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through the eastern part of the Tsugaru Peninsula in Aomori PrefectureThe TsugaruLine is a railway line that runs Originally, it was a line that could only be described as a local line, but with the opening of the Seikan Tunnel in 1988,an important route connecting Aomori Prefecture and Hokkaidobecame part of Howeverthe northern halfremained a local line and was damaged by heavy rains in August 2022, andit has been decided that it will be abandoned. What will the future hold for the area along the Tsugaru Line?
What is the Tsugaru Line?
The Tsugaru Line is a JR East railway line connecting Aomori Station, the central station of Aomori City, Aomori Prefecture,Sotogahama Townto.Thetotal, passing through Yomogita Village, Sotogahama Town, and Imabetsu Town in Higashitsugaru District. It runs through the eastern part of the Tsugaru PeninsulaofMinmaya Station in length the line is 55.8 km, and there are 18 stations.
Minamaya Station, the terminus of the Tsugaru Line
Sotogahama TowninNakaoguniThe Shin-Nakaoguni signal station is located between At this signal station, the Kaikyo Line branches off from the Tsugaru Line. The Kaikyo Line is a railway line that extends towards Hokkaido through the Seikan Tunnel under the Tsugaru Strait.
The number of trains running differs significantly depending on whether you cross over from Kanita Station in Sotogahama Town, located 27km from Aomori Station. Between Aomori Station and Kanita Station, there are nine round-trip local trains per day. The trains primarily use electric trams. In the past, many express trains also ran on this route to Hokkaido.
The express train "Shiratori" traveled to Hokkaido via the Tsugaru Line and the Seikan Tunnel
On the other hand, only five round trips of local trains per day ran between Kanita Station and Mimaya Station. The trains used were diesel railcars that ran on diesel fuel. The reason the two sentences above are in the past tense ispassenger trains are currently suspended on this section of the line.
Furthermore, more than 20 round trips of freight trains operate daily between Aomori Station and Shin-Nakakuni Signal Station, traveling between Hokkaido and Honshu via the Kaikyo Line. These freight trains transport agricultural products, for example, from Hokkaido to Honshu. It would not be an exaggeration to say that serving as a route for freight trains is the most important role of the Tsugaru Line today.
A freight train pulled by a locomotive dedicated to the Seikan Tunnel section
Opening of the Tsugaru Line
of 1922Revised Railway Construction Law, whicha railway from Aomori in Aomori Prefecture, through Mimaya and Kodomari (the northernmost point of the Tsugaru Peninsula), to Goshogawaraspecified This meant that a railway connecting the Tsugaru Peninsula in an inverted U shape was planned, and the southwestern part of this plan was opened in 1930 as the private railway "Tsugaru Railway Line," between Tsugaru-Goshogawara Station and Tsugaru-Nakazato Station.
Tsugaru Railway Line running through the western part of the Tsugaru Peninsula
However, the opening of the Tsugaru Line, which covers the southeastern portion, was postponed until after World War II. In 1951, the section between Aomori Station and Kanita Station opened as a line of the Japanese National Railways (JNR), the predecessor of JR, and seven years later, in 1958, the section between Kanita Station and Miumaya Station (which was apparently pronounced "Miumaya" at the time) opened. Incidentally, the railway line from Miumaya Station through Kodomari to Tsugaru-Nakazato Station was never realized.
When the Tsugaru Line opened, the Seikan Tunnel did not yet exist, so the entire Tsugaru Line was merely a local line connecting the eastern part of the Tsugaru Peninsula. Even then, there was a difference in the number of trains running on either side of Kanita Station. For example, in the October 1964 timetable, there were 10 round trips per day between Aomori Station and Kanita Station, while there were only 6 round trips per day between Kanita Station and Mimaya Station.
Opening of the Seikan Tunnel
In 1987, Japanese National Railways (JNR) was privatized and divided, and the Tsugaru Line was taken over by JR East. The following year, 1988, the Seikan Tunnel opened, and the Shin-Nakakuni signal station was newly constructed on the Tsugaru Line between Kanita Station and Mimaya Station. Here, the Tsugaru Line and the Kaikyo Line, which includes the Seikan Tunnel section, were connected. As a result, the southern and northern sections of the Tsugaru Line became completely different in appearance.
Trains passing through the Seikan Tunnel need to run on electricity (because using diesel trains poses a fire risk inside the tunnel), so the section of the Tsugaru Line between Aomori Station and Shin-Nakakuni Signal Station was electrified, allowing electric trains and electric locomotives to operate on it. While express trains and freight trains connecting Honshu and Hokkaido naturally run on electricity, local trains operating between Aomori Station and Kanita Station were also converted to electric trains.
Between Aomori Station and Kanita Station/Shin-Nakakuni Signal Station, various types of trains, including express trains, local trains, and freight trains, began to run frequently. On the other hand, the section between Kanita Station and Mimaya Station was not included in the route connecting Aomori Prefecture and Hokkaido (excluding the section between Kanita Station and Shin-Nakakuni Signal Station), so this section remained designated as a local line.
In 2016, the Hokkaido Shinkansen line between Shin-Aomori Station and Shin-Hakodate-Hokuto Station opened, and passenger trains passing through the Seikan Tunnel were switched from conventional limited express trains to Shinkansen trains. Conventional limited express trains connecting Honshu and Hokkaido that ran between Aomori Station and Shin-Nakakuni Signal Station on the Tsugaru Line were discontinued, leaving only local trains for passenger service. However, the Tsugaru Line continues to play an important role as a route for freight trains.
