【中央本線・太多線】コンテナ貨物の取り扱いもある多治見駅 Tajimi station of Chuo Main Line

The image of EF64 locomotives was strongly associated with freight trains on the Chuo Main Line, but with the March 2026 timetable revision, EF64 operations on the Chuo Main Line were discontinued. (Freight trains bound for Minami-Matsumoto Station in Nagano Prefecture are now pulled by EH200 Blue Thunder locomotives, designed for steeper gradients.) Even on the Chuo Main Line, the section between Inazawa Station and Nagoya Station to Tajimi Station has no steep gradients, so it can be pulled by electric locomotives designed for flat lines. Therefore, freight trains between Inazawa Station and Tajimi Station are pulled by EF210 locomotives, etc. Trains 1653 and 1652, which depart from and arrive at Tajimi Station, are normally pulled by EF210 locomotives from the Shin-Tsurumi Depot, but on the day of the photo, an EF66 from the Suita Depot was substituting. The combination of the Chuo Main Line and an EF66 was unexpected. Returning to the main topic, the Chuo Main Line and the Taita Line both serve Tajimi Station. The passenger platforms have five tracks, but there are also unnumbered tracks and container platforms used by freight trains. Trains on the Chuo Main Line use tracks 1 through 4. Track 1 is the main line towards Nagoya, and track 3 is the main line towards Shiojiri. Express trains and through trains use tracks 1 and 3. The Taita Line generally terminates at track 5, but there is one service that terminates at track 4. (Perhaps also for rust removal on the crossover tracks, the 4:53 PM train bound for Gifu departs from track 4.) Tajimi Station is also a container handling station. There is one round-trip container freight train per day, functioning as a transit point between rail and truck transport. Although the container platform is relatively short, freight cars are not split; loading and unloading is performed by changing the stopping position. In addition, Tajimi Station has a track maintenance material line. Tajimi Station is a busy junction station with many trains terminating there, and it's also a freight handling station with shunting tracks and sidings, making it a station full of interesting sights. Note that petroleum freight trains do not stop at Tajimi Station and pass through without stopping. (Petroleum freight trains running on the Chuo Main Line carry petroleum products from Mie Prefecture to Nagano Prefecture.) [Reference Information] Freight transport tonnage at Tajimi Station in fiscal year 2023: ・Sending: 52,152 tons ・Arriving: 26,388 tons (From Gifu Prefecture Statistical Yearbook) The population of Tajimi City, Gifu Prefecture is approximately 100,000. It's located about 40 minutes from Nagoya Station by rapid train. Tajimi City has been developed as a commuter town for Nagoya. There is high demand for commuting to Nagoya, and the Home Liner Mizunami also stops at Tajimi Station. [Regarding the timetable, etc.] The Chuo Main Line's limited express "Shinano" runs approximately once an hour. (13 round trips per day) On the Chuo Main Line, 2 to 3 local trains per hour terminate at Tajimi Station. On weekdays, the "Home Liner Mizunami" operates. In recent years, "Home Liner" trains have often been discontinued or upgraded to limited express trains, making them a rare sight. (While private railways in the Kanto region are increasing the number of liner trains with paid reserved seating services, JR's "Home Liner" trains have decreased considerably.) Except for freight trains, the Limited Express Shinano, and Home Liner trains, the Chuo West Line between Nagoya Station and Nakatsugawa Station is standardized to 8-car 315 series trains. Local, rapid, and express trains are all 8-car 315 series trains. The Taita Line operates approximately 1 to 2 trains per hour (3 trains per hour during rush hour). The Taita Line is non-electrified and uses KiHa 75 and KiHa 25 series trains. At Tajimi Station, trains depart and arrive in three directions, and all directions have frequent service. While each line has a suburban image, I was reminded that it's a region with high passenger demand, with many daily commuters and students using the stations. I also filmed the level crossing and overpass east of the station, as well as the point where the Taita Line tracks diverge. This is a long video, so please watch it at your leisure. The ending is a simple piano accompaniment of the old Japanese National Railways train chime. [Playback Time Index] 00:00 Opening Explanation 0:08 Railway track layout of Tajimi station 1:56 Container freight train (1653) from Nagoya Freight Terminal to Tajimi 4:52 Shunting of the arriving freight train begins 7:45 ​​Pushing the containers into the platform 9:24 EF66 is uncoupled 10:38 EF66 is turned around 12:52 Point switching 13:06 Empty petroleum freight train (6088) from Minami-Matsumoto to Yokkaichi 14:19 Point switching 15:06 EF66 is coupled to the opposite side 17:08 Container unloading work 22:22 Taita Line train bound for Tajimi arrives 23...