Tōhoku Main Line

The Tōhoku Main Line (東北本線, Tōhoku-honsen) is a 631.3-kilometre railway line operated mainly by the East Japan Railway Company, although a small segment in the north is now operated by the Iwate Ginga Railway and Aoimori Railway. Though officially the line starts from Tokyo Station in Chiyoda, Tokyo, most of the long-range trains actually begin at Ueno Station in Taito, Tokyo, and pass through such cities as Saitama, Utsunomiya, Fukushima, Sendai, Morioka, and Hachinohe, before reaching the end of the line in Aomori, in Aomori Prefecture.

The Tōhoku Main Line runs mostly parallel to the Tōhoku Shinkansen. Upon the Shinkansen's extension to Aomori, the remaining northern portion of the line is expected to be spun off to a third-sector railway operator.

The 159.9-kilometre long portion of the line between Ueno Station and Kuroiso Station in Nasushiobara, Tochigi is often referred to as the (JR) Utsunomiya Line. A portion of the Tōhoku Main Line is also shared with the Keihin-Tōhoku Line (29.6 kilometres between Tokyo Station and Omiya Station in Omiya-ku, Saitama) and the Saikyo Line (18.0 kilometres between Akabane Station in the Kita ward of Tokyo and Omiya Station).

History

The construction of Tōhoku Main Line began in the Kantō region and extended to the north end of Honshū, and the city of Aomori. It is one of oldest railway lines in Japan, with construction beginning in the late 19th century. Until November 1, 1906 the current Tōhoku Main Line was run by a private company Nihon Tetsudo (Japan Railway). In 1883 the first segment between Ueno and Kumagaya opened. In 1885 it was extended to Utsunomiya, but the Tone River still had to be crossed by boat. It was not until the construction of the Tone River Bridge in 1886 that Utsunomiya and Ueno were finally directly connected. The line gradually extended further to the north; to Koriyama, Sendai, Ichinoseki and Morioka. In 1891 the segment between Morioka and Aomori opened and Aomori and Ueno were connected to each other in the longest continuous railroad line in Japan.

After 1906 it was nationalized and became the Tōhoku Main Line run by the Ministry of Railways. When Tokyo Station opened in 1925, the Tōhoku Main Line extended from Ueno to the new station. Until the 1950s this segment was used and many trains ran through both the Tōkaidō Main Line and Tōhoku Main Line. However, when the Tōhoku Shinkansen arrived, it used land previously reserved for the tracks of mid and long-distance Tōhoku Main Line trains. As a result, only several short-range trains such as the Kehin-Tōhoku Line now run to Tokyo from the north, making Tokyo Station's status as part of the Tōhoku Main Line somewhat circumspect.

In 2002 the Tōhoku Shinkansen was further extended from Morioka to Hachinohe and the operations of the local track segment between those two cities was turned over to two other companies. The shortened Tōhoku Main Line is now the second-longest line in Japan, after the Sanin Main Line.

