Kururi Line
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| Kururi Line | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'Module:InfoboxImage/data' not found. Kururi Line E130 series DMUs | |||
| Overview | |||
| Native name | 久留里線 | ||
| Status | In operation | ||
| Owner | JR East | ||
| Locale | Chiba Prefecture | ||
| Termini | Page Template:Plainlist/styles.css has no content. | ||
| Stations | 14 | ||
| Service | |||
| Operator(s) | JR East | ||
| Depot(s) | Kisarazu | ||
| Rolling stock | KiHa E130 series DMU | ||
| History | |||
| Opened | 28 December 1912 | ||
| Technical | |||
| Line length | Script error: No such module "ConvertIB".32.2 km (20.0 mi) | ||
| Track length | Script error: No such module "ConvertIB". | ||
| Number of tracks | Entire line single tracked | ||
| Character | Rural | ||
| Track gauge | 1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in) | ||
| Minimum radius | Script error: No such module "ConvertIB". | ||
| Electrification | None | ||
| Operating speed | Script error: No such module "ConvertIB".65 km/h (40 mph) | ||
| Highest elevation | Script error: No such module "ConvertIB". | ||
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The Script error: No such module "Nihongo". 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]
As of 2026[update], Suica and other IC cards are not accepted for travel on the Kururi Line.[2] The section of the line between Kururi and Kazusa-Kameyama Stations is scheduled to be discontinued in April 2027.[3]
Stations
| 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
Kururi Line services are operated by a fleet of 10 KiHa E130-100 DMU traincars which entered service on December 1, 2012.[4]
Trains operate as 1, 2, or 3-car sets using one-man operation (ワンマン/"wanman"), with no conductor onboard.
Former rolling stock
- KiHa 30 DMU
- KiHa 37 DMU
- KiHa 38 DMU
Services
All services on the Kururi Line are Local trains, stopping at every station.[5]
Services between Kisarazu and Kururi operate approximately hourly, with a running time of around 45 minutes.[5]
The outer section of the line between Kururi and Kazusa-Kameyama services only receives 9 up services and 8 down services each day (with a running time of 18 minutes), with large gaps between trains up to 5½ hours. Most evening services past Kururi require a change of train at Kururi.
History
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.[6]
Problems
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.[7]
References
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- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Kururi Line closure plan fuels fears for Japan's rural railways".
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."駅の情報（久留里駅）：JR東日本". JR東日本：東日本旅客鉄道株式会社 (JR East : East Japan Railway Company) (in 日本語). Archived from the original on 2025-01-18. Retrieved 2025-07-18.
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."【速報】JR東日本 久留里線久留里－上総亀山間 27年4月廃止へ". Yahoo!ニュース (in 日本語). February 9, 2026. Retrieved February 9, 2026.
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."久留里線新型車両投入について (Introduction of new rolling stock on the Kururi Line)" (PDF). www.jreast.co.jp. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2023-10-02. Retrieved 2025-07-18.
- ^ a b Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."時刻表 久留里線 下り：JR東日本". JR東日本：東日本旅客鉄道株式会社 (in 日本語). Retrieved 2025-07-18.
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.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 日本語). Japan: East Japan Railway Company Chiba Division. 21 September 2012. Archived from the original (PDF) on 7 December 2012. Retrieved 25 September 2012.
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."JR East reports ¥70 billion loss on local railways". The Japan Times. 29 July 2022. Retrieved 27 November 2022.
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