Kitakami Line

The Kitakami Line (北上線, Kitakami-sen) is a railway line in Japan. Part of the East Japan Railway Company (JR East) system, it connects Kitakami Station in Kitakami, Iwate Prefecture to Yokote Station in Yokote, Akita Prefecture, acting as a connecting line between the Ōu Main Line to the Tōhoku Main Line. It connects with the Tōhoku Shinkansen and Tohoku Main Line at Kitakami Station, and the Ōu Main Line at Yokote Station.

Kitakami Line
KiHa 100 series DMU at Ainono
Overview
Native name	北上線
Status	In operation
Owner	JR East
Locale	Iwate, Akita prefectures
Termini	Kitakami Yokote
Stations	15
Service
Type	Heavy rail
Operator(s)	JR East
Rolling stock	KiHa 100 series DMU
History
Opened	1924
Technical
Line length	61.6 km (38.3 mi)
Number of tracks	Entire line single tracked
Character	Rural
Track gauge	1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in)
Electrification	None
Operating speed	85 km/h (53 mph)
Route map

v t e Kitakami Line
Legend
km Tōhoku Shinkansen Tōhoku Main Line 0.0 Kitakami Waga Light Rail Line 2.1 Yanagihara Tōhoku Expressway 5.2 Ezuriko 8.4 Fujine 12.1 Tatekawame 14.3 Yokokawame Waga River 18.1 Iwasawa 20.3 Waka-Sennin (second) former line (partly submerged) closed 1962 Utamori tunnel 625m 21.6 Waga-Sennin (first) Yuda Dam Sennin tunnel (first) Sennin tunnel (second) 1,514m Ōarasawa bridge 81m Ōarasawa tunnel No.1 174m Koarasawa bridge 104m Ōarasawa tunnel No.2 628m 25.3 Ōarasawa 26.4 Ōarasawa Signal 1962- 1970 Ōarasawa tunnel No.3 129m Itashikino tunnel 1,321m Minami-Honnaigawa bridge 145m 28.8 Yudakinshūko Rikuchū-Ōishi (second) 29.8 Rikuchū-Ōishi (first) Iwanamezawa bridge 100m Washinosugawa bridge 153m Tsubaki tunnel 555m Wagagawa bridge No.1 506m Lake Kinshu Hasamadogawa bridge 204m Kawajiri tunnel 280m Wagagawa bridge No.2 248m 35.2 Hottoyuda Akita Expressway 39.1 Yudakōgen Iwate Prefecture Akita Prefecture 44.3 Kurosawa Akita Expressway 49.6 Komatsugawa 51.6 Hiraishi 53.4 Ainono 56.6 Yabitsu Ōu Main Line Ugo Transport Ōshō Line 61.1 Yokote Ōu Main Line

History

The line opened in sections from both Kitakami and Yokote between 1920 and 1924.

In 1962 a 15 km (9.3 mi) deviation was built in conjunction with the construction of the Yuda Dam, which added 0.8 km (0.50 mi) to the length of the line.

CTC signalling was commissioned in 1994, and freight services ceased in 2010.

Station list

● - All trains stop ｜ - All trains pass

Station	Japanese	Distance (km) (from Kitakami)	Local	Rapid	Transfers	Location
Kitakami	北上	0.0	●	●	Tōhoku Shinkansen, Tōhoku Main Line	Kitakami	Iwate Prefecture
Yanagihara	柳原	2.1	●	●
Ezuriko	江釣子	5.2	●	●
Fujine	藤根	8.4	●	●
Tatekawame	立川目	12.1	●	●
Yokokawame	横川目	14.3	●	●
Iwasawa	岩沢	18.1	●	●
Waka-Sennin	和賀仙人	20.3	●	●
Yudakinshūko	ゆだ錦秋湖	28.8	●	●		Nishiwaga
Hottoyuda	ほっとゆだ	35.2	●	●
Yudakōgen	ゆだ高原	39.1	●	●
Kurosawa	黒沢	44.3	●	●		Yokote	Akita Prefecture
Komatsukawa	小松川	49.6	●	|
Ainono	相野々	53.4	●	●
Yokote	横手	61.1	●	●	Ōu Main Line

Rolling stock

Terminus of the Kitakami Line at Kitakami Station

• KiHa 100 series DMUs

References

• Sone, Satoru (2009). "No.21 釜石線・山田線・岩泉線・北上線・八戸線". 週刊 歴史でめぐる鉄道全路線 国鉄・JR (in Japanese). Asahi Shimbun: 23.
• This article incorporates material from the corresponding article in the Japanese Wikipedia

External links

Media related to Kitakami Line at Wikimedia Commons