Station List

Utsunomiya Line

From Ueno Station to Kuroiso Station

Station	Japanese	Distance (km) (from Tokyo Station)	Transfers	Location
Ueno	上野	3.6	Tōhoku Shinkansen, Jōetsu Shinkansen, Jōban Line, Keihin-Tōhoku Line, Takasaki Line, Yamanote Line, Ginza Line, Hibiya Line	Taitō-ku	Tokyo
Oku	尾久	8.4		Kita-ku
Akabane	赤羽	13.2	Takasaki Line, Shonan-Shinjuku Line, Keihin-Tōhoku Line, Saikyo Line
Urawa	浦和	24.2	Takasaki Line, Keihin-Tōhoku Line	Urawa-ku, Saitama	Saitama Prefecture
Saitama-Shintoshin	さいたま新都心	28.7	Takasaki Line, Keihin-Tōhoku Line	Omiya-ku, Saitama
Omiya	大宮	30.3	Tōhoku Shinkansen, Joetsu Shinkansen, Takasaki Line, Shonan-Shinjuku Line, Keihin-Tōhoku Line, Saikyo Line, Kawagoe Line, Noda Line, Ina Line
Toro	土呂	33.3		Kita-ku, Saitama
Higashi-Omiya	東大宮	35.4		Minuma-ku, Saitama
Hasuda	蓮田	39.2		Hasuda
Shiraoka	白岡	43.5		Shiraoka
Shin-Shiraoka	新白岡	45.9
Kuki	久喜	48.9	Isasaki Line	Kuki
Higashi-Washinomiya	東鷲宮	51.6		Washimiya
Kurihashi	栗橋	57.2	Tobu Nikkō Line	Kurihashi
Koga	古河	64.7		Koga	Tochigi Prefecture
Nogi	野木	69.4		Nogi
Mamada	間々田	73.3		Oyama
Oyama	小山	80.6	Tōhoku Shinkansen, Mito Line, Ryōmō Line
Koganei	小金井	88.1		Kokubunji
Jichi-idai	自治医大	90.7
Ishibashi	石橋	95.4		Ishibashi
Suzumenomiya	雀宮	101.8		Utsunomiya
Utsunomiya	宇都宮	109.5	Tōhoku Shinkansen, Nikkō Line
Okamoto	岡本	115.7		Kawachi
Hōshakuji	宝積寺	121.2	Karasuyama Line	Takanezawa
Ujīe	氏家	127.1		Sakura
Kamasusaka	蒲須坂	131.6
Kataoka	片岡	135.5		Yaita
Yaita	矢板	141.8
Nozaki	野崎	146.6		Otawara
Nishi-Nasuno	西那須野	151.8		Nasushiobara
Nasushiobara	那須塩原	157.8	Tōhoku Shinkansen
Kuroiso	黒磯	163.3

Southern Tōhoku Main Line

From Takaku Station to Sendai Station

Station	Japanese	Distance (km) (from Tokyo Station)	Transfers	Location
Takaku	高久	167.3		Nasu, Tochigi	Tochigi Prefecture
Kurodahara	黒田原	171.5
Toyohara	豊原	176.7
Shirasaka	白坂	182.0		Shirakawa	Fukushima Prefecture
Shin-Shirakawa	新白河	185.4		Nishigo
Shirakawa	白河	188.2	Tōhoku Shinkansen	Shirakawa
Kutano	久田野	192.9
Izumizaki	泉崎	197.4		Izumizaki
Yabuki	矢吹	203.4		Yabuki
Kagamiishi	鏡石	208.8		Kagamiishi
Sukagawa	須賀川	215.1		Sukagawa
Asaka-Nagamori	安積永盛	221.8	Suigun Line	Kōriyama
Kōriyama	郡山	226.7	Tōhoku Shinkansen, West Ban'etsu Line, East Ban'etsu Line, Suigun Line
Hiwada	日和田	232.4
Gohyakugawa	五百川	236.9		Motomiya
Motomiya	本宮	240.7
Sugita	杉田	246.6		Nihonmatsu
Nihonmatsu	二本松	250.3
Adachi	安達	254.5		Adachi
Matsukawa	松川	259.5		Fukushima
Kanayagawa	金谷川	264.0
Minami-Fukushima	南福島	269.4
Fukushima	福島	272.8	Tōhoku Shinkansen, Yamagata Shinkansen, Ōu Main Line, Abukuma Express Line
Higashi-Fukushima	東福島	278.8
Date	伊達	281.9		Date
Kōri	桑折	285.9		Kōri
Fujita	藤田	289.3		Kunimi
Kaida	貝田	294.9
Kosugō	越河	298.6		Shiroishi	Miyagi Prefecture
Shiroishi	白石	306.8
Higashi-Shiroishi	東白石	311.0
Kita-Shirakawa	北白川	315.3
Ōgawara	大河原	320.1		Ōgawara
Funaoka	船岡	323.1		Shibata
Tsukinoki	槻木	327.7	Abukuma Express Line
Iwanuma	岩沼	334.2	Jōban Line	Iwanuma
Tatekoshi	館腰	337.9	Jōban Line	Natori
Natori	名取	341.4	Jōban Line
Minami-Sendai	南仙台	344.1	Jōban Line	Taihaku-ku, Sendai
Nagamachi	長町	347.3	Jōban Line, Sendai City Subway Line
Sendai	仙台	351.8	Akita Shinkansen, Tōhoku Shinkansen, Senzan Line, Senseki Line, Jōban Line, Sendai City Subway Line, Sendai Airport Line	Aoba-ku, Sendai

