Read more about the line in English Wikipedia: Utsunomiya Line or Tōhoku Main Line

Tōhoku hon-sen = Tōhoku Main Line

*) Ueno - Ōmiya was opened in 1883 as a part of present Takasaki Line. However, there was no station at Ōmiya. Ōmiya station opened first in 1885 when the Tōhoku hon Line was opened.

Tōhoku ("Eastnorth") is the name of the northern part of the Honshu island. Tōhoku hon Line is the old main line from Tōkyō to the north. Replaced by Shinkansen for long-distance travel. Used by local trains and the night trains.

The traffic on the Tōhoku lines between Tōkyō and Ōmiya is rather complex. Different line names are used for the different traffic concepts.

Ueno - Tōkyō Line
Tōkyō - Ueno: Separate double track opened in 2015. Facilitates through running of Utsunomiya, Takasaki and Jōban Line trains to Tōkyō and Shinagawa.

Utsunomiya Line
Ueno - Ōmiya: Separate double track. The line passes Nippori station (no platforms) and runs over the Oku section to Akabane. The name "Utsunomiya Line" is used for the medium- and long distance traffic on the Ueno - Kuroiso section of Tōhoku line.

Takasaki Line
Ueno - Ōmiya: Uses same tracks as Utsunomiya Line.
The Takasaki Line starts officially in Ōmiya, but the name is also used for Ueno - Ōmiya section.

Keihin Tōhoku Line
Tōkyō - Ōmiya: Separate double track. Between Tabata and Akabane the only line running the original Tōhoku hon Line route.

Shōnan Shinjuku Line
(Ikebukuro -) Akabane - Ōmiya: Separate double track.
The tracks run between Ikebukuro and Akebane along the Yamanote to Komagome, bypassing Tabata north of the station and then along the Utsunomiya Line tracks. However, fares are calculated the shorter way over Akabane (Saikyō) Line between Ikebukuro and Akabane.

Chūō Line
Tōkyō - Kanda: Separate double track

Yamanote Line
Tōkyō - Tabata: Separate double track

Jōban Line
Ueno - Nippori: Separate double track

At Yono, there is a 4.9 km line to Nishi-Urawa at Musashino Line.
It is known as Musashino Ōmiya Branch Line. It is a freight line but it is used by the Musashino service between Hachiōji/Fuchū-Hommachi and Ōmiya (2 trains/day in each direction) and by the Shimōsa service from Shin-Narashino - Nishi-Funabashi.

In the table below "Connecting lines" are shown for the Utsunomiya and Takasaki Lines only. Connections for other lines using the Tōhoku hon line tracks are shown at the page for each line.

Read more about the line in English Wikipedia: Ueno–Tokyo Line

Formal name: 東北縦貫線; Tōhoku-Jūkan-sen; Tōhoku Through Line

Read more about the line in English Wikipedia: Utsunomiya Line

Utsunomiya Line is an endearment name used for the medium- and long-distance traffic on Tōhoku hon Line Ueno - Ōmiya - Utsunomiya - Kuroiso.
The Utsunomiya Line service runs (Shinagawa - Tōkyō - Ueno-Tōkyō Line -) Ueno - Nippori - Oku - Akabane.

This section is used by all medium- and long-distance Tōhoku hon Line trains between Ueno and Ōmiya.
The original line is only used by the short-distance Keihin Tōhoku Line service Tōkyō - Ōmiya and, between Nippori and Tabata, by the Yamanote Line service.