JR East announced that the Green Car service for Chuo Line (Rapid) and Ome Line would start in spring 2025 ("the first-half of March 2025", to be exact). Chuo Line services between Tokyo and Otsuki as well as some Ome Line services between Tachikawa and Ome will have first class coaches. The company also announced that the Green Cars would be available free of charge from 13 October 2024 as a provisional measure, envisaging that the trial period would result in many commuters using the Green Car on a daily basis next year.
JR East has been focusing on the Green Car project on Chuo Line, which consists not only introducing new carriages but also platform extension work and rearrangement of signalling system and other facilities. Each orange commuter train is now formed of ten coaches (or 6+4), but two Green Cars will be inserted to each unit. The E233 series units will be rearranged to 12-car (or 8+4) trains in due course.
As this blog explained nearly two years ago, JR East has provided the first class coaches free of charge for a few weeks before launching the new service. Chuo Line is no exception, though the trial period will be longer than before.
| - | Suica | Paper ticket |
|---|---|---|
| 1-50 km | 750 yen | 1,010 yen |
| 51-100 km | 1,000 yen | 1,260 yen |
The Green Car fares are based on distance, and they are the same as those for other lines. Note that the actual distance of 50.1 km or more is classified as "51-100 km". In case of Chuo and Ome Lines, typical examples for these two classifications are as follows:
- 1-50 km
- Tokyo - Nishi-Hachioji
- Yotsuya - Takao
- Tokyo - Hamura (Ome Line)
- Yotsuya - Ome
- 51-100 km
- Shinjuku or further east - Takao or further west
- Tachikawa or further east - Otsuki
- Tokyo - Ozaku or further west (Ome Line)
However, the Green Car service for Chuo and Ome Lines is slightly different to that for other lines in the Greater Tokyo Area. According to JR East's rules, a Green Car ticket for other lines (namely Tokaido, Takasaki, Utsunomiya and Joban Lines including Shonan-Shinjuku and Ueno-Tokyo Lines, as well as Yokosuka, Sobu Lines and their relevant lines in Chiba Prefecture) allows using two different lines if two trains go towards the same direction. For example, a passenger can travel from Atami (Tokaido Line) to Chiba (Sobu Line) via Totsuka with just one ticket. However, the ticket for Chuo and Ome Lines is only valid for these two lines. Thus, if a passenger wishes to travel from Mitaka (Chuo Line) to Chiba via Tokyo, he/she will have to purchase two tickets.
JR East envisages that the Green Cars will be another source of revenue and ease congestion of Chuo Line services. However, it is not certain if many passengers will use the first class after the "trial period". Given the high price, short journey time and limited scope of the ticket, there might be fewer daily users than the company anticipates.
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