The Tōgane Line (東金線) is a local line run by East Japan Railway Company (JR East). It runs from Ōami Station in Ōamishirasato city to Narito Station in Sammu city, Chiba Prefecture.
History
Plans for a railway to Tōgane date back to January 1887. A proposal by Yasui Rimin of the Sōshū Railway (総州鉄道) set out a branch line from Yachimata to Tōgane and Katsuura. In 1888 the Bōsō Horse Tramway (房総馬車鉄道) applied for a horse tramway from Sōga to Tōgane. Later the Bōsō Railway (房総鉄道) opened from Sōga to Ōami. On 30 June 1900 it opened the Ōami to Tōgane section. In 1907 the line was bought under the Railway Nationalisation Act, and on 1 September 1907 it became a government railway. On 12 October 1909 the national railway line names were set, and the line was called the Tōgane Line. On 1 November 1911 the Tōgane to Narito section opened, which completed the whole line.
On 1 July 1935 gasoline railcars began running between Ōami and Narito. On 1 March 1938 Fukudawara station opened between Ōami and Tōgane. On 10 August 1941 Fukudawara was suspended, and it reopened on 1 October 1954.
On 1 February 1965 ATS-S was introduced across the whole line. On 27 May 1972 Ōami station was moved to make way for the removal of the switchback for the Sotobō Line (外房線) after its 1972 electrification. The move was about 0.6 km, and the fare distances were not changed. Automatic signalling came into use between Ōami and Tōgane, and then between Tōgane and Narito on 14 August 1973. On 28 September 1973 the whole line was electrified. On 15 March 1974 centralised traffic control (CTC) was introduced across the whole line.
On 1 April 1987 the national railway was split up and privatised, and JR East took over the line. Japan Freight Railway became the second-class operator. On 10 March 1990 through trains to the Keiyō Line (京葉線) began. On 31 March 1999 the second-class freight operation of Japan Freight Railway ended. On 18 November 2001 Suica could be used on the line.
On 13 March 2010 the 209 series 2000 and 2100 番台 began service. On 19 December 2010 ATS-P came into use between Ōami and Narito. On 13 March 2011 E233 series 5000 番台 trains began service.
On 16 March 2024 the timetable change ended the commuter rapid and rapid trains, and all trains became local trains. On 1 July 2026 the line was reorganised from the branch system to business headquarters. The area around Narito station came under the Chiba business headquarters, and the rest of the line under the Bōsō business headquarters. On 14 August 2026 heavy rain in Chiba suspended all service between Ōami and Narito for the day. Service resumed on 16 August 2026.
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Written by an AI from the line's history on Japanese Wikipedia, nothing else, and checked by a program for dates and numbers that are not in those facts. It can still be wrong. Adapted from Japanese Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0; this text is shared under the same licence.