The history of the Tohoku region's first express train, "Hatsukari"

When people living in the Tokyo metropolitan area visit the Tohoku region by public transportation, they often use Shinkansen trains such as the Tohoku Shinkansen. However, the Tohoku Shinkansen only opened in 1982, about 40 years ago .

What did people travel to the Tohoku region on before that?

One option is the Hatsukari, the first express train .

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The first express train in the Tohoku region

Before the war and immediately after the war, the express trains of the Japanese National Railways (the predecessor of today's JR) truly special trains "limited express trains" suggests , and express trains were the main form of long-distance travel.

Limited express trains only ran from Tokyo to Osaka and Hakata, and the number of trains was extremely limited

However, as post-war reconstruction progressed, in order to meet the demand for travel between the Tokyo metropolitan area and the Tohoku region and Hokkaido, the first express train to run in the Tohoku region, the Hatsukari, was introduced in October 1958.

The Hatsukari mainly ran from Ueno Station in Tokyo to Aomori Station in Aomori Prefecture .

From Aomori Station, you can transfer to the Seikan Ferry and travel to Hakodate Station in Hokkaido

After arriving at Hakodate Station, passengers could transfer to the express train "Daisetsu," which carried passengers heading towards Sapporo

The Seikan Ferry is an undersea tunnel connecting Aomori Prefecture and Hokkaido. It ceased operation when the Seikan Tunnel was opened, but the ferry that was actually in use is preserved as the "Seikan Ferry Memorial Ship Hakkoda Maru,"

You can also go inside (for a fee) and walk on the deck, touch the rudder and communication equipment in the wheelhouse, and see the rail cars on board

Seikan Ferry Memorial Ship Hakkoda Maru <Information>

• Name: Seikan Ferry Memorial Ship Hakkoda Maru
• Address: 112-15 Yanagawa 1-chome, Aomori City, Aomori Prefecture
• Inquiry number: 017-735-8150
• Business hours: 9:00-19:00, admission until 18:00 (April 1st - October 31st)
  9:00-17:00, admission until 16:30 (November 1st - March 31st)
• Closed: December 31st, January 1st, and Monday to Friday of the second week of March
• URL Seikan Ferry Memorial Ship Hakkoda Maru

Google Map

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"Hatsuri" was originally a steam locomotive train

When the Hatsukari first appeared in 1958, it was a classic-style express train, with a steam locomotive pulling passenger carriages

At the time, the Tohoku Main Line did not have the necessary facilities to supply the electricity needed to run trains

Trains pulled by steam locomotives (SL trains) tend to lose speed on steep uphill slopes, so the Joban Line, which has fewer steep slopes, was chosen for trains traveling south of Miyagi Prefecture rather than the Tohoku Main Line

The train did not pass through Utsunomiya Station in Tochigi Prefecture or Fukushima Station in Fukushima Prefecture, but instead stopped at Mito Station in Ibaraki Prefecture and Taira (now Iwaki) Station in Fukushima Prefecture

Initially, it took 12 hours to travel from Ueno Station to Aomori Station, but the Tohoku region's first express train was so popular that it was difficult to get a seat on it

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"Hatsukari" was called "Hatsukari" because of the accidents it caused

The Hatsukari became extremely popular as soon as it was introduced, but the express train pulled by a steam locomotive was far inferior to the express trains on the Tokaido Main Line, which were already using electric trains

Therefore, from December 1960, diesel cars, , began to be used.

The Hatsukari, operated by the Kiha 80 series, the first express diesel car of the Japanese National Railways, was plagued by various initial malfunctions when it was first introduced, including fires

The train was ridiculed as being "disappointing" and "full of accidents," but after overcoming its initial problems, it continued to be a very popular train

With the introduction of diesel cars, the travel time between Ueno and Aomori has been reduced to 10 hours and 25 minutes

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"Hatsuri" became a train

After that, the entire Tohoku Main Line was electrified and trains were able to run, so the Hatsukari trains were changed to electric trains .

In addition, with the timetable revision in October 1968, the route was changed so that the entire section from Ueno Station to Aomori Station would pass via the Tohoku Main Line

By now running via the Tohoku Main Line, the train can now stop at Utsunomiya Station and Fukushima Station, both of which are prefectural capitals

Also, at this time, the train used for the "Hatsukari" the 583 series train , which was a train that ran both day and night and could be used as a sleeper express train by converting the seats into sleeping berths at night.

The introduction of electric trains had a significant effect on speeding up the journey, with the travel time between Ueno and Aomori now reduced to 8 hours and 30 minutes

Since 1973, the 485 series electric train, , has also been introduced.

The picture book "Shuppatsushinkou!" written by Yamamoto Tadataka and published by Fukuinkan Shoten features the 485 series express train "Hatsukari."

That's how popular "hatsukuri" was in the Tohoku region at the time

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The opening and extension of the Tohoku Shinkansen and the end of the "Hatsukari"

The Tohoku Shinkansen, which opened provisionally between Omiya and Morioka in June 1982, began full-scale operation in November of the same year

As a result, the Hatsukari will no longer run between Ueno and Morioka, and converted into a limited express train running between Morioka and Aomori .

With the opening of the Seikan Tunnel in March 1988, the timetable was revised and the operating area of ​​some Hatsukari trains extended between Morioka and Hakodate , extending into Hokkaido.

In 1996, the 485 series trains were renovated and the interior facilities were improved, and in 2000 the new E751 series trains began operating as the Super Hatsukari limited express train between Morioka and Aomori

However, this was the last glimmer of hope

In December 2002, the Tohoku Shinkansen was extended to Hachinohe Station in Aomori Prefecture

As a result, conventional express trains in the Tohoku region were reorganized, and the "Hatsukari" and "Super Hatsukari" were discontinued.

The train nickname "Hatsukari" disappeared 44 years after its debut

Unfortunately, it has not been revived as a nickname for regularly operated trains, whether on Shinkansen or conventional lines

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summary

The Tohoku Shinkansen has been extended further, and now the Hayabusa train connects Tokyo and Shin-Aomori in about 3 hours and 20 minutes

This is nothing compared to the travel time of the Hatsukari, which took more than eight hours from Ueno to Aomori

The Hatsukari was introduced as the fastest train connecting the Tokyo metropolitan area and the Tohoku region, carrying many people, before disappearing with the opening and extension of the Tohoku Shinkansen

Although it is no longer possible to see it today, it is undoubtedly a train that left a significant mark on the history of Tohoku railways

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