Type Regional rail Opened 1912 Depot(s) Chiba Locale Chiba Prefecture | Stations 30 Operator(s) JR East Line length 119.4 km (74.2 mi) | |
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Terminis Soga Station, Awa-Kamogawa Station | ||
e217 jr east uchib line e217 series emu
The Uchibō Line (内房線, Uchibō-sen) is a railway line operated by the East Japan Railway Company (JR East) adjacent to Tokyo Bay, paralleling the western (i.e., inner) shore of the Bōsō Peninsula. It connects Soga Station in the city of Chiba to Awa-Kamogawa Station in the city of Kamogawa, passing through the municipalities of Chiba, Ichihara, Sodegaura, Kisarazu, Kimitsu, Futtsu, Kyonan, Tateyama, and Minamibōsō. The line is connected at both ends to the Sotobō Line. The name of the Uchibō Line in the Japanese language is formed from two kanji characters. The first, 内, means "inner" and the second, 房 is the first character of the Bōsō. The name of the line thus refers to its location along the inner part of the Bōsō Peninsula in relation to the Tokyo Metropolitan Area, as opposed to the Sotobō Line, "outer Bōsō" which is on the opposite side of the peninsula. South of Kimitsu is single track, and north of Kimitsu is double track.
Contents
209 jr east uchib line 209 series emu
Station list
Note: Special Rapid service was discontinued on 4 March 2017
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.
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 to Sotobō Line Kazusa-Ichinomiya, and from Kazusa-Ichinomiya station to Chiba Station via Tateyama/Kisarazu Stations, but currently no trains pass Awa-Kamogawa Station in either direction.
All-stations "Local" services use 209-2000/2100 series and 211 series EMUs based at Makuhari Depot.
Rapid service
Rolling stock
Trains connecting to the Yokosuka Line—Sōbu Line Rapid use E217 series trains with green cars based at Kamakura and Makuhari depots.
Limited express trains
The limited express train Sazanami runs from Tokyo Station to Kimitsu and Tateyama stations (and Chikura station during busy periods). The limited express View Sazanami formerly ran on the Uchibō Line as well, but it was merged with the Sazanami following the timetable revision on December 10, 2005. The limited express Shinjuku Sazanami runs from Shinjuku to Chikura on weekends.
Rolling stock
History
The Uchibō line began operation in 1912, and was originally known as the Kisarazu Line (木更津線). It operated from Soga Station to Anegasaki Station in Ichihara. Several extensions were built over the next few years, and in 1919 it reached 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 section 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.
The Soga - Kimitsu section was duplicated between 1964 and 1971, and the entire line was electrified between 1968 and 1971. Individual section dates as given in the Timeline section below.