The Gotemba Line (御殿場線, Gotemba-sen) is a railway line in Japan operated by the Central Japan Railway Company (JR Central). It connects Kōzu Station in Odawara to Numazu via Gotemba.
The present-day Gotemba Line was built as part of the original route of the Tōkaidō Main Line connecting Tokyo with Osaka. The portion between Kōzu and Numazu was opened on February 1, 1889, although it was not officially named the "Tokaido Line" until 1896. Portions were double tracked from 1891 and the double tracking was completed by 1901.
The line took an indirect route between Kōzu and Numazu in order to avoid the Hakone Mountains, which affected the potential journey time between Tokyo and Osaka. A more direct route had been planned as early as 1909, but technical difficulties delayed the completion of the Tanna Tunnel until December 1, 1934. With the opening of the tunnel, the route of the Tōkaidō Main Line became via Atami Station, leaving the section between Kōzu Station and Numazu Station as a spur line renamed as the Gotemba Line.
In 1943, due to the reduced traffic on the Gotemba line, and the urgent requirement for steel in World War II, the line was returned to a single track railway. Diesel multiple units replaced Steam locomotive hauled passenger trains in 1955, and a cooperative agreement was reached with the privately owned Odakyu Electric Railway to operate express trains directly from Shinjuku Station in Tokyo in the same year. The line was electrified from 1968, and regularly scheduled freight services were discontinued at most stations by 1982.
A new Centralized traffic control system was installed in December 1989, with a programmed route control system implemented from March 1990.
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