Central Tōhoku Main Line

From Higashi-Sendai Station to Morioka Station

Station	Japanese	Distance (km) (from Tokyo Station)	Transfers	Location
Higashi-Sendai	東仙台	355.8		Miyagino-ku, Sendai	Miyagi Prefecture
Iwakiri	岩切	359.9
Shin-Rifu	新利府	2.5 (from Iwakiri)	Spur line from Iwakiri (Occasional Service)	Rifu
Rifu	利府	4.2 (from Iwakiri)
Rikuzen-Sannō	陸前山王	362.2		Tagajō, Miyagi
Kokufu-Tagajō	国府多賀城	363.5
Shiogama	塩釜	365.2		Shiogama
Matsushima	松島	375.2		Matsushima
Atago	愛宕	377.2
Shinainuma	品井沼	381.6
Kashimadai	鹿島台	386.6		Ōsaki
Matsuyama-Machi	松山町	391.5
Kogota	小牛田	395.0	East Riku'u Line, Ishinomaki Line	Misato
Tajiri	田尻	401.1		Ōsaki
Semine	瀬峰	407.8		Kurihara
Umegasawa	梅ヶ沢	411.5		Tome
Nitta	新田	416.2
Ishikoshi	石越	423.5	Kurihara Den'en Railway Line
Yushima	油島	427.0		Hanaizumi	Iwate Prefecture
Hanaizumi	花泉	431.2
Shimizuhara	清水原	434.4
Arikabe	有壁	437.8		Kurihara	Miyagi Prefecture
Ichinoseki	一ノ関	445.1	Tōhoku Shinkansen, Ōfunato Line	Ichinoseki	Iwate Prefecture
Yamanome	山ノ目	448.0
Hiraizumi	平泉	452.3		Hiraizumi
Maesawa	前沢	459.9		Maesawa
Rikuchū-Orī	陸中折居	465.1		Mizusawa
Mizusawa	水沢	470.1
Kanegasaki	金ヶ崎	477.7		Kanegasaki
Rokuhara	六原	481.1
Kitakami	北上	487.5	Tōhoku Shinkansen, Kitakami Line	Kitakami
Murasakino	村崎野	492.2
Hanamaki	花巻	500.0	Kamaishi Line	Hanamaki
Hanamaki Airport	花巻空港	505.7
Ishidoriya	石鳥谷	511.4		Ishidoriya
Hizume	日詰	516.8		Shiwa
Shiwachūō	紫波中央	518.6
Furudate	古館	521.5
Yahaba	矢幅	525.1		Yahaba
Iwateīoka	岩手飯岡	529.6		Morioka
Senbokuchō	仙北町	533.5
Morioka	盛岡	535.3	Tōhoku Shinkansen, Akita Shinkansen, Yamada Line, Tazawako Line, Iwate Ginga Line

Northern Tōhoku Main Line

From Hachinohe Station to Aomori Station (Note: Morioka and Hachinohe are connected by track now owned by IGR and Aomori Railways for local trains, and also the Tōhoku Shinkansen)

Station	Japanese	Distance (km) (from Hachinohe Station)	Transfers	Location
Hachinohe	八戸	0.0	Tōhoku Shinkansen, Hachinohe Line, Aoimori Railway Line	Hachinohe	Aomori Prefecture
Mutsu-Ichikawa	陸奥市川	6.9
Shimoda	下田	11.1		Oirase
Mukaiyama	向山	16.3
Misawa	三沢	21.0	Towada Kanko Electric Railway Line	Misawa
Kogawara	小川原	27.6		Tōhoku
Kamikita-Chō	上北町	31.5
Ottomo	乙供	38.4
Chibiki	千曳	45.0
Noheji	野辺地	51.4	Ōminato Line	Noheji
Karibasawa	狩場沢	57.9		Hiranai
Shimizugawa	清水川	62.6
Kominato	小湊	68.6
Nishi-Hiranai	西平内	72.4
Asamushi-Onsen	浅虫温泉	78.8		Aomori
Nonai	野内	83.7
Yadamae	矢田前	86.8
Koyanagi	小柳	88.8
Higashi-Aomori	東青森	90.2
Aomori	青森	96.0	Ōu Main Line, Tsugaru Line