The Keisei Chihara Line (京成千原線, Keisei Chihara-sen) is a railway line in Chiba Prefecture, Japan, operated by the Keisei Railway. The line (with direct services to and from the Keisei Main Line and Keisei Chiba Line) starts from Chiba-Chūō Station and ends at Chiharadai Station.
| Keisei Chihara Line | |
|---|---|
| KS | |
Keisei 3000 series EMU on the Chihara Line, October 2010
| |
| Overview | |
| Owner | Keisei Electric Railway |
| Locale | Chiba Prefecture |
| Termini |
|
| Stations | 6 |
| History | |
| Opened | April 1, 1992 |
| Technical | |
| Line length | 10.9 km (6.8 mi) |
| Track gauge | 1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) |
| No. | Station | Japanese | Distance (km) | Transfers | Location | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Between stations |
Total | ||||||
| Keisei through services: | Via the Keisei Chiba Line & Keisei Main Line to/from Keisei-Ueno Via the Keisei Chiba Line & Shin-Keisei Line to/from Matsudo | ||||||
| KS60 | Chiba-Chūō | 千葉中央 | - | 0.0 | KS Keisei Chiba Line | Chūō-ku, Chiba | Chiba Prefecture |
| KS61 | Chibadera | 千葉寺 | 2.5 | 2.5 | |||
| KS62 | Ōmoridai | 大森台 | 1.7 | 4.2 | |||
| KS63 | Gakuemmae | 学園前 | 3.1 | 7.3 | Midori-ku, Chiba | ||
| KS64 | Oyumino | おゆみ野 | 1.5 | 8.8 | |||
| KS65 | Chiharadai | ちはら台 | 2.1 | 10.9 | Ichihara | ||
The line was originally planned by Kominato Railway, which obtained the government license for the new line between Hon-Chiba Station in central Chiba and Amaariki Station on the existing Kominato Railway Line in December 1957. Following years of suspension of the project, in December 1975, the license was transferred to Chiba Kyūkō Dentetsu (千葉急行電鉄), which was jointly established by Keisei Electric Railway and the Kominato Railway receiving investment from local governments and other sources.
By the 1970s, the need for the railway had been increasing as the development of Chiba Ichihara New Town was in progress along the planned route. The plan was changed to make connection with the Keisei Chiba Line at Chiba-Chūō Station. Construction of the line began in August 1977 for the section between Chiba-Chūō Station and Chiharadai Station (10.91 km).[1]
Chiba Kyūkō opened the new line between Chiba-Chūō Station and Ōmoridai Station (4.2 km) on April 1, 1992.[1] The line to Chiharadai Station was completed on April 1, 1995. The entire line is single track, but the formation allows for duplication if and when required.
Due to its poor financial condition, Chiba Kyūkō was dissolved and the railway was sold to Keisei Electric Railway on October 1, 1998. Keisei named it the "Chihara Line".[2]