Aoimori Railway Line
Aoimori Railway Line | |||
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![]() Aoimori Railway 701 series EMU in September 2010 | |||
Overview | |||
Owner | Aomori Prefecture | ||
Locale | Aomori Prefecture, Japan | ||
Termini | |||
Stations | 26 | ||
Service | |||
Type | Regional rail | ||
Operator(s) | ![]() | ||
Rolling stock | Aoimori 701 series EMUs Aoimori 703 series EMUs | ||
History | |||
Opened | 1 September 1891Nippon Railway) 1 December 2002 (As the Aoimori Railway Line between Metoki and Hachinohe) 4 December 2010 (As the Aoimori Railway Line between Hachinohe and Aomori) | (As part of the ||
Technical | |||
Line length | 121.9 km (75.7 mi) | ||
Track gauge | 1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in) | ||
Electrification | 20 kV AC, 50 | ||
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The Aoimori Railway Line (
History[edit]
The predecessor to the Aoimori Railway Line was completed as the Metoki–Aomori portion of the Nippon Railway on 1 September 1891.[1] When the Nippon Railway was nationalized on 1 November 1906, it became part of the Japanese National Railways (JNR) system and was designated part of the Tōhoku Main Line on 12 October 1909.[2] With the privatization and dissolution of JNR on 1 April 1987, the line came under the control of the East Japan Railway Company (JR East).[3]
On 1 December 2002, with the opening of the Tōhoku Shinkansen, the portion of the Tōhoku Main Line located in Iwate Prefecture became the Iwate Galaxy Railway Line, and the portion in Aomori Prefecture from the Iwate border to Hachinohe Station became the Aoimori Railway Line.[4] With the opening of the Tōhoku Shinkansen extension to Shin-Aomori on 4 December 2010, the Tōhoku Main Line tracks between Hachinohe and Aomori were transferred from JR East to the Aoimori Railway Company, resulting in the completion of the Aoimori Railway Line.[5]
There have been a few new developments along the line since its transfer to the Aoimori Railway Company. On 12 March 2012, Nonai Station was relocated 1.5 kilometers (0.93 mi) southwest of its original location. Tsutsui Station, near Aomori High School, was opened on 15 March 2014. Two-car Aoimori 703 series sets began operations on the line on the same day to handle the increased loads presented by the opening of Tsutsui Station.[6]
Organization[edit]
The Aoimori Railway Line is operated by the Aoimori Railway Company, a "third-sector" publicly and privately owned company. The railway facilities and tracks are owned by the prefectural government of Aomori as a "Category 3 Railway Business" under the Railway Business Act of Japan. The Aoimori Railway Company leases these facilities from the prefectural government and is responsible for operation of passenger trains on the tracks. This scheme is intended to mitigate the company's burden as an owner of fixed assets and is known as "track/service separation" (
The Aoimori Railway Line is designated as the rail line between Aomori and Metoki stations that was formerly the northernmost section of the Tōhoku Main Line. Trains operated by the Aoimori Railway Company primarily operate between Aomori and Hachinohe stations; however, some of the railway's trains continue south beyond Hachinohe to Sannohe Station, with fewer continuing south to Morioka Station. Some of the trains that run along the railway between Hachinohe and Metoki Station are carried by the rolling stock of the Iwate Galaxy Railway Company, the operator of the former Tōhoku Main Line between Metoki and Morioka stations.[8][9]
Japan Freight Railway Company (JR Freight), the nationwide freight train operator, continues to use the line for freight services.[4] For maintenance work, the line relies on the services of the Hachinohe Rinkai Railway Company.[10] As of January 2021, the only JR East limited express operate along the line is the Resort Asunaro sightseeing train that runs between Hachinohe and Ōminato stations, using the line between Hachinohe and Noheji.[11]
Station list[edit]
Station | Japanese | Distance (km)[12] | Shimokita | Transfers | Location | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Between stations |
Total | ||||||
Metoki | - | 0.0 | Iwate Galaxy Railway Line | Sannohe | Aomori | ||
Sannohe | 5.5 | 5.5 | Nanbu | ||||
Suwanotaira | 4.0 | 9.5 | |||||
Kenyoshi | 5.3 | 14.8 | |||||
Tomabechi | 3.4 | 18.2 | |||||
Kitatakaiwa | 2.8 | 21.0 | Hachinohe | ||||
Hachinohe | 4.9 | 25.9 | ● | Tōhoku Shinkansen, Hachinohe Line | |||
Mutsu-Ichikawa | 6.9 | 32.8 | | | ||||
Shimoda | 4.2 | 37.0 | ● | Oirase | |||
Mukaiyama | 5.2 | 42.2 | | | ||||
Misawa | 4.7 | 46.9 | ● | Misawa | |||
Kogawara | 6.6 | 53.5 | | | Tōhoku | |||
Kamikitachō | 3.9 | 57.4 | ● | ||||
Ottomo | 6.9 | 64.3 | | | ||||
Chibiki | 6.6 | 70.9 | | | ||||
Noheji | 6.4 | 77.3 | ● | Ōminato Line (Rapid through services) | Noheji | ||
Karibasawa | 6.5 | 83.8 | Hiranai | ||||
Shimizugawa | 4.7 | 88.5 | |||||
Kominato | 6.0 | 94.5 | |||||
Nishi-Hiranai | 3.8 | 98.3 | |||||
Asamushi-Onsen | 6.4 | 104.7 | Aomori | ||||
Nonai | 6.5 | 111.2 | |||||
