Kururi Line

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.

Kururi Line
Kururi Line E130 series DMUs
Overview
Locale	Chiba Prefecture
Termini	Kisarazu Kazusa-Kameyama
Stations	14
Operation
Opened	1912
Operator(s)	JR East
Depot(s)	Kisarazu
Rolling stock	KiHa E130 series
Technical
Line length	32.2 km (20.0 mi)
Number of tracks	1
Track gauge	1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in)
Electrification	None
Operating speed	65 km/h (40 mph)
Route map

Route diagram

0.0 Kisarazu ←Uchibō Line→ 2.6 Gion 4.2 Kazusa-Kiyokawa Tokyo Bay Aqua-Line 6.1 Higashi-Kiyokawa Tateyama Expressway Obisu River 9.3 Yokota 10.8 Higashi-Yokota Obisu River tributary Obisu River tributary 13.9 Makuta Obisu River tributary Nanamagarigawa 15.2 Shimogōri 16.6 Kazusa-Yamamoto closed 1956 18.2 Obitsu Oharagawa 20.0 Tawarada Obisu River tributary 22.6 Kururi Obisu River tributary 25.7 Hirayama Obisu River Obisu River 28.3 Kazusa-Matsuoka 32.2 Kazusa-Kameyama

Kururi Line train waiting for departure at Kazusa-Kameyama Station, 2009

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

• KiHa E130-100 series DMU cars x10 (from 1 December 2012)[1]

Former rolling stock

• KiHa 30 DMU
• KiHa 37 DMU
• KiHa 38 DMU

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 are scheduled to be introduced from 1 December 2012, replacing the ageing KiHa 30/37/38 DMUs.[1]

References

1. 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. Retrieved 25 September 2012.