Blue Line (Yokohama)

Blue Line
Yokohama Subway 3000 series train at Kannai Station, November 2007
Overview
Type	Rapid transit
System	Yokohama Municipal Subway
Locale	Yokohama
Termini	Shōnandai Azamino
Stations	32
Line number	1 & 3
Operation
Opened	December 16, 1972
Owner	Yokohama Municipal Subway
Depot(s)	Kaminagaya, Nippa
Rolling stock	3000 series
Technical
Line length	40.4 km (Line 1: 19.7 km, Line 3: 20.7 km)
Track gauge	1,435 mm (4 ft 8 1⁄2 in)
Electrification	750 V DC, third rail

The Yokohama Blue Line (ブルーライン, Burū Rain) is a 40.4 km (25.1 mi) line in the Yokohama Municipal Subway system of Yokohama, Japan, operated by Yokohama City Transportation Bureau. Line 3 runs from Azamino to Kannai, and Line 1 runs from Kannai to Shōnandai. All the trains join these two lines. This is the second-longest subway line in Japan at 40.4 km after the 40.7 km long Toei Ōedo Line in Tokyo.

Station list

• Local trains stop at all stations.
• Rapid trains stop at stations marked "●" and pass those marked "｜".

Line	Station	Japanese	Distance (km)	Rapid	Transfers	Location
3	Azamino	あざみ野	0.0	●	Tokyu Den-en-toshi Line	Aoba-ku, Yokohama
	Nakagawa	中川	1.5	●		Tsuzuki-ku, Yokohama
	Center Kita	センター北	3.1	●	Green Line (Yokohama Municipal Subway Line 4)
	Center Minami	センター南	4.0	●	Green Line (Yokohama Municipal Subway Line 4)
	Nakamachidai	仲町台	6.3	●
	Nippa	新羽	8.6	●		Kōhoku-ku, Yokohama
	Kita Shin-yokohama	北新横浜	9.6	｜
	Shin-Yokohama	新横浜	10.9	●	Tokaido Shinkansen, Yokohama Line
	Kishine-kōen	岸根公園	12.5	｜
	Katakurachō	片倉町	13.7	｜		Kanagawa-ku, Yokohama
	Mitsuzawa-kamichō	三ツ沢上町	15.6	｜
	Mitsuzawa-shimochō	三ツ沢下町	16.5	｜
	Yokohama	横浜	17.9	●	Tokaido Main Line, Yokosuka Line, Keihin-Tohoku Line, Negishi Line, Keikyu Main Line, Tokyu Toyoko Line, Sagami Railway Main Line, Minatomirai Line	Nishi-ku, Yokohama
	Takashimachō	高島町	18.8	｜
	Sakuragichō	桜木町	20.0	●	Negishi Line	Naka-ku, Yokohama
	Kannai	関内	20.7	●	Negishi Line
1
	Isezakichōjamachi	伊勢佐木長者町	21.4	｜
	Bandōbashi	阪東橋	22.3	｜		Minami-ku, Yokohama
	Yoshinochō	吉野町	22.8	｜
	Maita	蒔田	23.9	｜
	Gumyōji	弘明寺	25.0	｜
	Kami-Ōoka	上大岡	26.6	●	Keikyu Main Line	Kōnan-ku, Yokohama
	Kōnan-Chūō	港南中央	27.7	｜
	Kaminagaya	上永谷	29.4	●
	Shimonagaya	下永谷	30.7	｜
	Maioka	舞岡	31.4	｜		Totsuka-ku, Yokohama
	Totsuka	戸塚	33.0	●	Tokaido Main Line, Yokosuka Line, Shōnan-Shinjuku Line
	Odoriba	踊場	34.7	●		Izumi-ku, Yokohama
	Nakada	中田	35.6	●
	Tateba	立場	36.7	●
	Shimoiida	下飯田	38.8	●
	Shōnandai	湘南台	40.4	●	Odakyu Enoshima Line, Sagami Railway Izumino Line	Fujisawa, Kanagawa

Rolling stock

Current

• 3000 series (since 1992)

All trains are based at Kaminagaya and Nippa Depots.

Former

• 1000 series (from December 1972 until November 2006)
• 2000 series (from 1984 until November 2006)

History

Train cerebrating the extensions to Shin-Yokohama and Maioka, March 1985

The first section of the line opened between Isezakichōjamachi and Kami-Ōoka on December 16, 1972. The subsequent progress of the line was as follows:

• September 4, 1976: The line is extended in both directions. It now runs between Kami-Nagaya and Yokohama. Through service begins between lines 1 and 3.
• March 14, 1985: The line is extended in both directions again. It now runs between Maioka and Shin-Yokohama.
• May 24, 1987: The line is extended from Maioka to a temporary Totsuka Station.
• August 27, 1989: The permanent Totsuka Station opens.
• March 18, 1993: The line is extended from Shin-Yokohama to Azamino.
• August 29, 1999: The line is extended from Totsuka to Shōnandai. Shin-Yokohama-Kita Station becomes Kita-Shin-Yokohama Station.

Future developments

From July 2015, limited-stop "Rapid" services are scheduled to be introduced on the line, with approximately two services operating per hour during the daytime off-peak. Journey times over the entire length of the line are expected to be reduced by up to 10 minutes from the 1 hour 7 minutes taken by all-stations services.

External links

• Official website