Yadamae | 1.5 | 112.7 | |||||
Koyanagi | 2.0 | 114.7 | |||||
Higashi-Aomori | 1.4 | 116.1 | |||||
Tsutsui | 1.4 | 117.5 | |||||
Aomori | 4.4 | 121.9 | Ōu Main Line, Tsugaru Line |
Rolling stock and equipment[edit]
- Aoimori 701 series 2-car EMUs x9
- Aoimori 703 series 2-car EMUs x2
The Aoimori Railway operates a fleet of 701 series two-car electric multiple units (EMUs). One set was built from new in September 2002, while eight more were transferred from JR East.[13]
Two new two-car Aoimori 703 series EMUs were delivered in November 2013 and introduced from the start of the 15 March 2014 timetable revision.[13]
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Aoimori 701 series EMU
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Aoimori 701 series EMU in its initial transitional livery
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The interior of an Aoimori 701 series carriage
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Aoimori 703 series EMU
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The interior of an Aoimori 703 series carriage
-
A JR Freight Class EH500 locomotive hauling freight through Nishi-Hiranai Station
Future plans[edit]
![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d4/Aoimori_Railway_proposed_station_site.jpg/220px-Aoimori_Railway_proposed_station_site.jpg)
The railway has been negotiating with the city of Aomori since December 2015 on a proposal to open a new station between Tsutsui Station and Aomori Station near the point at which the railway passes under Japan National Route 103.[14] The station would be part of a sports arena development for the 2025 National Sports Festival of Japan to be held in Aomori.[15] The neighborhood the station would serve is a primarily residential area, but it would also provide access to some busy shopping centers within walking distance to the station.[16] As of January 2021, no final decision has been made regarding the construction of the new station.[17]
See also[edit]
References[edit]
- Harris, Ken and Clarke, Jackie. Jane's World Railways 2008-2009. Jane's Information Group (2008). ISBN 0-7106-2861-7
- ^ "
駅 や築港 は国策 に翻弄 " [Stations and ports are at the mercy of national policy]. Mutsu Shimpō (in Japanese). 9 March 2015. Retrieved 8 April 2021. - ^ Railway Nationalization Act] (in Japanese). Japan: Imperial Diet. 1906 – via Wikisource. [
- ^ "
日本 国有 鉄道 の改革 の実施 に当 たり河川 管理 上 留意 すべき事項 について" [Matters to be noted in management when implementing the reform of the Japanese National Railways] (in Japanese). Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism. 30 March 1987. Retrieved 8 April 2021. - ^ a b "
青 い森 鉄道 線 について" [About the Aoimori Railway Line] (in Japanese). Aoimori Railway Co., Ltd. 2021. Retrieved 8 April 2021. - ^ "JR
東日本 東北 本線 八戸 ―青森 間 の廃止 を届出 " [JR East announces discontinuation of Tohoku Line between Hachinohe and Aomori]. Tetsudo Hobidas (in Japanese). Japan: Neko Publishing. 27 November 2009. Archived from the original on 16 January 2018. Retrieved 17 October 2013. - ^ Shuzo, Yui (16 March 2014). "
青 い森 鉄道 :初 の新駅 「筒井 駅 」開業 新型 車両 もデビュー" [First new station on Aoimori Railway, Tsutsui, opens. New trains also introduced.]. Mainichi Shimbun (in Japanese). Japan. Archived from the original on 17 March 2014. Retrieved 17 March 2014. - ^ "
地方 鉄道 の活性 化 に向 けて" [Toward the activation of local railways] (PDF) (in Japanese). Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism. 29 March 2013. Retrieved 8 April 2021. - ^ "Aoimori Railway Line Timetable" (PDF). Aoimori Railway. 14 March 2020. Retrieved 15 February 2021.
- ^ "「わ」の
鉄道 青 い森 鉄道 " [Aoimori Railway - A "Wa" Railway]. Japan Railfan Magazine. Vol. 50, no. 595. Japan: Koyusha Co., Ltd. November 2010. pp. 24–29. - ^ "
事業 内容 " [Business Content] (in Japanese). Hachinohe Rinkai Railway Company. 2015. Retrieved 9 April 2021. - ^ "Resort Asunaro". JR East. January 2021. Retrieved 11 April 2021.
- ^ JTB Timetable (April 2014) p. 592
- ^ a b Terada, Hirokazu (October 2014).
新幹線 並行 在来 線 [Conventional railways running parallel with shinkansen lines]. Japan Railfan Magazine (in Japanese). Vol. 54, no. 642. Japan: Koyusha Co., Ltd. p. 71. - ^ "⻘森
操車 場 跡地 利用 計画 " [Plan for the utilization of the Aomori Rail Yard] (PDF) (in Japanese). City of Aomori. March 2019. Retrieved 31 March 2021. - ^ "
旧 操車 場 跡地 利用 有識者 が会議 " [Experts meet to discuss the need for a station at site]. NHK (in Japanese). 17 January 2019. Archived from the original on 17 January 2019. Retrieved 18 January 2019. - ^ "
青 い森 セントラルパーク付近 への新駅 設置 について" [Concerning the establishment of a new station near the Aoimori Central Park] (in Japanese). 10 March 2016. Archived from the original on 19 January 2019. Retrieved 18 November 2020. - ^ "
青森 操車 場 跡地 に開業 予定 の新駅 への青 い森 鉄道 本社 の移転 について" [About the relocation of the Aoimori Railway Headquarters to the new station scheduled to open on the site of the Aomori Rail Yard]. Aomori Prefecture. 13 January 2021. Retrieved 31 March 2021.
External links[edit]
![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/4/4a/Commons-logo.svg/30px-Commons-logo.svg.png)