Kitayama Rail Pages
Akita Shinkansen, Tazawako line and Ōu line [Shinjō - Akita]
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Prefectures on this page: Iwate   Akita   Yamagata  
Lines on this page
Railway Line Linetype
JR East Akita ShinkansenShinkansen

TazawakoJR railway

Ōu Hon (Shinjō - Akita)JR railway
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
OpenedMarch 22, 1997 Average speed91 km/h
Fastest train1h24Morioka - AkitaMaximum speed130 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)   
MapionGoogle Major stations Connecting lines KmCityPrefecture
Map Map Morioka IGR: Iwate Ginga Tetsudō, JR East: Tōhoku Shinkansen, JR East: Tōhoku Hon (Sendai - Morioka),
JR East: Hanawa, JR East: Yamada 		0.0 Morioka-shi Iwate
Map Map Shizukuishi
16.0 Shizukuishi-chō
Map Map Tazawako
40.1 Senboku-shi Akita
Map Map Kakunodate Akita Nairiku: Akita Nairiku 58.8 Senboku-shi
Map Map Ōmagari JR East: Ōu Hon (Shinjō - Akita) 75.6 Daisen-shi
Map Map Akita JR East: Ōu Hon (Akita - Aomori), JR East: Uetsu Hon 127.3 Akita-shi

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: Nov 17, 2011
TypeNameOrigin - Major stops - DestinationTrains
per day		Daytime
frequency		Fastest
train		Average
speed
ShinkansenKomachi
こまち 		Tōkyō - Sendai - Morioka - Akita15Every hour3h50163 km/h
Sendai - Morioka - Akita1
2h51105 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
Opened1921Morioka - ShizukuishiRe-gauged19971067 mm > 1435 mm
1921-1923Ōmagari - TazawakoTracksSingle track 
1964Shizukuishi - Akabuchi
1966Akabuchi - 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.
MapionGoogle Major stations Connecting lines KmCityPrefecture
Map Map Morioka IGR: Iwate Ginga Tetsudō, JR East: Tōhoku Shinkansen, JR East: Tōhoku Hon (Sendai - Morioka),
JR East: Yamada 		0.0 Morioka-shi Iwate
Map Map Shizukuishi
16.0 Shizukuishi-chō
Map Map Akabuchi
22.0 Shizukuishi-chō
Map Map Tazawako
40.1 Senboku-shi Akita
Map Map Kakunodate Akita Nairiku: Akita Nairiku 58.8 Senboku-shi
Map Map Ōmagari JR East: Ōu Hon (Shinjō - Akita) 75.6 Daisen-shi

Traffic pattern The traffic pattern was accurate at: Nov 17, 2011
TypeOrigin - DestinationTrains
per day		Fastest
train		Average
speed
Local
Futsū
普通 		Morioka - Ōmagari31h4643 km/h
Morioka - Tazawako150 min48 km/h
Morioka - Akabuchi224 min55 km/h
Morioka - Shizukuishi716 min60 km/h
Tazawako - Ōmagari340 min53 km/h
Kakunodate - Ōmagari119 min53 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
Opened1903-1905 TracksSingle track (1067 mm)Ōmagari - JingūjiRebuilt19971435 mm added Ōmagari - Akita
TracksSingle trackShinjō - NozokiSingle track (1435 mm)Ōmagari - JingūjiGauge1067 mmShinjō - Ōmagari
Double trackNozoki - InnaiSingle 1435 + Mixed 1067/1435Jingūji - Mine-Yoshikawa1067 mm + 1435 mmŌmagari - Akita
Single trackInnai - ŌmagariSingle 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.
MapionGoogle Major stations Connecting lines KmCityPrefecture
Map Map Shinjō JR East: Rikuu-tō, JR East: Rikuu-sai, JR East: Ōu Hon [Yamagata] (Fukushima - Shinjō ),
JR East: Yamagata Shinkansen 		148.6 Shinjō-shi Yamagata
Map Map Mamurogawa
164.0 Mamurogawa-machi
Map Map Nozoki
185.8 Mamurogawa-machi
Map Map Innai
194.4 Yuzawa-shi Akita
Map Map Yuzawa
210.4 Yuzawa-shi
Map Map Yokote JR East: Kitakami 228.3 Yokote-shi
Map Map Ōmagari JR East: Akita Shinkansen, JR East: Tazawako 247.0 Daisen-shi
Map Map Jingūji
253.0 Daisen-shi
Map Map Mine-Yoshikawa
265.4 Daisen-shi
Map Map Ugosakai
271.9 Daisen-shi
Map Map Akita JR East: Ōu Hon (Akita - Aomori), JR East: Uetsu Hon 298.7 Akita-shi

Traffic pattern The traffic pattern was accurate at: Nov 17, 2011
TypeOrigin - Major stops - DestinationTrains
per day		Fastest
train		Average
speed
Rapid
Kaisoku
快速 		Yuzawa - Akita11h1472 km/h
Local
Futsū
普通 		Shinjō - Ōmagari - Akita102h2960 km/h
Shinjō - Mamurogawa316 min58 km/h
Innai - Akita31h5355 km/h
Yuzawa - Akita21h2960 km/h
Yuzawa - Yokote121 min51 km/h
Yokote - Akita31h0664 km/h
Ugosakai - Akita125 min64 km/h

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This page is updated Aug 20, 2010