Tsugaru, Kaikyō and Esashi lines

Kitayama Rail Pages

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Prefectures on this page: Hokkaidō Aomori

Lines on this page

Railway	Line	Linetype
Shared	Tsugaru-Kaikyō	JR railway [Nickname]
JR East	Tsugaru	JR railway
JR Hokkaidō	Kaikyō	JR railway
	Esashi	JR railway

Shared

Tsugaru-Kaikyō 津軽海峡線

You can find a Kitayama Rail Map for this line on this page: Hakodate

Tsugaru-Kaikyō line is the nick name used for the traffic between Aomori and Hakodate through the Seikan tunnel.

Real line name	From - To
JR East: Tsugaru	Aomori - Naka-Oguni
JR Hokkaidō: Kaikyō	Naka-Oguni - Kikonai
JR Hokkaidō: Esashi	Kikonai - Goryōkaku
JR Hokkaidō: Hakodate Hon	Goryōkaku - Hakodate

Traffic pattern The traffic pattern was accurate at: Dec 6, 2010

Type	Name	Origin - Major stops - Destination	Trains per day	Fastest train	Average speed
Limited Express Tokkyū 特急	Hakuchō 白鳥	Shin-Aomori - Aomori - Hakodate	2	2h18	71 km/h
Limited Express Tokkyū 特急	Super Hakuchō スーパー白鳥	Shin-Aomori - Aomori - Hakodate	8	2h03	80 km/h
Express Kyūkō 急行	Hamanasu はまなす	Aomori - Hakodate -Hakodate line - Oshamanbe - Tomakomai -Chitose line - Sapporo Overnight train	1	7h25	65 km/h
Sleeper Limited Express Shindai tokkyū 寝台特急	Hokutosei 北斗星	Ueno Tōkyō - Sendai - (no stops) - Hakodate - Sapporo	1	16h12	75 km/h
	Cassiopeia カシオペア	Ueno Tōkyō - Morioka - (no stops) - Hakodate - Sapporo Runs 3-4 nights/week depending on season.		17h12	71 km/h
	Twilight Express トワイライトエクスプレス	Ōsaka - Niitsu - Uetsu line - (no stops) - Muroran line - Tōya - Sapporo Runs 3-7 nights/week depending on season.		22h02	68 km/h

JR East 東日本旅客鉄道 Higashi Nihon Ryokaku Tetsudō East Japan Railway

Tsugaru 津軽線 1067 mm

You can find Kitayama Rail Maps for this line on these pages: Hakodate Aomori

Traction	20 kV 50 Hz AC	Aomori - Naka-Oguni
Traction	Non-electric	Naka-Oguni - Minmaya

Opened	1951	Aomori - Kanita
Opened	1958	Kanita - Minmaya
Tracks	Single track

Mapion	Google	Major stations	Connecting lines	Km	City	Prefecture
Map	Map	Aomori	Aoimori: Aoimori Tetsudō, JR East: Ōu Hon (Akita - Aomori)	0.0	Aomori-shi	Aomori
Map	Map	Kanita		27.0	Sotogahama-machi
Map	Map	Naka-Oguni	JR Hokkaidō: Kaikyō	31.4	Sotogahama-machi
Map	Map	Tsugaru-Futumata	JR Hokkaidō: Kaikyō [Tsugaru-Imabetsu]	46.6	Imabetsu-machi
Map	Map	Minmaya		55.8	Sotogahama-machi

Traffic pattern

Tsugaru line between Aomori and Naka-Oguni is also used by the main line trains between Aomori and Hakodate. More details in the Tsugaru-Kaikyō section..
Tsugaru and Kaikyō lines use the same track for 2.3 km west of Naka-Oguni.

