The Hachinohe Line (八戸線, Hachinohe-sen) is a railway line in the Tohoku Region of Japan, operated by East Japan Railway Company (JR East). It links Hachinohe Station in Hachinohe, Aomori with Kuji Station in Kuji, Iwate. The line stretches 64.9 km along the Pacific Ocean coast with a total of 25 stations. The section between Hachinohe and Same stations is also known as the Umineko Rail Hachinohe-Shinai Line (うみねこレール八戸市内線).

Hachinohe Line
KiHa E130-500 series DMU running on Hachinohe Line
Overview
Other name(s)Umineko Rail Hachinohe-Shinai Line
Native name八戸線
StatusIn operation
OwnerJR East
LocaleAomori, Iwate prefectures
Termini
Stations25
Service
TypeHeavy rail
Operator(s)JR East
Rolling stockKiHa E130 series DMU
History
Opened1894
Technical
Line length64.9 km (40.3 mi)
Number of tracksEntire line single tracked
CharacterRural
Track gauge1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in)
ElectrificationNone
Operating speed85 km/h (53 mph)
Route map

Nanbu Railway (defunct)
0.0
Hachinohe
1.7
Hachinohe Freight Terminal
2.7
Kita-Hachinohe Signal
3.4
Naganawashiro
Mabechi River
Hon-Hachinohe Freight Depot
5.5
0.0
Hon-Hachinohe
7.3
Konakano
 
2.7
Minato Station (defunct)
9.0
Mutsu-Minato
Hachinohe Cement
10.3
Shirogane
11.8
Same
16.2
Purepai Shirahama Station (defunct)
17.5
Mutsu-Shirahama
19.6
Tanesashi-Kaigan
21.8
Ōkuki
24.8
Kanehama
25.8
Ōja
27.5
Hashikami
Aomori-Iwate border
29.5
Kadonohama
32.1
Hiranai
34.2
Taneichi
38.1
Tamagawa
40.0
Shukunohe
43.1
Rikuchū-Yagi
45.8
Uge
48.4
Rikuchū-Nakano
54.4
Samuraihama
61.7
Rikuchū-Natsui
64.9
Kuji

Stations edit

Legend
◇, ∨, ∧ - Trains can pass each other at this station
| - Trains cannot pass
Station Japanese Distance (km) Transfers   Location
Between
stations
Total
Hachinohe 八戸 - 0.0 Tohoku Shinkansen
Aoimori Railway Line
Hachinohe Aomori
Naganawashiro 長苗代 3.4 3.4  
Hon-Hachinohe 本八戸 2.1 5.5  
Konakano 小中野 1.8 7.3  
Mutsu-Minato 陸奥湊 1.7 9.0  
Shirogane 白銀 1.3 10.3  
Same 1.5 11.8  
Mutsu-Shirahama 陸奥白浜 5.7 17.5  
Tanesashi-Kaigan 種差海岸 2.1 19.6  
Ōkuki 大久喜 2.2 21.8  
Kanehama 金浜 3.0 24.8  
Ōja 大蛇 1.0 25.8   Hashikami, Sannohe District
Hashikami 階上 1.7 27.5  
Kadonohama 角の浜 2.0 29.5   Hirono, Kunohe District Iwate
Hiranai 平内 2.6 32.1  
Taneichi 種市 2.1 34.2  
Tamagawa 玉川 3.9 38.1  
Shukunohe 宿戸 1.9 40.0  
Rikuchū-Yagi 陸中八木 3.1 43.1  
Uge 有家 2.7 45.8  
Rikuchū-Nakano 陸中中野 2.6 48.4  
Samuraihama 侍浜 6.0 54.4   Kuji
Rikuchū-Natsui 陸中夏井 7.3 61.7  
Kuji 久慈 3.2 64.9 Sanriku Railway Rias Line

Rolling stock edit

 
Umineko local train at Hachinohe Station

New KiHa E130-500 series diesel multiple unit trains were introduced on the Hachinohe Line from 2 December 2017, displacing the ageing KiHa 40 series DMUs.[1] All services on the line will be operated by KiHa E130-500 series DMUs from the start of the revised timetable on 17 March 2018.[1]

The fleet consists of six two-car units and six single-car units.[2]

History edit

In 1894, a spur line connecting Shiriuchi (now Hachinohe) on the Tohoku Main Line with Hachinohe (now Hon-Hachinohe was completed. This line was soon extended south to the now-defunct Minato Station. After the nationalization of the Nippon Railway in 1907, the spur line was renamed the Hachinohe Line in 1909. From 1924, the line's name was written with its current characters, and the southern terminus of the line was extended to Taneichi in Iwate Prefecture. The following year it reached Rikuchū-Yagi, and in 1930 it reached its present southern terminus of Kuji where it connected to the Sanriku Railway Kita-Rias Line, which links Kuji with Miyako in southern Iwate. Freight operations were phased out at most stations between 1982 and 1986.[citation needed]

With the privatization of the Japanese National Railways (JNR) on April 1, 1987, the Hachinohe Line came under the control of the East Japan Railway Company (JR East), with remaining freight operations transferred to the Japan Freight Railway Company (JR Freight) at Hachinohe Freight Terminal.

2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami edit

The line was damaged by the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami on March 11, 2011, and services were suspended on the section between Taneichi and Kuji, with a number of vehicles trapped at Kuji Station. Services over the entire line resumed on March 17, 2012.[3]

See also edit

References edit

  1. ^ a b 八戸線,3月17日から全列車をキハE130系500番台で運転 [All Hachinohe Line services to be operated by KiHa E130-500 series from 17 March]. Japan Railfan Magazine Online (in Japanese). Japan: Koyusha Co., Ltd. 15 December 2017. Archived from the original on 15 December 2017. Retrieved 15 December 2017.
  2. ^ 八戸線および新潟・秋田地区への車両新造計画 [New train manufacture plans for Hachinohe Line and Niigata/Akita regions]. Tetsudo Hobidas (in Japanese). Japan: Neko Publishing Co., Ltd. 4 July 2017. Archived from the original on 4 July 2017. Retrieved 4 July 2017.
  3. ^ 八戸線で試運転とキハ40系の回送 [KiHa 40s test run on Hachinohe Line]. Japan Railfan Magazine Online (in Japanese). Japan: Koyusha Co., Ltd. 2012-03-11. Retrieved 2012-03-11.
  • Harris, Ken; Clarke, Jackie (2008). Jane's World Railways 2008-2009. Jane's Information Group. ISBN 978-0-7106-2861-9.

External links edit