I thought I had already introduced all of the trains in the metropolitan area on this blog, but it seems there are still some left. Describing trains in this region is truly endless. Today, I’d like to show you one of such rolling stock — the KiHa 532 series diesel railcar on the Ryugasaki Line in Ryugasaki City.
To start, let me briefly review Ryugasaki City and the Ryugasaki Line.
Ryugasaki City, located about 50 kilometers northeast of Tokyo in Ibaraki Prefecture, has been developed as a commuter city since the 1970s. The Ryugasaki Line of the Kanto Railway Company (Kantetsu) is a 4.5-kilometer-long route connecting Sanuki and Ryugasaki stations within the city. The track is single and non-electrified, with diesel railcars operating every 30 minutes.
Now, let’s move on to the main topic. I found a classic vehicle running on this line — unit KiHa 532 of the Kantetsu KiHa 532 series (see the top photo). This model was introduced to the Ryugasaki Line in 1981. Its body was newly built by Niigata Engineering, while the mechanical equipment was reused from the former JNR’s KiHa 20 series. Only one unit is in operation on the line.
To my delight, Kantetsu even publishes the operating schedule of the KiHa 532 series on its website. It often runs on Saturdays, which is very helpful for train spotters like me — no more regrets such as, “I went all the way to the Ryugasaki Line, but the KiHa 532 wasn’t running today!” I could fully enjoy the nostalgic ride, including its retro-style interior (see the photo below).
Interior of the KiHa 532 series