Uetsu Main Line

Uetsu Main Line
An Inaho limited express service
Overview
Native name	羽越本線
Type	Heavy rail
System	JR East
Status	Operating
Locale	Niigata, Yamagata, Akita Prefectures
Termini	Niitsu Station Akita Station
Stations	61
Operation
Opened	September 2, 1912
Owner	JR East
Operator(s)	JR East, JR Freight
Technical
Track length	274.4 km
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 50Hz
Operating speed	120 km/h (75 mph)
Route map

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.

Route data

• Total length: 274.4 km (Fukushima–Aomori, Tsuchizaki–Akitakō)
• Operators, distances:
  • East Japan Railway Company (Services and tracks)
    • Niitsu — Akita: 271.7 km
  • Japan Freight Railway Company (Services and tracks)
    • Sakata — Sakata-Minato: 2.7 km
  • Japan Freight Railway Company (Services)
    • Niitsu — Akita: 271.7 km
• 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
  • Murakami — Imagawa: 100 km/h
  • Imagawa — Sanze: 95 km/h
  • Sanze — Sakata: 120 km/h
  • Sakata — Akita: 95 km/h

Services

Kirakira Uetsu

Limited Express

• Inaho: (Niigata)—Shibata—Sakata—Akita

Rapid

• Rakuraku Train Murakami: (Niigata)—Shibata—Murakami
• Benibana: (Niigata)—Shibata—Sakamachi—(Yonezawa)

Local

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

Sightseeing

• Kirakira Uetsu: (Niigata)—Shibata—Sakata—Ugo-Honjō

Stations

1. ↑ Most trains from Rikuu West Line terminate at Sakata Station
2. ↑ 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

• 115 series 3-car DC EMUs (Niitsu—Murakami)
• E129 series 2/4-car DC EMUs (Niitsu—Murakami, since December 2014)
• 701 series 2/3-car AC EMUs (Tsuruoka—Akita)
• KiHa 40/47/48 series DMUs (Niitsu—Sakata)
• KiHa110 series / KiHa E120 DMUs (Niitsu—Sakata)

Limited Express / Rapid

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

• 
  115 series
• 
  E129 series
• 
  701 series
• 
  KiHa 40/47/48 series
• 
  KiHa 40/47/48 series

Former

• E127-0 series 2-car DC EMUs (Shibata—Murakami, until March 2015)
• 485 series 6-car DC/AC EMUs (Inaho, until July 2014)
• KiHa 58 series
• KiHa 52 series

History

The line was opened in sections between 1912 and 1924, and electrified in 1972, the same year CTC signalling was commissioned.

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.

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.

References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Uetsu Main Line.

This article incorporates material from the corresponding article in the Japanese Wikipedia.

• JR全線全駅ステーション倶楽部編(上) [Complete JR Line/Station Compendium (Vol. 1)] (in Japanese). Tokyo, Japan: Bunshun Bunko. September 1988. p. pp 236-248. ISBN 4-16-748701-2.  CS1 maint: Extra text (link)

External links

• Inaho - JR East (English)
• Kirakira Uetsu - JR East (English)

Transit in Niigata Prefecture
JR East	Jōetsu Shinkansen ■Banetsu West Line ■Echigo Line ■Hakushin Line ■Iiyama Line ■Jōetsu Line ■Shinetsu Main Line ■Tadami Line ■Uetsu Main Line ■Yahiko Line ■Yonesaka Line
JR West	Hokuriku Shinkansen ■Ōito Line
Echigo Tokimeki Railway	■Myōkō Haneuma Line (former Shinetsu Main Line) ■Nihonkai Hisui Line (former Hokuriku Main Line)
Hokuetsu Express	■Hokuhoku Line
Named trains	Inaho Shirayuki Banetsu Monogatari Koshino Shu*Kura Kirakira Uetsu Oykot Genbi Shinkansen Setsugekka
Bus	Bandai-bashi Line Niigata Kotsu Echigo Kotsu Kubiki Motor
Public ferries	Sado Steam Ship Awashima-Line Shin Nihonkai Ferry
Misc	Niigata Station Cards Suica Ryuto Niigata Airport
Japan transit: Tokyo Osaka Nagoya Fukuoka Hakone Fuji Izu Hokkaido Sendai Niigata Toyama Nagano Okayama Hiroshima Shikoku Metro systems Shinkansen trams (list) aerial lifts (list)

JR East lines
Shinkansen	Hokuriku Jōetsu Tōhoku Akita Yamagata
Main	Chūō Ōu Shin'etsu Sōbu Tōhoku Tōkaidō Uetsu
Local	Agatsuma Aterazawa Ban'etsu East Ban'etsu West Echigo Gonō Hachikō Hachinohe Hakushin Hanawa Iiyama Ishinomaki Itō Itsukaichi Jōban Jōetsu Kamaishi Karasuyama Kashima Kawagoe Keiyō Kesennuma Kitakami Koumi Kururi Mito Musashino Nambu Narita Negishi Nikkō Ōfunato Oga Ōito Ōme Ōminato Rikuu East Rikuu West Ryōmō Sagami Senseki Senzan Shinonoi Sotobō Suigun Tadami Takasaki Tazawako Tōgane Tsugaru Tsurumi Uchibō Utsunomiya Yahiko Yamada Yamanote Yokohama Yokosuka Yonesaka
Others	Chūō Rapid Chūō-Sōbu Gala-Yuzawa Keihin-Tōhoku Saikyō (incl. Akabane) Senseki-Tōhoku Shōnan-Shinjuku Sōbu Rapid Ueno-Tōkyō
Past	Aizu Ashio Iwaizumi Kihara Marumori Mōka Nagai Shin'etsu Main (Shinano / Echigo Tokimeki) Tōhoku Main (Aoimori / Iwate Galaxy)