Ōu Main Line

Ōu Main Line
Ōu Main Line
	Passing the moat of Yamagata Castle Site; left: Narrow gauge right:Standard gauge
Overview
Native name	Áo vũ bổn tuyến
Status	Operating
Owner	JR East
Termini	Fukushima; Aomori;
Stations	102
Service
Type	Main line
System	JR East
Technical
Track length	486.3 km (302.2 mi)
Number of tracks	2
Character	Elevated, rural
Track gauge	1,067 mm(3 ft 6 in); 1,435 mm(4 ft8+1⁄2in)
Electrification	20 kV AC, 50 Hz
Route map
Route map
	Red indicates standard gauge tracks

TheŌu Main Line(Áo vũ bổn tuyến,Ōu-honsen)is a railway line in Japan, operated by theEast Japan Railway Company(JR East). It connectsFukushima StationthroughAkita StationtoAomori Station.Since the opening of theYamagata Shinkansenon July 1, 1992, the Fukushima–Yamagata section (as well as the Yamagata–Shinjō section since 1999) is sometimes referred to as theYamagata Line.The name of the line as a whole refers to the ancientprovincesofMutsu(LụcÁo) andDewa(XuấtVũ), as it connects both ends of Mutsu by passing north–south through Dewa.

Route data

East Japan Railway Company
Total distance: 486.3 km (302.2 mi) (Fukushima–Aomori, Tsuchizaki–Akitakō)
- East Japan Railway Company
  - 484.5 km (301.1 mi) (Fukushima–Aomori)
- Japan Freight Railway Company
  - 1.8 km (1.1 mi) (Tsuchizaki–Akitakō)
  - 256.2 km (159.2 mi) (Yokote–Aomori)
  - 4.8 km (3.0 mi) (Aomori–Aomori Stoplight Station)
Rail Gauge:
- 1,067 mm(3 ft 6 in)
  - Shinjō–Ōmagari
  - Akita–Aomori
- 1,435 mm(4 ft8+1⁄2in)
  - Fukushima–Yamagata
  - Uzen-Chitose–Shinjō
- Both (1,067 mm(3 ft 6 in),1,435 mm(4 ft8+1⁄2in))
  - Yamagata–Uzen-Chitose
  - Ōmagari–Akita
Stations: 102 (including freight stations)
Tracks:
- Dual-track
  - Fukushima–Sekine (1968–91)
  - Akayu–Akayu Stoplight Station (1968)
  - Uzen-Nakayama–Uzen-Chitose (1968–86)
  - Ashisawa–Funagata (1975)
  - Nozoki–Innai (1968)
  - Ōmagari–Oiwake (1963–94)
  - Ugo-Iizuka–Hachirōgata (1969)
  - Kado–Moritake (1967)
  - Tsurugata–Maeyama (1969–71)
  - Takanosu–Hayaguchi (1969)
  - Ōdate–Nagamine (1968–71)
  - Ishikawa–Kawabe (1967–70)
- Single-track
  - Sekine–Akayu
  - Akayu Stoplight Station–Uzen-Nakayama
  - Uzen-Chitose–Ashisawa
  - Funagata–Nozoki
  - Innai– Ōmagari
  - Oiwake–Ugo-Iizuka
  - Hachirōgata–Kado
  - Moritake–Tsurugata
  - Maeyama–Takanosu
  - Hayaguchi–Ōdate
  - Nagamine–Ishikawa
  - Kawabe–Aomori
Electrification:All (alternating current 20,000 V 50 Hz)
Block system: Automatic block system (except Tsuchizaki–Akitakō section (gearing block system))
Depots: Yamagata, Akita

Services

The Ōu Main Line is split into the following four sections. Due to the differences in the tracks of these sections, there are no trains that go through more than one (with the exception of an Akita–Shinjō connection). Local and rapid services on the line are generally operated by701 series(entire line) and719 series(Fukushima - Shinjō only)electric multiple unittrains.

