Uetsu Main Line

The Uetsu Main Line (羽越本線, Uetsu-hon-sen) is a railway line in the Tohoku and Chubu regions of Japan. Part of the East Japan Railway Company (JR East) system, it connects Niitsu Station in the city of Niigata and Akita Station in Akita. The name "Uetsu" refers to the ancient provinces of Dewa (出羽) and Echigo (越後), which the line connects.^[1]

Uetsu Main Line
Kirakira Uetsu (Joyful Train)
Overview
Native name	羽越本線
Status	Operating
Owner	JR East
Locale	Niigata, Yamagata, Akita Prefectures
Termini	Niitsu Station Akita Station
Stations	61
Service
Type	Heavy rail
System	JR East
Operator(s)	JR East, JR Freight
History
Opened	2 September 1912; 112 years ago (1912-09-02)
Technical
Track length	274.4 km (170.5 mi)
Number of tracks	Sections of double track and single track
Track gauge	1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in) 1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in)
Electrification	1,500 V DC, 20 kV AC 50 Hz
Operating speed	120 km/h (75 mph)
Route map

The Uetsu Main Line runs along the Sea of Japan. One of the tunnels on the right is for the Uetsu Main Line, and the other Japan National Route 345.

Route data

• Total length: 274.4 km (170.5 mi) (Fukushima–Aomori, Tsuchizaki–Akitakō)
• Operators, distances:
  • East Japan Railway Company (Services and tracks)
    • Niitsu — Akita: 271.7 km (168.8 mi)
  • Japan Freight Railway Company (Services and tracks)
    • Sakata — Sakata-Minato: 2.7 km (1.7 mi)
  • Japan Freight Railway Company (Services)
    • Niitsu — Akita: 271.7 km (168.8 mi)
• Tracks:
  • See station list for details
• Electrification:
  • Niitsu — Murakami: 1,500 V DC
  • Murakami — Akita: 20 kV AC, 50 Hz
• Railway signalling:
• Maximum speed:
  • Niitsu — Murakami: 120 km/h (75 mph)
  • Murakami — Imagawa: 100 km/h (62 mph)
  • Imagawa — Sanze: 95 km/h (59 mph)
  • Sanze — Sakata: 120 km/h (75 mph)
  • Sakata — Akita: 95 km/h (59 mph)

Services

Limited express, Rapid

As of March 2020^[update], the following services are operated.

Name	Route	Service frequency (daily)
Limited Express Inaho	(Niigata) – Shibata – Sakata/Akita	7 return trips
Rapid Kairi	(Niigata) – Shibata – Sakata	1 return trip (weekends only)
Rapid Rakuraku Train Murakami	(Niigata) – Shibata – Murakami	1 down trip
Rapid Benibana	(Niigata) – Shibata – Sakamachi – (Yonezawa)	1 return trip

Local

Niitsu – Shibata: every 60-180 minutes

Shibata – Murakami: every 60-120 minutes

Murakami – Sakata: every 60-180 minutes

Sakata – Akita: every 60-180 minutes

Between Shibata and Murakami, most of the local trains travel through to/from Niigata via Hakushin Line.

Stations

A: Limited Express Inaho

B: Rapid Kairi

C: Rapid Rakuraku Train Murakami, Benibana and other Rapid service trains

Trains stop at stations marked "O", skip at stations marked "|".

