Aoimori Railway Line

The Aoimori Railway Line (青い森鉄道線, Aoimori Tetsudō-sen) is a regional rail line in Aomori Prefecture, Japan that is operated by third-sector railway company Aoimori Railway Company. It connects Metoki Station in Sannohe, the terminal station of the Iwate Galaxy Railway Line, to Aomori Station in Aomori.

Aoimori Railway Line
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
Rolling stock	Aoimori 701 series EMUs Aoimori 703 series EMUs
History
Opened	1 September 1891 (1891-09-01) (As part of the Nippon Railway) 1 December 2002 (2002-12-01) (As the Aoimori Railway Line between Metoki and Hachinohe) 4 December 2010 (2010-12-04) (As the Aoimori Railway Line between Hachinohe and Aomori)
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
Route map

Aoimori Railway Line
Legend
Iwate Galaxy Railway Line 0.0 Metoki 5.5 Sannohe 9.5 Suwanotaira 14.8 Kenyoshi 18.2 Tomabechi Tōhoku Shinkansen 21.0 Kitatakaiwa 25.9 Hachinohe Nanbu Railway Tōhoku Shinkansen JR-East: Hachinohe Line 27.6 Hachinohe Freight Terminal Hachinohe Rinkai Railway Line 32.8 Mutsu-Ichikawa 37.0 Shimoda 42.2 Mukaiyama Towada Kankō Electric Railway Line 46.9 Misawa Misawa Air Base 53.5 Kogawara Anenuma Signal -1968 57.4 Kamikitachō 64.3 Ottomo 68.6 Ishibumi Signal -1968 former line -1968 Nanbu Jūkan Railway 70.9 Chibiki 77.3 Noheji J-East: Ōminato Line 83.8 Karibasawa 88.5 Shimizugawa 94.5 Kominato 98.3 Nishi-Hiranai 101.0 Tsuchiya Signal -1966 104.7 Asamushi-Onsen 109.6 0.0* Nonai former line -1968 112.7 Yadamae 114.7 Koyanagi 5.1* 0.0# Namiuchi Station 5.6* Army Reserves Station -1905 2.2# 堤川駅 -1946 7.6* Uramachi Station (1) -1926 Uramachi Station (2) 1926-1968 116.1 Higashi-Aomori 120.0 Aomori Signal Ōu Branch Line 121.9 Aomori Seikan ferry Takiuchi Signal Tsugaru Line （Tsugaru-Kaikyō Line） Ōu Main Line

The Aoimori and Iwate Galaxy Railway Lines are former sections of the JR East Tōhoku Main Line (in Aomori Prefecture and Iwate Prefecture respectively) that connected Tokyo to Aomori. When the Tōhoku Shinkansen was opened (to Hachinohe on 1 December 2002 and to Shin-Aomori on 4 December 2010), the corresponding sections of the Tōhoku Main Line were transferred from East Japan Railway Company (JR East) to Aoimori Railway Company as the Aoimori Railway Line.^[1]

While local passenger services on the line are operated by Aoimori Railway Company, JR East operates the Shimokita Rapid train along part of the line, and Japan Freight Railway Company (JR Freight) (which owns a minority stake in Aoimori Railway Company) transports freight along the line. For maintenance work, the line relies on the services of the Hachinohe Rinkai Railway Company.^[2]

Operation

The Aoimori Railway Line is operated in two sections:^[3]

• Metoki — Hachinohe
• Hachinohe — Aomori

No services commece or terminate at Metoki - all trains operate a through service to/from Morioka on the Iwate Galaxy Railway Line.^[3]

JR East operates the Shimokita Rapid train between Hachinohe and Ōminato on the JR East Ōminato Line, using the Aoimori Railway Line between Hachinohe and Noheji. As of September 2025^[update], three round trips per day operate.^[4]

All services operated by Aoimori Railway Company (and through services on the Iwate Galaxy Railway Line) are Local trains, stopping at every station.^[3]

Stations

Station	Japanese	Distance (km)[5]		Shimokita	Transfers	Location
		Between stations	Total
↑ All trains operate a through service to/from Morioka Station on the Iwate Galaxy Railway Line ↑
Metoki	目時	-	0.0		Iwate Galaxy Railway Line (through service)	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 and equipment

• 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.^[6]

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.^[6]

Rolling stock on the Aoimori Railway Line

• 
  Aoimori 701 series EMU
• 
  Aoimori 701 series EMU in its initial transitional livery
• 
  The interior of an Aoimori 701 series carriage
• 
  Aoimori 703 series EMU
• 
  The interior of an Aoimori 703 series carriage
• 
  A JR Freight Class EH500 locomotive hauling freight through Nishi-Hiranai Station
• 
  A Resort Asunaro HB-E300 series DMU

Future plans

The site of the proposed station in April 2021.

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.^[7] The station would be part of a sports arena development for the 2025 National Sports Festival of Japan to be held in Aomori.^[8] 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.^[9] As of January 2021, no final decision has been made regarding the construction of the new station.^[10]

History

See also: Tōhoku Main Line

The predecessor to the Aoimori Railway Line was completed as the Metoki–Aomori portion of the Nippon Railway on 1 September 1891.^[11] When the Nippon Railway was nationalized on 1 November 1906, it became part of the Japanese National Railways (JNR) system and was designated part of the Tōhoku Main Line on 12 October 1909.^[12] With the privatization and dissolution of JNR on 1 April 1987, the line came under the control of East Japan Railway Company (JR East).^[13]

On 1 December 2002, with the opening of the Tōhoku Shinkansen, the portion of the Tōhoku Main Line located in Iwate Prefecture became the Iwate Galaxy Railway Line, and the portion in Aomori Prefecture from the Iwate border to Hachinohe Station became the Aoimori Railway Line.^[14] With the opening of the Tōhoku Shinkansen extension to Shin-Aomori on 4 December 2010, the Tōhoku Main Line tracks between Hachinohe and Aomori were transferred from JR East to Aoimori Railway Company, resulting in the completion of the Aoimori Railway Line.^[15]

Commencing in December 2010, coinciding with the opening of the Tōhoku Shinkansen to Shin-Aomori, JR East operated the Resort Asunaro sightseeing train between Hachinohe and Ōminato using the Aoimori Railway Line between Hachinohe and Noheji.^[16] The last service operated on 20 August 2023.^[17]

There have been a few new developments along the line since its transfer to Aoimori Railway Company. On 12 March 2012, Nonai Station was relocated 1.5 kilometers (0.93 mi) southwest of its original location. Tsutsui Station, near Aomori High School, was opened on 15 March 2014. Two-car Aoimori 703 series sets began operations on the line on the same day to handle the increased loads presented by the opening of Tsutsui Station.^[18]

See also

• List of railway lines in Japan