Fukushima–Shinjō (148.6 km)

On this section, the Ōu Main Line shares the tracks with theYamagata Shinkansen.The rail gauge is1,435 mm(4 ft8+1⁄2in) to allow the Yamagata Shinkansen to run on it. The Ōu Main Line is known as theYamagata Lineon this section.

Shinjō–Ōmagari (98.4 km)

Crossing theYamagata-Akitaborder, there is little demand in this section, and all trains except one limited-stop "Rapid" train run as all-stations "Local" trains.

Ōmagari–Akita (51.7 km)

On this section, the Ōu Main Line shares the tracks with theAkita Shinkansen.Because the Ōu Main Line occasionally runs from Akita to Shinjō as a local train, this section contains one standard gauge track and two narrow gauge tracks. Also, the few Komachi trains running on this section have the priority.

Akita–Aomori (185.8 km)

Together with theSan'in Main Line,Maizuru Line,Obama Line,Hokuriku Main Line(including the IR Ishikawa Railway, Ainokaze Toyama Railway, and the Nihonkai Hisui Line), part of theShinetsu Main Line(including the Myoko Haneuma Line),Hakushin Line,and theUetsu Main Line,this section of the Ōu Main Line is one of the express lines and freight lines that make up theNihonkai Jūkan-sen(Sea of JapanTrans-Japan Line).