Station	Japanese	Distance (km)		A	B	C	Transfers		DC/AC	Location
		Between stations	Total
Niitsu	新津	-	0.0	Via Hakushin Line			■Shin'etsu Main Line ■Ban'etsu West Line	∨	1,500 V DC	Akiha-ku, Niigata	Niigata
Kyōgase	京ヶ瀬	6.1	6.1					◇		Agano
Suibara	水原	4.1	10.2					◇
Kamiyama	神山	3.7	13.9					｜
Tsukioka	月岡	3.9	17.8					◇		Shibata
Nakaura	中浦	3.7	21.5					｜
Shibata	新発田	4.5	26.0	O	O	O	■Hakushin Line (some trains through to Murakami)	^
Kaji	加治	4.3	30.3	|	|	|[* 1]		∥
Kanazuka	金塚	5.0	35.3	|	|	|		∨
Nakajō	中条	3.8	39.1	O	O	O		^		Tainai
Hirakida	平木田	5.6	44.7	|	|	|		∥
Sakamachi	坂町	3.3	48.0	O	O	O	■Yonesaka Line (Operation suspended due to rainstorm damage)	∥		Murakami
Hirabayashi	平林	3.6	51.6	|	|	|		∨
Iwafunemachi	岩船町	3.6	55.2	|	|	|		◇
Murakami	村上	4.2	59.4	O	O	O		^
Majima	間島	7.1	66.5	|	|			∨	20 kV AC 50 Hz
Echigo-Hayakawa	越後早川	4.9	71.4	|	|			^
Kuwagawa	桑川	6.9	78.3	|	O			∨
Imagawa	今川	4.3	82.6	|	|			◇
Echigo-Kangawa	越後寒川	4.9	87.5	|	|			^
Gatsugi	勝木	5.3	92.8	|	|			∨
Fuya	府屋	3.1	95.9	O	|			^
Nezugaseki	鼠ヶ関	5.1	101.0	|	|			∥		Tsuruoka	Yamagata
Koiwagawa	小岩川	4.4	105.4	|	|			∨
Atsumi Onsen	あつみ温泉	4.4	109.8	O	O			^
Iragawa	五十川	5.9	115.7	|	|			∥
Kobato	小波渡	4.4	120.1	|	|			∥
Sanze	三瀬	3.1	123.2	|	|			∥
Uzen-Mizusawa	羽前水沢	5.7	128.9	|	|			∥
Uzen-Ōyama	羽前大山	4.5	133.4	|	|			∨
Tsuruoka	鶴岡	6.0	139.4	O	O			◇
Fujishima	藤島	6.6	146.0	|	|			^
Nishibukuro	西袋	5.1	151.1	|	|			∥		Shōnai, Higashitagawa
Amarume	余目	3.6	154.7	O	O		■Rikuu West Line[* 2] (Operation suspended until 2024/2025)	∥
Kita-Amarume	北余目	2.7	157.4	|	|			∥
Sagoshi	砂越	3.0	160.4	|	|			∥		Sakata
Higashi-Sakata	東酒田	3.3	163.7	|	|			∥
Sakata	酒田	3.2	166.9	O	O		JR Freight Uetsu Freight Branch Line (to Sakata-Minato)	∥
Mototate	本楯	6.4	173.3	|				∨
Minamichōkai	南鳥海	2.6	175.9	|				◇
Yuza	遊佐	3.2	179.1	O				^		Yuza, Akumi
Fukura	吹浦	7.0	186.1	|				∨
Mega	女鹿	3.6	189.7	|				◇
Kosagawa	小砂川	5.1	194.8	|				◇		Nikaho	Akita
Kamihama	上浜	3.7	198.5	|				◇
Kisakata	象潟	4.9	203.4	O				◇
Konoura	金浦	5.8	209.2	|				^
Nikaho	仁賀保	5.5	214.7	O				∨
Nishime	西目	8.4	223.1	|				^		Yurihonjō
Ugo-Honjō	羽後本荘	5.8	228.9	O		O	■Yuri Kōgen Railway Chōkai Sanroku Line	∥
Ugo-Iwaya	羽後岩谷	7.1	236.0	|		O		∥
Oriwatari	折渡	4.7	240.7	|		↓		∨
Ugo-Kameda	羽後亀田	3.0	243.7	|		O		◇
Iwaki-Minato	岩城みなと	6.5	250.2	|		↓		｜
Michikawa	道川	1.6	251.8	|		↓		^
Shimohama	下浜	6.6	258.4	|		↓		∨		Akita
Katsurane	桂根	3.4	261.7	|		↓		◇
Araya	新屋	4.0	265.7	|		O		◇
Ugo-Ushijima	羽後牛島	3.3	269.0	|		O		◇
Akita	秋田	2.7	271.7	O		O	Akita Shinkansen ■Ōu Main Line ■Oga Line[* 3]	^

1. Only 1 up rapid service in the morning stops
2. Most trains from Rikuu West Line terminate at Sakata Station
3. The official beginning of the Oga Line is at Oiwake Station, but all trains terminate at Akita Station.

Symbols:

• | - Single-track
• ◇ - Single-track; station where trains can pass
• ^ - Double-track section starts from this point
• ∥ - Double-track
• ∨ - Single-track section starts from this point

Rolling stock

Present

Local

• E129 series 2/4-car DC EMUs (Niitsu—Murakami, since December 2014)
• 701 series 2/3-car AC EMUs (Sakata—Akita)
• KiHa 110 series (Niitsu - Nezugaseki)
• GV-E400 series (Niitsu-Sakata, since August 2019)

Inaho/Rakuraku Train Murakami

• E653-1000 series 7-car DC/AC EMUs (since September 2013)

Kairi

• HB-E300 series

• 
  701 series passing Omonogawa Bridge
• 
  E653 series Inaho, near Higashi-Sakata Station
• 
  Kairi at Shibata Station, April 2020

Former

• 115 series DC EMUs (Niitsu—Murakami, until March 2018)
• E127-0 series 2-car DC EMUs (Shibata—Murakami, until March 2015)
• KiHa 40/47/48 series DMUs (Until March 2020)
• KiHa E120 DMUs (Niitsu—Sakata, until March 2018)
• KiHa 58 series DMUs
• KiHa 52 DMUs
• 485 series DC/AC EMUs (until July 2014) - Inaho, Hakucho, Rakuraku Train Murakami

• 
  E127 series and 115 series at Murakami Station, March 2009
• 
  KiHa 40/47/48 series, Amarume - Nishibukuro, March 2017
• 
  KiHa 40/47/48 series, Tsuruoka - Fujishima, October 2016
• 
  KiHa E120 and 110 at Sakamachi Station, July 2009
• 
  485 series Hakucho limited espress, Akita Station, 1987
• 
  485-3000 series Inaho limited express, Kosagawa - Kamihama, March 2014

History

The line was opened in sections between 1912 and 1924, and electrified in 1972, the same year CTC signalling was commissioned.^{[citation needed]}

Work to double-track the line in sections commenced in 1957, and continued for 25 years until being suspended due to capital expenditure restrictions in 1983, at which time 51% of the route was double-tracked.^{[citation needed]}

On July 28, 2022, JR East announced that ridership in some sectors was less than 2000 persons/day, the deficit for the sector between Murakami Station to Tsuruoka Station being 4,990 billion yen, the largest deficit within the JR East system.^[2][3]

Accidents

On December 25, 2005, all six cars of a limited express train Inaho No.14 on the Uetsu Line derailed in Yamagata prefecture, about 350 kilometres (220 mi) north of Tokyo. The train was headed south towards Kita-Amarume Station. Three of the cars turned over, causing the deaths of five people and injuring 33 others. Three other persons were originally reported missing, but authorities later discovered that they had disembarked from the train before the accident. It is likely that the event was caused by a tornado although it is uncertain whether or not a tornado was involved with this accident.^{[4][citation needed]}