The traffic pattern was accurate at: Jul 29, 2010

Type	Name	Origin - Major stops - Destination	Trains per day	Fastest train	Average speed
Rapid Kaisoku 快速	Resort Asunaro Tsugaru リゾートあすなろ津軽	Shin-Aomori - Aomori - Kanita Seasonal train	1	59 min	31 km/h
Local Futsū 普通		Aomori - Kanita - Minmaya	1	1h26	39 km/h
		Aomori - Kanita	8	38 min	43 km/h
		Kanita - Minmaya	4	39 min	44 km/h

JR Hokkaidō 北海道旅客鉄道 Hokkaidō Ryokaku Tetsudō Hokkaido Railway Company

Kaikyō 海峡線 1067 mm 20 kV 50 Hz AC

You can find a Kitayama Rail Map for this line on this page: Hakodate

Opened

March 13, 1988

Tracks

Double track

The line uses the Seikan tunnel under the Tsugaru-Kaikyō strait. The tunnel is 53.9 km, of which the submarine part is 23.3 km. The deepest point is 240 meters below sea level (m b SL) - 100 meters below sea bottom.
A new Shinkansen line is under construction between Aomori and Hakodate, planned to be finished in 2016. It will also use the Seikan tunnel.
There are two "emergency stations" in the tunnel. On the Honshu side you will find Tappi-kaitei at 135.0 m b SL and on the Hokkaidō side Yoshioka-kaitei at 149.5 m b SL. Some trains stop at Tappi-kaitei so you can get off and take a look - even if it is apparently nothing to see. At Tappi-kaitei, there is also a museum on the surface with a funicular down to the railway station. It used to be a museum also in Yoshioka-kaitei, but it closed in 2006 as the station is used for the construction of the Hokkaidō Shinkansen.

Mapion	Google	Major stations	Connecting lines	Km	Notes	City	Prefecture
Map	Map	Aomori	Aoimori: Aoimori Tetsudō, JR East: Ōu Hon (Akita - Aomori)	-31.4	Tsugaru line	Aomori-shi	Aomori
Map	Map	Naka-Oguni	JR East: Tsugaru	0.0		Sotogahama-machi	Aomori
Map	Map	Tsugaru-Imabetsu	JR East: Tsugaru [Tsugaru-Futumata]	13.0		Imabetsu-machi
Map	Map	Tappi-kaitei		32.5		Sotogahama-machi
Map	Map	Yoshioka-kaitei		55.5		Fukushima-chō	Hokkaidō
Map	Map	Kikonai	JR Hokkaidō: Esashi	87.8		Kikonai-chō

Traffic pattern

The traffic pattern is described in the Tsugaru-Kaikyō section.

Esashi 江差線 1067 mm

You can find Kitayama Rail Maps for this line on these pages: Hakodate
Hakodate City

Traction	Non-electric	Esashi - Kikonai
Traction	20 kV 50 Hz AC	Kikonai - Goryōkaku

Opened

1913 - 1936

Tracks

Single track

Esashi line between Kikonai and Goryōkaku is also used by the main line trains between Aomori and Hakodate. More details in the Tsugaru-Kaikyō section.

Mapion	Google	Major stations	Connecting lines	Km	Notes	City	Prefecture
Map	Map	Esashi		0.0		Esashi-chō	Hokkaidō
Map	Map	Kikonai	JR Hokkaidō: Kaikyō	42.1		Kikonai-chō
Map	Map	Kamiiso		71.1		Hokuto-shi
Map	Map	Goryōkaku	JR Hokkaidō: Hakodate Hon	79.9		Hakodate-shi
Map	Map	Hakodate	Hakodate-shi: Yunokawa - Ōmori - Hon [Hakodate-eki-mae]	83.3	Hakodate Hon line	Hakodate-shi	Hokkaidō

Traffic pattern The traffic pattern was accurate at: Aug 2, 2010

Type	Origin - Major stops - Destination	Trains per day	Fastest train	Average speed
Local Futsū 普通	Esashi - Kikonai	2	1h03	40 km/h
	Esashi - Kikonai - Hakodate	4	2h19	36 km/h
	Kikonai - Hakodate	5	59 min	42 km/h
	Kamiiso - Hakodate	9	21 min	35 km/h

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This page is updated Jan 4, 2012