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Kururi Line

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Kururi Line
Kururi Line E130 series DMUs
Overview
Native name久留里線
StatusIn operation
OwnerJR East
LocaleChiba Prefecture
Termini
Stations14
Service
Operator(s)JR East
Depot(s)Kisarazu
Rolling stockKiHa E130 series DMU
History
Opened1912
Technical
Line length32.2 km (20.0 mi)
Number of tracksEntire line single tracked
CharacterRural
Track gauge1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in)
ElectrificationNone
Operating speed65 km/h (40 mph)
Route map


km
0.0
Kisarazu
2.6
Gion
4.2
Kazusa-Kiyokawa
Tokyo Bay
Aqua-Line Expressway
6.1
Higashi-Kiyokawa
9.3
Yokota
10.8
Higashi-Yokota
Obitsu River tributary
Obitsu River tributary
13.9
Makuta
Obitsu River tributary
Nanamagarigawa
15.2
Shimogōri
16.6
Kazusa-
Yamamoto
(
closed
1956
)
18.2
Obitsu
Oharagawa
20.0
Tawarada
Obitsu River tributary
22.6
Kururi
Obitsu River tributary
25.7
Hirayama
28.3
Kazusa-Matsuoka
32.2
Kazusa-Kameyama
km
Kururi Line train waiting for departure at Kazusa-Kameyama Station, 2009

The Kururi Line (久留里線, Kururi-sen) is a railway line in Chiba Prefecture, Japan, operated by the East Japan Railway Company (JR East). It connects Kisarazu Station in Kisarazu to Kazusa-Kameyama Station in Kimitsu. The railway route extends through three cities, Kimitsu, Kisarazu, and Sodegaura. It has no double-track section, and trains can pass at only two stations, Yokota Station and Kururi Station.

The line runs mostly through rural area and operates at a huge loss. JR East has announced consultations are to be held concerning the potential replacement of the last section from Kururi to Kazusa-Kamegama (around 10 km (6.2 mi)) with a bus service due to a ~75% decline in patronage since 1987.[1]

Stations

[edit]
Station Japanese Distance
(km)
Transfers Location
Kisarazu 木更津 0.0 Uchibō Line Kisarazu Chiba Prefecture
Gion 祇園 2.6
Kazusa-Kiyokawa 上総清川 4.2
Higashi-Kiyokawa 東清川 6.1
Yokota 横田 9.3 Sodegaura
Higashi-Yokota 東横田 10.8
Makuta 馬来田 13.9 Kisarazu
Shimogōri 下郡 15.2 Kimitsu
Obitsu 小櫃 18.2
Tawarada 俵田 20.0
Kururi 久留里 22.6
Hirayama 平山 25.7
Kazusa-Matsuoka 上総松丘 28.3
Kazusa-Kameyama 上総亀山 32.2

Rolling stock

[edit]

Kururi Line services KiHa E130-100 DMU series in amount of 10 cars.

These trains have a one-man operation system, so there is no conductor needed to operate these trains. Also, these trains can be doubled or even tripled during rush periods. KiHa 130–100 series trains started their operation from 1 December 2012.

Former rolling stock

[edit]
  • KiHa 30 DMU
  • KiHa 37 DMU
  • KiHa 38 DMU

History

[edit]
Map of line with stations location

The Chiba Prefectural Government opened the 762 mm (2 ft 6 in) gauge section from Kisarazu to Kururi as a light railway on 28 December 1912.

In 1922, the Railway Construction Act was amended by the Diet, and a new rail line connecting Kisarazu Station to Ōhara Station on the Sotobō Line via Kururi and Ōtaki, to transect the Bōsō Peninsula, appeared on the list as compensation for the underdeveloped network of roads in the area at that time.

On 1 September 1923, the Kisarazu to Kururi Line was nationalised, and the line was named the Kururi Line under the Japanese Government Railways (JGR) system. On 20 August 1930, the track gauge was widened to 1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in), and on 25 March 1936, the line was extended to Kazusa-Kameyama Station.

The private Kihara Line from Ōhara Station was extended to Kazusa-Nakano Station in 1934, and it was planned that the Kururi Line and the Kihara Line would be connected to form a single route across the Bōsō Peninsula (which would have been named the Kihara Line). However, due to World War II, the plan was abandoned, and Kururi Line was never to be extended into the most mountainous area of the peninsula. Services on the section from Kururi Station to Kazusa-Kameyama Station were suspended from 1944 to 1947.

New KiHa E130-100 series DMU trains were introduced from 1 December 2012, replacing the ageing KiHa 30/37/38 DMUs.[2]

Problems

[edit]

The Kururi Line suffers from a small number of passengers and operates at deficit that requires JR East to give it subsidies. In 2020, fare revenue covered only 0.6% of operation costs for the section between Kururi and Kazusa-Kameyama stations.[3]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Kururi Line closure plan fuels fears for Japan's rural railways".
  2. ^ 久留里線旧型気動車さよなら記念イベント [Old Kururi Line diesel train farewell event] (PDF). News release (in Japanese). Japan: East Japan Railway Company Chiba Division. 21 September 2012. Archived from the original (PDF) on 7 December 2012. Retrieved 25 September 2012.
  3. ^ "JR East reports ¥70 billion loss on local railways". The Japan Times. 29 July 2022. Retrieved 27 November 2022.