Uchibō Line
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Uchibō Line (内房線 Uchibō-sen?) is a railway line operated by the East Japan Railway Company along Tokyo Bay, on the Western shore of the Bōsō Peninsula. It runs from Soga Station in Chiba to Awa-Kamogawa Station in Kamogawa, passing through Chiba, Ichihara, Sodegaura, Kisarazu, Kimitsu, Futtsu, Kyonan, Tateyama, and Minami-Bōsō. The line is connected on both ends to the Sotobō Line.
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[edit] Line Information
- Operated by: East Japan Railway Company
- Length: 119.4 km
- Gauge: narrow (1067 mm)
- Number of Stations: 30
- Double Track Section: Sogo Station to Kimitsu Station (excluding Chiba and Hon-Chiba)
- Electrified Section: Entire Line (1500 V)
- Interlocking Method: automatic
- Top Speed: 120 km/h
[edit] History
The Uchibō line began operation in 1912, and was originally known as the Kisarazu Line (木更津線). It stretched from Soga Station to Anegasaki Station in Ichihara. Several extensions were built over the next few years, and in 1919 it reached as far as Awa-Hōjō (present day Tateyama). At this time it was renamed the Hōjō Line (北条線). By 1925 it had been extended to its present day terminus, Awa-Kamogawa Station. In 1929, the Hōjō Line was incorporated into the Bōsō Line. However, in 1933, the original stretch between Soga and Awa-Kamogawa Stations again became its own line, this time renamed the Bōsō West Line (房総西線), and in 1972 it received its current name.
Timeline:
- Mar 28, 1912 – Kisarazu Line (Soga to Anegasaki) begins operation
- Aug 21, 1912 – extended from Anegasaki to Kisarazu
- Jan 15, 1915 – extended from Kisarazu to Kazusa-Minato
- Oct 11, 1916 – extended from Kazusa-Minato to Hamakanaya
- Aug 1, 1917 – extended from Hamakanaya to Awa-Katsuyama
- Aug 10, 1918 – extended from Awa-Katsuyama to Nako-Funakata
- May 24, 1919 – extended from Nako-Funakata to Awa-Hōjō; renamed Hōjō Line
- Jun 1, 1921 – extended from Awa-Hōjō to Minamihara
- Dec 20, 1922 – extended from Minamihara to Emi
- Jul 25, 1924 – extended from Emi to Futomi
- Jul 11, 1925 – extended from Futomi to Awa-Kamogawa
- Jun 16, 1926 – Takeoka station opened
- May 20, 1927 – Chitose railyard opened
- Aug 15, 1929 – Bōsō line extended to Awa-Kamogawa; Hōjō Line incorporated into Bōsō Line
- Aug 1, 1930 – Chitose railyard is upgraded to a station
- Apr 1, 1933 – Bōsō line from Soga to Awa-Kamogawa (the run of the former Hōjō Line) is renamed Bōsō West Line
- Nov 20, 1941 – Iwane station opened
- Mar 1, 1946 – Awa-Hōjō station renamed Tateyama Station
- Jan 10, 1947 – Nagaura station opened
- Apr 10, 1956 – Shūsai station renamed Kimitsu Station
- Jul 1, 1964 – double track section built between Soga and Hamano
- Sep 20, 1964 – double track extended from Hamano to Yawatajuku
- Jul 4, 1965 – double track extended from Yawatajuku to Goi
- May 26, 1968 – double track extended from Goi to Nagaura
- Jul 13, 1968 – electric wires extended from Chiba station, past Sogo, extending to Kisarazu
- Mar 20, 1969 – double track extended from Nagaura to Naraba
- Jul 10, 1969 – 135 C57-105 steam engines removed from service
- Jul 11, 1969 – electric wires extended from Kisarazu to Chikura
- Mar 18, 1970 – double track extended from Naraba to Kisarazu
- Mar 24, 1970 – double track extended from Kisarazu to Kimitsu
- Jul 1, 1971 – electric wires extended from Chikura to Awa-Kamogawa
- Jul 15, 1972 – renamed Uchibō Line
- Mar 31, 1974 – Naraba station renamed Sodegaura
- Nov 15, 1982 – freight service between Kisarazu and Awa-Kamogawa discontinued
- Apr 1, 1987 – acquired by East Japan Railway Company following the division and privatization of JNR initiated by prime minister Yasuhiro Nakasone; Japan Freight Railway Company becomes a second class railway enterprise between Soga and Kisarazu
- Nov 1, 1996 – Japan Freight Railway Company second class enterprise between Soga and Kisarazu is discontinued
- Feb 4, 2001 – ATS-P usage implemented between Chiba and Iwane
[edit] Operation
The Uchibō Line operates local service with trains generally originating and terminating at Chiba station. Trains headed directly for Tokyo station merge with the Sotobō Line between Soga and Chiba stations, and with the Sōbu Main Line between Chiba and Tokyo, while express and commuter trains merge with the Keiyō Line from Soga station.
