Aoimori Railway Line
The Aoimori Railway Line (青い森鉄道線, Aoimori Tetsudō-sen) is a railway line in Japan. It connects Metoki Station in the town of Sannohe to Aomori Station in Aomori Prefecture.[1]
Aoimori Railway Line | |||
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![]() Aoimori Railway 701 series EMU in September 2010 | |||
Overview | |||
Owner | Aomori Prefecture | ||
Locale | Aomori Prefecture, Japan | ||
Termini | Metoki Aomori | ||
Stations | 26 | ||
Service | |||
Type | Regional rail | ||
Operator(s) | Aoimori Railway Company | ||
Rolling stock | 701 series EMUs Aoimori 703 series EMUs | ||
History | |||
Opened | 1891 | ||
Technical | |||
Line length | 121.9 km (75.7 mi) | ||
Track gauge | 1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in) | ||
Electrification | 20 kV AC, 50 Hz overhead catenary | ||
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Aoimori Railway Line | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Organization
The Aoimori Railway Line is operated by the Aoimori Railway Company, a "third-sector" publicly and privately owned company. The railway facilities and tracks are owned by the local prefectural government as a "Category 3 Railway Business" under the Railway Business Act of Japan. The Aoimori Railway Company leases these facilities from the government and is responsible for operation of passenger trains on the tracks. This scheme is intended to mitigate the company's burden as an owner of fixed assets and is known as "track/service separation" (上下分離方式, jōge bunri hōshiki).
Japan Freight Railway Company (JR Freight), the nationwide freight train operator, continues to use the line for freight services.
For maintenance work, the line relies on the services of the Hachinohe Rinkai Railway Line.
Station list
Station | Japanese | Distance (km)[2] | Rapid | Transfers | Location | |||
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Between stations |
Total | |||||||
Metoki | 目時 | - | 0.0 | Iwate Galaxy Railway Line | Sannohe | Aomori | ||
Sannohe | 三戸 | 5.5 | 5.5 | Nanbu | ||||
Suwanotaira | 諏訪ノ平 | 4.0 | 9.5 | |||||
Kenyoshi | 剣吉 | 5.3 | 14.8 | |||||
Tomabechi | 苫米地 | 3.4 | 18.2 | |||||
Kitatakaiwa | 北高岩 | 2.8 | 21.0 | Hachinohe | ||||
Hachinohe | 八戸 | 4.9 | 25.9 | ● | Tōhoku Shinkansen, Hachinohe Line | |||
Mutsu-Ichikawa | 陸奥市川 | 6.9 | 32.8 | | | ||||
Shimoda | 下田 | 4.2 | 37.0 | ● | Oirase | |||
Mukaiyama | 向山 | 5.2 | 42.2 | | | ||||
Misawa | 三沢 | 4.7 | 46.9 | ● | Misawa | |||
Kogawara | 小川原 | 6.6 | 53.5 | | | Tōhoku | |||
Kamikitachō | 上北町 | 3.9 | 57.4 | ● | ||||
Ottomo | 乙供 | 6.9 | 64.3 | | | ||||
Chibiki | 千曳 | 6.6 | 70.9 | | | ||||
Noheji | 野辺地 | 6.4 | 77.3 | ● | ● | Ōminato Line (Rapid through services) | Noheji | |
Karibasawa | 狩場沢 | 6.5 | 83.8 | | | Hiranai | |||
Shimizugawa | 清水川 | 4.7 | 88.5 | ● | ||||
Kominato | 小湊 | 6.0 | 94.5 | | | ||||
Nishi-Hiranai | 西平内 | 3.8 | 98.3 | ● | ||||
Asamushi-Onsen | 浅虫温泉 | 6.4 | 104.7 | ● | Aomori | |||
Nonai | 野内 | 6.5 | 111.2 | ● | ||||
Yadamae | 矢田前 | 1.5 | 112.7 | ● | ||||
Koyanagi | 小柳 | 2.0 | 114.7 | ● | ||||
Higashi-Aomori | 東青森 | 1.4 | 116.1 | ● | ||||
Tsutsui | 筒井 | 1.4 | 117.5 | | | ||||
Aomori | 青森 | 4.4 | 121.9 | ● | Ōu Main Line, Tsugaru Line |
Rolling stock

- Aoimori 701 series 2-car EMUs x9
- Aoimori 703 series 2-car EMUs x2
The Aoimori Railway operates a fleet of 701 series two-car electric multiple units (EMUs). One set was built from new in September 2002, while eight more were transferred from JR East.[3]
Two new two-car Aoimori 703 series EMUs were delivered in November 2013 and introduced from the start of the 15 March 2014 timetable revision.[3]
- Aoimori Railway 701 series EMU
- Aoimori Railway 701 series EMU in its initial transitional livery
- Aoimori Railway 703 series EMU
History
The Aoimori Railway Line was completed as the Metoki – Shiriuchi portion of the Nippon Railway on September 1, 1891. When the Nippon Railway was nationalized on November 1, 1906, it became part of the Japanese National Railways (JNR) system and was designated part of the Tohoku Main Line on October 12, 1909. With the privatization and dissolution of JNR on April 1, 1987, the line came under the control of the East Japan Railway Company (JR East). On December 1, 2002, with the opening of the Tohoku Shinkansen, the portion of the Tohoku Main Line located in Iwate Prefecture became the Iwate Ginga Line, and the portion in Aomori Prefecture from the Iwate border to Hachinohe Station became the Aoimori Railway Line.
With the opening of the Tohoku Shinkansen extension to Shin-Aomori on 4 December 2010, the Tōhoku Main Line tracks between Hachinohe and Aomori were transferred to Aoimori Railway ownership.[4]
Future
The railway has been negotiating with the city of Aomori since December 2015 on a proposal to open a new station between Tsutsui Station and Aomori Station near the point at which the railway passes under Japan National Route 103. The station would be part of a sports arena development for the 2025 National Sports Festival of Japan to be held in Aomori.[5] The neighborhood the station would serve is a primarily residential area, but it would also provide access to some busy shopping centers within walking distance to the station.[6]
All trains will be local services (all stops) from 13 March 2021.[7]
References
- Harris, Ken and Clarke, Jackie. Jane's World Railways 2008-2009. Jane's Information Group (2008). ISBN 0-7106-2861-7
- "「わ」の鉄道 青い森鉄道" [Aoimori Railway - A "Wa" Railway]. Japan Railfan Magazine. Vol. 50 no. 595. Japan: Koyusha Co., Ltd. November 2010. pp. 24–29.
- JTB Timetable (April 2014) p. 592
- Terada, Hirokazu (October 2014). 新幹線並行在来線 [Conventional railways running parallel with shinkansen lines]. Japan Railfan Magazine (in Japanese). Vol. 54 no. 642. Japan: Koyusha Co., Ltd. p. 71.
- JR東日本 東北本線八戸―青森間の廃止を届出 [JR East announces discontinuation of Tohoku Line between Hachinohe and Aomori]. Tetsudo Hobidas (in Japanese). Japan: Neko Publishing. 27 November 2009. Retrieved 17 October 2013.
- "旧操車場跡地利用 有識者が会議" [Experts meet to discuss the need for a station at site]. NHK (in Japanese). 17 January 2019. Archived from the original on 17 January 2019. Retrieved 18 January 2019.
- "青い森セントラルパーク付近への新駅設置について" [Concerning the establishment of a new station near the Aoimori Central Park] (in Japanese). 10 March 2016. Archived from the original on 19 January 2019. Retrieved 18 November 2020.
- Time is revised