Station list

Station	Japanese	Distance (km)	Rapid	Transfers	Location
Fukushima	Phúc đảo	0.0		Tōhoku Shinkansen Yamagata Shinkansen ■Tōhoku Main Line Abukuma Express Line Fukushima Kōtsū Iizaka Line	Fukushima	Fukushima Prefecture
Sasakino	Thế mộc dã	3.8
Niwasaka	Đình bản	6.9
Itaya	Bản cốc	21.2			Yonezawa	Yamagata Prefecture
Tōge	Tạp	24.5
Ōsawa	Đại trạch	28.8
Sekine	Quan căn	34.8
Yonezawa	Mễ trạch	40.1		Yamagata Shinkansen ■Yonesaka Line
Oitama	Trí tứ	45.6
Takahata	Cao điền	49.9		Yamagata Shinkansen	Takahata
Akayu	Xích thang	56.1		Yamagata Shinkansen ■Flower Nagai Line	Nanyō
Nakagawa	Trung xuyên	64.4			Nanyō
Uzen-Nakayama	Vũ tiền trung sơn	68.3			Kaminoyama
Kaminoyama Onsen	かみのやま ôn tuyền	75.0		Yamagata Shinkansen
Mokichi Kinenkan-mae	Mậu cát ký niệm quán tiền	77.8
Zaō	Tàng vương	81.8			Yamagata
Yamagata	Sơn hình	87.1		Yamagata Shinkansen ■Senzan Line ■Aterazawa Line
Kita-Yamagata	Bắc sơn hình	89.0		■Senzan Line ■Aterazawa Line
Uzen-Chitose	Vũ tiền thiên tuế	91.9		■Senzan Line
Minami-Dewa	Nam xuất vũ	93.6
Urushiyama	Tất sơn	94.9
Takatama	Cao 擶	97.0			Tendō
Tendō-Minami	Thiên đồng nam	98.3
Tendō	Thiên đồng	100.4		Yamagata Shinkansen
Midaregawa	Loạn xuyên	103.4
Jimmachi	Thần đinh	106.3			Higashine
Sakuranbo Higashine	さくらんぼ đông căn	108.1		Yamagata Shinkansen
Higashine	Đông căn	110.6
Murayama	Thôn sơn	113.5		Yamagata Shinkansen	Murayama
Sodesaki	Tụ kỳ	121.5			Murayama
Ōishida	Đại thạch điền	126.9		Yamagata Shinkansen	Ōishida
Kita-Ōishida	Bắc đại thạch điền	130.8			Ōishida
Ashisawa	Lô trạch	133.7			Obanazawa
Funagata	Chu hình	140.3			Funagata
Shinjō	Tân trang	148.6		Yamagata Shinkansen ■Rikuu East Line ■Rikuu West Line(Operation suspended until 2024/2025)	Shinjō
Izumita	Tuyền điền	154.2			Shinjō
Uzen-Toyosato	Vũ tiền phong lí	161.3			Sakegawa
Mamurogawa	Chân thất xuyên	164.0			Mamurogawa
Kamabuchi	Phủ uyên	173.2
Ōtaki	Đại lung	180.3
Nozoki	Cập vị	185.8
Innai	Viện nội	194.4			Yuzawa	Akita Prefecture
Yokobori	Hoành quật	198.4
Mitsuseki	Tam quan	204.4
Kami-Yuzawa	Thượng thang trạch	207.1
Yuzawa	Thang trạch	210.4	●
Shimo-Yuzawa	Hạ thang trạch	214.5	↓
Jūmonji	Thập văn tự	217.8	●		Yokote
Daigo	Thể hồ	221.2	↓
Yanagita	Liễu điền	224.4	↓
Yokote	Hoành thủ	228.3	●	■Kitakami Line
Gosannen	Hậu tam niên	234.7	↓		Misato
Iizume	Phạn cật	239.8	●		Misato
Ōmagari	Đại khúc	247.0	●	Akita Shinkansen ■Tazawako Line	Daisen
Jingūji	Thần cung tự	253.0	↓
Kariwano	Ngải hòa dã	260.6	●
Mineyoshikawa	Phong cát xuyên	265.4	↓
Ugo-Sakai	Vũ hậu cảnh	271.9	↓
Ōbarino	Đại trương dã	280.0	↓		Akita
Wada	Hòa điền	285.4	●
Yotsugoya	Tứ ツ tiểu ốc	292.3	●
Akita	Thu điền	298.7	●	Akita Shinkansen ■Uetsu Main Line ■Oga Line
Izumi-Sotoasahikawa	Tuyền ngoại húc xuyên	301.8	●^[a]
Tsuchizaki	Thổ kỳ	305.8	●
Kami-Iijima	Thượng phạn đảo	308.3	●
Oiwake	Truy phân	311.7	●	■Oga Line
Ōkubo	Đại cửu bảo	318.9	●		Katagami
Ugo-Īzuka	Vũ hậu phạn trủng	322.2	●		Katagami
Ikawa-Sakura	Tỉnh xuyên さくら	323.6	●		Ikawa
Hachirōgata	Bát lang tả	327.5	●		Hachirōgata
Koikawa	Lí xuyên	333.0	｜		Kotooka
Kado	Lộc độ	338.4	｜		Kotooka
Moritake	Sâm nhạc	345.1	●		Yamamoto
Kita-Kanaoka	Bắc kim cương	349.4	｜		Yamamoto
Higashi-Noshiro	Đông năng đại	355.4	●	■Gonō Line	Noshiro
Tsurugata	Hạc hình	360.3	｜
Tomine	Phú căn	365.5	｜
Futatsui	Nhị ツ tỉnh	372.2	●
Maeyama	Tiền sơn	379.5	｜		Kita-Akita
Takanosu	Ưng 巣	384.9	●	Akita Nairiku Line
Nukazawa	Khang trạch	388.1	｜
Hayaguchi	Tảo khẩu	393.5	●		Ōdate
Shimokawazoi	Hạ xuyên duyên	397.7	｜
Ōdate	Đại quán	402.9	●	■Hanawa Line
Shirasawa	Bạch trạch	409.4	｜
Jinba	Trận tràng	416.5	｜
Tsugaru-Yunosawa	Tân khinh thang の trạch	422.3	｜		Hirakawa	Aomori Prefecture
Ikarigaseki	Đĩnh ヶ quan	427.2	●		Hirakawa
Nagamine	Trường phong	432.0	｜		Ōwani
Ōwani-Onsen	Đại ngạc ôn tuyền	435.3	●	Kōnan Railway Ōwani Line	Ōwani
Ishikawa	Thạch xuyên	440.7	｜		Hirosaki
Hirosaki	Hoằng tiền	447.1	●	Kōnan Railway Kōnan Line
Naijōshi	Phủ ngưu tử	449.8	｜
Kawabe	Xuyên bộ	453.4	●	■Gonō Line	Inakadate
Kita-Tokiwa	Bắc thường bàn	456.6	●		Fujisaki
Namioka	Lãng cương	462.1	●		Aomori
Daishaka	Đại 釈 già	467.2	｜
Tsurugasaka	Hạc ヶ bản	473.4	｜
Tsugaru-Shinjō	Tân khinh tân thành	478.8	●
Shin-Aomori	Tân thanh sâm	480.6	●	Tōhoku Shinkansen Hokkaido Shinkansen
Aomori	Thanh sâm	484.5	●	■Tsugaru Line(Tsugaru-Kaikyō Line) ■Aoimori Railway Line

