Tohoku Main Line

Tohoku Main Line (東北本線 Tohoku-honsen) is a 631.3-kilometre railway line operated by the East Japan Railway Company. Though officialy it starts from Tokyo Station in Chiyoda, Tokyo, factly it starts at Ueno Station in Taito, Tokyo, passes through the cities of Saitama, Utsunomiya, Fukushima, Sendai, and Morioka, and Hachinohe, and ends in Aomori. (The Morioka - Hachinohe segment is operated by the Iwate Ginga Railway and Aoimori Railway.)

The Tohoku Main Line runs mostly parallel to the Tohoku Shinkansen, and upon the Shinkansen's extension to Aomori, the remaining northern portion of the line is expected to be spun off to a third-sector railway operator.

The 159.9-kilometre Ueno-Kuroiso (Nasushiobara, Tochigi) portion of the line is often referred to as the (JR) Utsunomiya Line. The 29.6-kilometre Tokyo-Omiya (Omiya-ku, Saitama) portion of Keihin-Tohoku Line and the 18.0-kilometre Akabane (Kita, Tokyo)-Omiya portion of Saikyo Line formally belong to Tohoku Main Line.

Contents

1 History

2 Station List

2.1 Utsunomiya Line
2.2 Southern Tohoku Main Line
2.3 Central Tohoku Main Line
2.4 Northern Tohoku Main Line

History

The construction of Toyoku Main Line began in Kanto and extended to the north end of Honshu, Aomori. It is one of oldest railway lines in Japan, begining to construct in the late of the 19th century. Until November 1, 1906 the current Tohoku Main Line was run by a private company Nihon Tetsudo (Japan Railway). In 1883 its first segment between Ueno and Kumagaya opened. In 1885 it was extended to Utsunomiya, but River Tone was crossed by boat. It was 1886 the train connected Utsunomiya to Ueno directly thanks to the construction of Tone River Bridge. It extended successively to the north; to Koriyama, Sendai, Ichinoseki and Morioka. In 1891 the segment between Morioka and Aomori opened and Aomori and Ueno connected to each other. After 1906 it was nationalized and became Tohoku Main Line run by the Ministry of Railways. When Tokyo Station opened in 1925, Tohoku Main Line extended from Ueno to the new station. Until 1950s this segment was used and many trains ran through both Tokaido Main Line and Tohoku Main Line, but obsolated for giving Tohoku Shinkansen its location.

In 2002 Tohoku Shinkansen extended from Morioka to Hachinohe and the segment between two locations began to be operated by two companies. Before that, Toyoku Main Line was the longest railroad line in Japan following Sanin Main Line. After that Tohoku Main Line became the second longest.

Station List

Utsunomiya Line

From Ueno Station to Kuroiso Station

Tokyo Stations

(Taitō-ku)

Ueno (上野)

(Kita-ku)

Oku (尾久)
Akabane (赤羽)

Saitama, Saitama Stations

(Urawa-ku)

Urawa (浦和)

(Omiya-ku)

Saitama-Shintoshin (さいたま新都心)
Omiya (大宮)

(Kita-ku)

Toro (土呂)

(Minuma-ku)

Higashi-Omiya (東大宮)

Hasuda, Saitama Station

Hasuda (蓮田)

Shiraoka, Saitama Stations

Shiraoka (白岡)
Shin-Shiraoka (新白岡)

Kuki, Saitama Station

Kuki (久喜)

Washimiya, Saitama Station

Higashi-Washinomiya (東鷲宮)

Kurihashi, Saitama Station

Kurihashi (栗橋)

Koga, Ibaraki Station

Koga (古河)

Nogi, Tochigi Station

Nogi (野木)

Oyama, Tochigi Stations

Mamada (間々田)
Oyama (小山)

Kokubunji, Tochigi Stations

Koganei (小金井)
Jichi-idai (自治医大)

Ishibashi, Tochigi Station

Ishibashi (石橋)

Utsunomiya, Tochigi Stations

Suzumenomiya (雀宮)
Utsunomiya (宇都宮)

Kawachi, Tochigi Station

Okamoto (岡本)

Takanezawa, Tochigi Station

Hōshakuji (宝積寺)

Sakura, Tochigi Stations

Ujīe (氏家)
Kamasusaka (蒲須坂)

Yaita, Tochigi Stations

Kataoka (片岡)
Yaita (矢板)

Nasu-Shiobara, Tochigi Stations

Nozaki (野崎)
Nishi-Nasuno (西那須野)
Nasu-Shiobara (那須塩原)
Kuroiso (黒磯)

