Nagareyama Line
流山線
LocaleChiba Prefecture
Stations6
Open1916 (age 110)
OwnerRyūtetsu
DepotNagareyama
Linelength5.7 km (3.54 mi)
Electrification1,500 V DC overhead catenary

The Nagareyama Line (流山線, Nagareyama-sen) is a commuter rail line in Chiba Prefecture, Japan, operated by Ryutetsu (流鉄株式会社, Ryūtetsu kabushiki-kaisha) between Mabashi Station in Matsudo and Nagareyama Station in Nagareyama. The line and the operator company was called the Sōbu Nagareyama Line (総武流山線, Sōbu Nagareyama-sen) and Sōbu Nagareyama Electric Railway (総武流山電鉄, Sōbu Nagareyama Dentetsu) respectively until the renaming on August 1, 2008.[1] The present line name was the most popular short name of the line. It was also called Ryūden (流電).

This is the only line Ryūtetsu operates, making the company unique for being an independent railway operator with just a single 5.7 km line and no major subsidiary businesses (unlike Yamaman, or The Oriental Land Company and their Disney Resort Line). The short line functions as a link between the centre of the city of Nagareyama and the East Japan Railway Company (JR East) Jōban Line. However, after the opening of the Tsukuba Express on August 24, 2005, ridership fell sharply. Suica and PASMO contactless smart cards cannot be used, and Ryūtetsu reportedly has no plans to introduce the system on the line.

Basic data

Rolling stock

Current

Future

On July 9, 2025, Ryutetsu announced that they had purchased four 211-6000 series 2-car trainsets from JR Central. The trains will be refurbished before entering service to replace the current 5000 series trains.[2][3]

Stations

All stations are in Chiba Prefecture.

No.StationJapaneseDistanceTransfersLocation
Between
stations
Total
RN1Mabashi馬橋-0.0 km (0 mi)Jōban LineMatsudo
RN2Kōya幸谷1.7 km (1.1 mi)1.7 km (1.1 mi)Jōban Line, Musashino Line (, unofficial)
RN3Kogane-Jōshi小金城趾1.1 km (0.68 mi)2.8 km (1.7 mi) 
RN4Hiregasaki鰭ヶ崎0.8 km (0.50 mi)3.6 km (2.2 mi) Nagareyama
RN5Heiwadai平和台1.5 km (0.93 mi)5.1 km (3.2 mi) 
RN6Nagareyama流山0.6 km (0.37 mi)5.7 km (3.5 mi) 

History

The company was incorporated on November 7, 1913 as Nagareyama Light Railway (流山軽便鉄道, Nagareyama Keiben Tetsudō) and opened a gauge railway on March 14, 1916. The company renamed Nagareyama Railway (流山鉄道, Nagareyama Tetsudō) in November 1922 and rebuilt the railway track to gauge in 1924.[1]

The company name was again changed to Nagareyama Electric Railway (Nagareyama Denki Tetsudō) in 1949, to Nagareyama Electric Railway (Nagareyama Dentetsu) in 1967, to Sōbu Nagareyama Electric Railway in 1971 and to Ryūtetsu in 2008.[1]

References

This article incorporates material from the corresponding article in the Japanese Wikipedia.

  1. ^ "ja:総武流山電鉄 社名と線名を変更" (in Japanese). 2008-06-27. Archived from the original on 2008-06-30. Retrieved 2008-10-16.
  2. ^ "211系ホームページに掲載するリリース.pdf" (in Japanese). ryutetsu.jp. Retrieved 2025-09-02.
  3. ^ "ja:流鉄,JR東海から211系6000番代を譲受" [Ryutetsu acquires 211-6000 series EMUs from JR Central] (in Japanese). Japan Railfan Magazine Online. Japan: Koyusha. 2025-07-09. Retrieved 2025-10-27.