History

The Japanese national government built the Ōu Main Line, starting construction from Aomori in 1894, from Fukushima in 1899 and linking the two sections in 1905. In 1909 the formal name of the line was declared.

Opening dates for the individual sections are as follows.

Ōu North Line

December 1, 1894: Aomori–Hirosaki
October 21, 1895: Hirosaki–Ikarigaseki
June 21, 1899: Ikarigaseki–Shirasawa
November 15, 1899: Shirasawa–Ōdate
October 7, 1900: Ōdate–Takanosu
November 1, 1901: Takanosu–Noshiro (present-day Higashi–Noshiro)
August 1, 1902: Noshiro–Gojōme (present-day Hachirōgata)
October 21, 1902: Gojōme–Akita
October 1, 1903: Akita–Wada
August 21, 1904: Wada–Jingūji
December 21, 1904: Jingūji–Ōmagari
June 15, 1905: Ōmagari–Yokote

Ōu South Line

Webb and Thompson largestaff instrumentsused on the Ōu South Line

May 15, 1899: Fukushima–Yonezawa
April 11, 1901: Yonezawa–Yamagata
August 23, 1901: Yamagata–Tateoka (present-day Murayama)
October 21, 1901: Tateoka–Ōishida
July 21, 1902: Ōishida–Funagata
June 11, 1903: Funagata–Shinjō
October 21, 1904: Shinjō–Innai
July 5, 1905: Innai–Yuzawa
September 14, 1905: Yuzawa–Yokote, completion of Fukushima–Aomori connection

Line upgrading

Various sections of the line have been double-tracked since 1963.

The section between Niwasaka and Akaiwa stations proved to be geologically unstable, with one of the original tunnels collapsing in 1910. A realignment involving two new tunnels was opened a year later. Geological instability was suspected as the cause of a derailment on the section in 1948 that killed three crewmen, and another realignment was undertaken when the section was double-tracked in 1968.^{[citation needed]}

Itaya station was originally areversing station,and was realigned as a through station in conjunction with the gauge conversion work (see below) in 1990.

Electrification

The Fukushima to Yonezawa section was electrified at 1,500 V DC in 1949, and the Uzen-Chitose–Yamagata section in conjunction with theSenzan Line(also at 1,500 V DC) in 1960. Trials on the Senzan Line subsequently resulted in the adoption of 20 kV AC for all further electrification, and the abovementioned sections were converted to the new standard when the Yonezawa to Yamagata section was electrified in 1968. The Aomori to Akita section was electrified (at 20 kV AC) in 1971, as was the Akita to Uzen-Chitose section in 1975.^{[citation needed]}