Southern Tohoku Main Line

From Takaku Station to Sendai Station

Nasu, Tochigi Stations

Takaku (高久)
Kurodahara (黒田原)
Toyohara (豊原)

Shirakawa, Fukushima Stations

Shirasaka (白坂)

Nishigo, Fukushima Station

Shin-Shirakawa (新白河)

Shirakawa, Fukushima Stations

Shirakawa (白河)
Kutano (久田野)

Izumizaki, Fukushima Station

Izumizaki (泉崎)

Yabuki, Fukushima Station

Yabuki (矢吹)

Kagamiishi Station

Kagamiishi (鏡石)

Sukagawa, Fukushima Station

Sukagawa (須賀川)

Koriyama, Fukushima Stations

Asaka-Nagamori (安積永盛)
Koriyama (郡山)
Hiwada (日和田)

Motomiya, Fukushima Stations

Gohyakugawa (五百川)
Motomiya (本宮)

Nihonmatsu, Fukushima Stations

Sugita (杉田)
Nihonmatsu (二本松)

Adachi, Fukushima Station

Adachi (安達)

Fukushima, Fukushima Stations

Matsugawa (松川)
Kanayagawa (金谷川)
Minami-Fukushima (南福島)
Fukushima (福島)
Higashi-Fukushima (東福島)

Date, Fukushima Station

Date (伊達)

Kōri, Fukushima Station

Kōri (桑折)

Kunimi, Fukushima Stations

Fujita (藤田)
Kaida (貝田)

Shiroishi, Miyagi Stations

Kosukō (越河)
Shiroishi (白石)
Higashi-Shiroishi (東白石)
Kita-Shiroigawa (北白川)

Ōgawara, Miyagi Station

Ōgawara (大河原)

Shibata, Miyagi Stations

Funaoka (船岡)
Tsukinoki (槻木)

Natori, Miyagi Station

Iwanuma (岩沼)
Tatekoshi (館腰)
Natori (名取)

Sendai, Miyagi Stations

(Taihaku-ku)

Minami-Sendai (南仙台)
Nagamachi (長町)

(Aoba-ku)

Sendai (仙台)

Central Tohoku Main Line

From Higashi-Sendai Station to Morioka Station

Sendai, Miyagi Stations

(Miyagino-ku)

Higashi-Sendai (東仙台))
Iwakiri (岩切)

Tagajō, Miyagi Stations

Rikuzen-San'nō (陸前山王)
Kokufu-Tagajō (国府多賀)

Shiogama, Miyagi Station

Shiogama (松島)

Matsushima, Miyagi Stations

Matsushima (松島)
Atago (愛宕)
Shinainuma (品井沼)

Kashimadai, Miyagi Station

Kashimadai (鹿島台)

Matsuyama, Miyagi Station

Matsuyama-machi (松山町)

Kogota, Miyagi Station

Kogota (小牛田)

Tajiri, Miyagi Station

Tajiri (田尻)

Kurihara, Miyagi Station

Semine (瀬峰)

Tome, Miyagi Stations

Umegasawa (梅ヶ沢)
Nitta (新田)
Ishikoshi (石越)

Hanaizumi, Iwate Stations

Yushima (油島)
Hanaizumi (花泉)
Shimizuhara (清水原)

Kurihara, Miyagi Station

Arikabe (有壁)

Ichinoseki, Iwate Stations

Ichinoseki (一ノ関)
Yamanome (山ノ目)

Hiraizumi, Iwate Station

Hiraizumi (平泉)

Maesawa, Iwate Station

Maesawa (前沢)

Mizusawa, Iwate Stations

Rikuchū-Orī (陸中折居)
Mizusawa (水沢)

Kanegasaki, Iwate Stations

Kanegasaki (金ヶ崎)
Rokuhara (六原)

Kitakami, Iwate Stations

Kitakami (北上)
Murasakino (村崎野)

Hanamaki, Iwate Stations

Hanamaki (花巻)
Hanamaki-Kūkō (花巻空港)

Ishidoriya, Iwate Station

Ishidoriya (石鳥谷)

Shiwa, Iwate Stations

Hizume (日詰)
Shiwachūō (紫波中央)
Furudate (古館)

Yahaba, Iwate Station

Yahaba (矢幅)

Morioka, Iwate Stations

Iwateīoka (岩手飯岡)
Senbakachū (仙北町)
Morioka (盛岡)

Northern Tohoku Main Line

From Hachinohe Station to Aomori Station (Note: Morioka and Hachinohe are connected by track now owned by IGR and Aomori Railways for local trains, and also the Tohoku Shinkansen)

Hachinohe, Aomori Stations