working on freight line coverage needs to keep checking.