Former connecting lines

Akayu human-powered tramway

Kosaka Railway sulphuric acid train in its final year of operation

Kawabe station with a Konan Railway train bound for Kuroishi in 1997

Akayu Station: The Yamagata Prefectural Government operated a 2 km 610 mm (2') gauge human powered tramway between 1919 and 1926.
Oishida Station: The Obabazawa Railway opened a 3 km line to its namesake town in 1916, the line closed in 1970.
Yuzawa Station: The Ogachi Railway Co. opened a 12 km line to Zentsu, electrified at 600 V DC, between 1928 and 1935. The last 3 km section closed in 1967, the electrification was decommissioned in 1971 and the rest of the line closed in 1973.
Yokote Station: The Yokote Railway opened a 38 km line to Oikata between 1918 and 1930. Construction commenced on an extension to Maego station on the company'sYuri Kogen Railway Chokai Sanroku Linebut was not completed. The 12 km section from Oikata to Niiyama was closed following typhoon damage in 1947, the 7 km section from Niiyama to Tateai closed in 1965 when a bridge was destroyed by floodwaters, and the balance of the line closed in 1971.
Akita Station: The 762 mm (2'6 ") gauge Nibetsu Forest Railway, consisting of a 22 km main line and five branches between 1.3 km and 5 km in length (and a 550 m tunnel) operated between 1909 and 1968.
Hachirogata Station: The Akita Chuo Kotsu operated a 4 km line to Gojome, electrified at 600 V DC, from 1922 until 1969.
Odate Station: The Kosaka Railway opened a 23 km 762 mm gauge line to its Kosaka Refinery in 1908, together with a 4 km branch from Shigenai to Kizawa the following year. Passenger services ceased on the Kizawa branch in 1926, and it closed in 1951. The 10 km Kosaka to Shigenai section was electrified in 1928, and extended 6 km in 1949, but was decommissioned when the line was converted to 1,067 mm gauge in 1962. Passenger services ended in 1994, and the remaining traffic was sulphuric acid, but following two major derailments the line closed in 2009.

The company also opened a 5 km 762 mm gauge line to the Hanaoka mine in 1914 including a bridge over the Ōu Main Line at Odate, which was converted to 1,067 mm gauge in 1951 to enable ore wagons to be forwarded via JNR trains. Freight services ceased in 1983 and the line closed in 1985.

Kawabe Station: The 7 km line to Kuroishi was opened in 1912, transferred to the Konan Railway in 1984, the year that freight services ceased, and closed in 1998.

Gauge conversion

Full standardShinkansenlines are constructed using 1,435 mm gauge track on a separate alignment, with a high speed (240–320 km/h or 150–200 mph) and a commensurately high construction cost. Following privatisation and regionalisation of theJNRnetwork in 1987, theJR Eastcompany decided to convert the Fukushima–Yamagata section of the 1,067 mm gauge Ōu Main line to 1,435 mm gauge, enabling Shinkansen trains from Yamagata to travel on theTohoku Shinkansenline through to Tokyo. CalledMini-shinkansen,this was a cost-effective way of providing an improved level of service on the line, although only purpose-built Shinkansen trains can travel on such lines, as theloading gaugewas not changed, nor the voltage (full standard Shinkansen lines use 25 kV AC). TheYamagata Shinkansenopened in 1992, and although the maximum speed is 130 km/h (81 mph), the overall transit time to places beyond Fukushima is improved due to the elimination of the need to change trains at the junction.

The success of this project led to the conversion of the Omagari to Akita section in conjunction with the opening of theAkita Shinkansenin 1997, and the extension of the Yamagata Shinkansen to Shinjo in 1999. These projects also created parallel 1,435 and 1,067 mm gauge lines between Omagari and Akita and between Yamagata and Uzen-Chitose respectively, and a dual-gauge section between Jinguji and Minejoshikawa (on the Omagari to Akita section), enabling Shinkansen trains to pass at speed on the mostly single-track line.

Additionally, local services continue to be provided on the gauge-converted lines by701-5000 seriesstandard-gauge suburban/interurban rolling stock.

Notes

^RapidResort Shirakamidoesn't stop at the station

References

External links

Stations of Ōu Main Line Line(JR East)(in Japanese)

[1] RapidResort Shirakamidoesn't stop at the station

[a]