INFORMATION
Location: Tokyo
Rail Company: JR East
Letter Code: JC
Color Code: Orange
Passenger Volume: High
Description: The Chūō Line (Rapid) serves the wards of: Chiyoda, Chūō, Nakano, Shinjuku and Suginami.
Helpful Hint #1: There are 2 Chūō Lines in Tokyo: the Chūō Rapid (color-coded orange and called kaisoku) and the Chūō Sōbu (color-coded yellow and called futsu). They have similar routes but stop at different stations.
Helpful Hint #2: The Chūō Line (Rapid) makes fewer stops in central Tokyo than the Sōbu Line. It runs east-west across the center of Tokyo and out into the western suburbs.
MAP EXPLANATION
The orange line is the route of the Chūō Line Rapid trains. The yellow line represents the Chūō Sōbu Line route. The black dots on each line are the stops the trains make. Both trains stop at some of the same stations, but also have many of their own stops, making selection of the correct rail line very important. Both of these Chūō Line trains travel through the middle of the JR Yamanote Line route (represented by the green circle on the map).
Here are some examples to help you interpret the map in case you need them:
- Both the Sōbu and Rapid lines stop at Yotsuya Station, but only the Sōbu Line stops at Okubo Station.
- The Rapid and Yamanote lines both stop at Kanda Station.
- All 3 rail lines represented on the map (Chūō Rapid, Chūō Sōbu and Yamanote) stop at Shinjuku Station.
All of the stops are listed in order. Trains run in both directions.
The orange on the map is the color the trains are painted, and the symbol in the middle of the circle, “JC” is the Chūō Rapid Line designator.
You will have to go to the JR side of a station to use the Chūō Rapid Line.
HOW TO CHECK RAIL LINE STATUS
To check the status of any JR train, go to the JR Train Status English language website below. JR is very good about keeping train information updated and noting any delays or service interruptions in near-real time. To use the site, look for the color and letter designator of the line you want to check (as you may not recognize many of the regions and locations listed).