[edit] Local Trains
Daytime service from Chiba to Kisarazu and Kimitsu (sometimes to Kazusa-Minato) is generally 3 round trips per hour, from Chiba to Awa-Kamogawa and Tateyama (sometimes to Chikura) is 1 round trip per hour.
Formerly, the Uchibō and Sotobō lines were connected by trains running from Hota station to Sotobō Line Kazusa-Ichinomiya station, and from Kazusa-Ichinomiya station to Chiba station via Tateyama/Kisarazu stations, but currently no trains pass Awa-Kamogawa station in either direction.
The line runs 113 series and 211 series trains (belonging to the Makuhari Rolling Stock Center). Trains connecting directly to the Keiyō Line are 205 series.
[edit] Express
- Direct connection to Sōbu Line Rapid (Express)
- Trains leaving north from Kimitsu station connect directly to the Sōbu Line Rapid. After a revision to the schedule in October of 2004, all trains now stop at Nagaura and Sodegaura stations.
- Direct connection to Keiyō Line (Express/Commuter)
- Commuter and express trains connecting to the Keiyō Line extend to Kimitsu station in the morning and evening, with 2 to 3 trains inbound in the morning, and 5 outbound and 2 inbound trains in the evening. One of the inbound morning trains originates from Kazusa-Minato station.
- Rolling Stock
- Trains connecting to the Yokosuka Line—Sōbu Line Rapid use E217 series trains. Trains including green cars belong to the Kamakura Rolling Stock Center.
- Keiyō Line Express/Commuter trains use 205 and 201 series.
[edit] Special Trains
The limited express train Sazanami runs from Tokyo station to Kimitsu and Tateyama stations (and Chikura station during busy periods). Formerly the limited express View Sazanami ran on the Uchibō Line as well, however it was merged with the Sazanami in a revision to the schedule made on December 10, 2005. Additionally, the special limited express Shinjuku Sazanami runs from Shinjuku station to Chikura station on weekends.
- Rolling Stock
- 255 series (including green cars)
- E257 series 500 (regular cars only)
[edit] Station List
- Regular trains are local and stop at every station.
| Line Name | Station Name | Japanese | Distance from Origin | Express/ Commuter Express | Connecting Lines | Area |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sotobō Line | Chiba | 千葉駅 | 3.8 | X | JR East: Sōbu Main Line Chiba Urban Monorail Line 1, Line 2 Keisei Electric Railway: Chiba Line (Keisei Chiba) |
Chūō-ku, Chiba |
| Hon-Chiba | 本千葉駅 | 2.4 | ||||
| Soga | 蘇我駅 | 0.0 | X | JR East: Sotobō Line |
||
| Uchibō Line | ||||||
| Hamano | 浜野駅 | 3.4 | ||||
| Yawatajuku | 八幡宿駅 | 5.6 | X | Ichihara | ||
| Goi | 五井駅 | 9.3 | X | Kominato Railway: Kominato Line | ||
| Anegasaki | 姉ケ崎駅 | 15.1 | X | |||
| Nagaura | 長浦駅 | 20.5 | X | Sodegaura | ||
| Sodegaura | 袖ケ浦駅 | 24.4 | X | |||
| Iwane | 巖根駅 | 27.5 | Kisarazu | |||
| Kisarazu | 木更津駅 | 31.3 | X | JR East: Kururi Line | ||
| Kimitsu | 君津駅 | 38.3 | X | Kimitsu | ||
| Aohori | 青堀駅 | 42.0 | X | Futtsu | ||
| Ōnuki | 大貫駅 | 46.6 | X | |||
| Sanukimachi | 佐貫町駅 | 50.7 | X | |||
| Kazusa-Minato | 上総湊駅 | 55.1 | Terminal Station | |||
| Takeoka | 竹岡駅 | 60.2 | ||||
| Hamakanaya | 浜金谷駅 | 64.0 | ||||
| Hota | 保田駅 | 67.5 | Kyonan, Awa District | |||
| Awa-Katsuyama | 安房勝山駅 | 70.8 | ||||
| Iwai | 岩井駅 | 73.7 | Minami-Bōsō | |||
| Tomiura | 富浦駅 | 79.8 | ||||
| Nako-Funakata | 那古船形駅 | 82.1 | Tateyama | |||
| Tateyama | 館山駅 | 85.9 | ||||
| Kokonoe | 九重駅 | 91.7 | ||||
| Chikura | 千倉駅 | 96.6 | Minami-Bōsō | |||
| Chitose | 千歳駅 | 98.6 | ||||
| Minamihara | 南三原駅 | 102.2 | ||||
| Wadaura | 和田浦駅 | 106.8 | ||||
| Emi | 江見駅 | 111.4 | Kamogawa | |||
| Futomi | 太海駅 | 116.0 | ||||
| Awa-Kamogawa | 安房鴨川駅 | 119.4 | JR East: Sotobō Line |
