Kitayama Rail Pages
Tazawako, Ōu line [Shinjō - Akita] and Akita Shinkansen
Lines on this page
JR East
東日本旅客鉄道 Higashi Nihon Ryokaku Tetsudō East Japan Railway
Akita Shinkansen 秋田新幹線
Shinkansen 1435 mm 20 kV 50 Hz AC
You can find Kitayama Rail Maps for this line on these pages:
Akita
Morioka
| Opened | March 22, 1997 | | | Average speed | 91 km/h |
| Fastest train | 1h24 | Morioka - Akita | | Maximum speed | 130 km/h |
Akita Shinkansen uses the Tazawako and Ōu lines (see below) between Morioka and Akita. The lines are rebuilt, including a re-gauge from 1067 mm to 1435 mm, for Shinkansen services, but they are still used also for local trains.
The Akita Shinkansen trains are kalled Komachi. The legend tells that Komachi was a bright and beautiful poetess born in Akita a long time ago.
Article about Akita Shinkansen with photos (PDF-file)
Traffic pattern
The Akita Shinkansen trains, "Komachi", are coupled together with the Tōhoku Shinkansen trains, "Hayate", between Tōkyō and Morika.
The traffic pattern was accurate at: Aug 6, 2010
| Type | Name | Origin - Major stops - Destination | Trains
per day | Fastest
train | Average
speed |
|---|
| Shinkansen | Komachi
こまち | Tōkyō - Sendai - Morioka - Akita | 16 | 3h50 | 163 km/h |
| Sendai - Morioka - Akita | 1 | 2h54 | 103 km/h |
Ōu Hon (Shinjō - Akita) 奥羽本線
20 kV 50 Hz AC
You can find Kitayama Rail Maps for this line on these pages:
Akita
Sendai & Yamagata
| Opened | 1903-1905 | | | Tracks | Single track (1067 mm) | Ōmagari - Jingūji | | Rebuilt | 1997 | 1435 mm added Ōmagari - Akita |
| Tracks | Single track | Shinjō - Nozoki | | Single track (1435 mm) | Ōmagari - Jingūji | | Gauge | 1067 mm | Shinjō - Ōmagari |
| Double track | Nozoki - Innai | | Single 1435 + Mixed 1067/1435 | Jingūji - Mine-Yoshikawa | | 1067 mm + 1435 mm | Ōmagari - Akita |
| Single track | Innai - Ōmagari | | Single track (1067 mm) | Mine-Yoshikawa - Akita |
|
|
| | | Single track (1435 mm) | Mine-Yoshikawa - Akita |
The section Ōmagari - Akita is both 1067 mm and 1435 mm gauge. There is one single track for each gauge on 39 km of the section, the remaining 13 km have one single standard gauge track and one single mixed gauge track, allowing the Shinkansen trains to meet each other.
The Akita Shinkansen traffic is described above.
Traffic pattern
The traffic pattern shown does not include all details and could change at any time.
| Type | Origin - Major stops - Destination | Frequency | Fastest
train | Average
speed |
|---|
| Local | Shinjō - Ōmagari - Akita | 10/day | 2h30 | 43 km/h |
| Shinjō - Mamurogawa | 3/day | 16 min | 58 km/h |
| Innai - Akita | 3/day | 1h52 | 56 km/h |
| Yuzawa - Akita | 3/day | 1h14 | 72 km/h |
| Yokote - Akita | 3/day | 1h06 | 61 km/h |
Tazawako 田沢湖線
1435 mm 20 kV 50 Hz AC
You can find Kitayama Rail Maps for this line on these pages:
Akita
Morioka
| Opened | 1921 | Morioka - Shizukuishi | | Re-gauged | 1997 | 1067 mm > 1435 mm |
| 1921-1923 | Ōmagari - Tazawako | | Tracks | Single track | |
| 1964 | Shizukuishi - Akabuchi |
| 1966 | Akabuchi - Tazawako |
The line is rebuilt to standard gauge and serves primarily the Akita Shinkansen trains (described above) but there is some local traffic as well.
Traffic pattern
The traffic pattern shown does not include all details and could change at any time.
| Type | Origin - Major stops - Destination | Frequency | Fastest
train | Average
speed |
|---|
| Local | Morioka - Shizukuishi | 7/day | 16 min | 60 km/h |
| Morioka - Akabuchi | 3/day | 24 min | 55 km/h |
| Morioka - Tazawako | 1/day | 47 min | 51 km/h |
| Morioka - Ōmagari | 3/day | 1h46 | 43 km/h |
| Tazawako - Ōmagari | 4/day | 40 min | 53 km/h |
This page is updated Aug 20, 2010