Heavy rain in August 2022
In contrast to the southern section of the Tsugaru Line, which plays a vital role in freight transport, the northern section has been struck by misfortune. Heavy rains that hit the Tohoku region and other areas in August 2022damaged the Tsugaru Line's facilities, resultingthe suspension of passenger train service between Kanita Station and Mimaya Station for an extended period.
If a line is damaged by a disaster, the natural course of action is to restore it and resume train service. However, the problem here was the extremely low number of passengers on the Tsugaru Line. The average number of passengers passing through the section between Kanita Station and Mimaya Station (the number of train passengers per kilometer per day)107was only With such low ridership, it would be impossible to make a profit even with a bus service, let alone a railway, and the deficit for this section amounted to 700 million yen per year.
Furthermore, the section of the Tsugaru Line north of Shin-Nakakuni Signal Station is a dead-end line (a branch line) that does not connect to any other lines, and no freight trains operate on it. Therefore, it does not play a significant role within the railway network.
JR East, which operates the Tsugaru Line, is reluctant to restore such a line at great expense and continue operating it while enduring future deficits. Therefore, JR East and the municipalities along the Tsugaru Line have decided to discuss the future of the damaged section, including the possibility of abandoning the line.
Regarding the future of the damaged section, proposals included restoring the line but having local governments own the tracks and other facilities, and converting it to road transport. Furthermore, among the local governments along the line, some were not insistent on restoring the Tsugaru Line in its current form, while others were. However, if the railway is to remain in any form, someone will have to bear an annual deficit of several hundred million yen for only about 100 users per day. It is clear that the benefits of keeping the railway outweigh the costs, and it cannot be sustained indefinitely.
Ultimately, the closure of the damaged section of the line was approved, and discussions began regarding the replacement with buses and taxis. Passenger train service between Kanita Station and Mimaya Station has already been suspended for two years, and it will remain that way (except for the section where freight trains run) until the line is abandoned. The specific date of the closure has not yet been announced.
Alternative transportation after a disaster
The Tsugaru Line doesn't actually extend all the way to Cape Tappi at the northern tip of the Tsugaru Peninsula. Supermarkets, government offices, and hospitals are located far from the stations, and train service is particularly infrequent north of Kanita Station, making it an inconvenient line for both daily life and tourism. Therefore, in July 2022, JR East conducted a pilot project operating a shared taxi called "Wan-Taku" during the daytime on a route parallel to the Tsugaru Line between Kanita Station and Mimaya Station. Although this Wan-Taku was initially intended as an experiment, the Tsugaru Line was damaged by a disaster one month after the experiment began. As a result, it has continued to operate as an alternative mode of transportation for the Tsugaru Line and has become firmly established.
Wan-Taku offers two types of taxis: a "Free Service" where passengers can get on and off anywhere within the service area by making a reservation, and can specify their departure time in 30-minute increments, and a "Scheduled Service" with fixed departure times, like a train, running four round trips a day. The Scheduled Service also stops at places that are not accessible by train, such as Hotel Tappi and Tappi Cape Lighthouse. Passengers can get on and off freely along the route, and can also reserve pick-up and drop-off locations outside the route, such as Sotogahama Central Hospital and the Seikan Tunnel Memorial Museum. In addition to the high degree of flexibility in pick-up and drop-off locations, Wan-Taku is popular with users because the fare is a reasonable 500 yen per person per ride, and theyis "more convenient than the trainsay it
Furthermore, in addition to the Wan-Taku (local taxi service), substitute buses for the Tsugaru Line trains operate four round trips a day on weekdays and three round trips a day on holidays. Before the disaster, there were five round trips of trains per day, so the combined number of substitute buses and regular Wan-Taku services is greater. Residents and tourists alike have come to realize that the alternative transportation is more convenient than the Tsugaru Line, so it's understandable why the municipalities along the line accepted the closure of the Tsugaru Line. Moreover, JR East has proposed providing financial and other support for the development of transportation networks after the Tsugaru Line disaster. This suggests that the closure decision was not simply a case of the railway company unilaterally abandoning the region.
Tsugaru Line spots
Following our introduction to the Tsugaru Line, this section will introduce some spots located near the Tsugaru Line. For those traveling by public transport, the Wan-Taku service, also mentioned in this article, is a convenient option.
Tsugaru Quasi-National Park, Takanosaki Coast
located within TsugaruTakanosaki on the Horozuki CoastQuasi-National Park, is considered one of the most scenic spots on the Tsugaru Peninsula. It offers breathtaking views of Hokkaido, Cape Tappi, and the Shimokita Peninsula. The two red bridges in this photo are called "Shiosai Bridge" and "Nagisa Bridge." Crossing these bridges allows you to reach the rocky outcrop at the tip of the peninsula, where you can enjoy the magnificent scenery to your heart's content while being caressed by the sea breeze. This spot is not near the regular route of the Wan-Taxi service, so you will need to either book a Wan-Taxi free service or take a bus from Okutsugaru-Imabetsu Station on the Hokkaido Shinkansen to access it.
The Seikan Tunnel Memorial Museumis a museum dedicated to the Seikan Tunnel (53.85 km long), which pierces the seabed of the Tsugaru Strait and opened in 1988. The museum introduces the process from the conception of the Seikan Tunnel to its construction and completion using sound, video, and three-dimensional models. A ride on the Mogura-go cable car on the Seikan Tunnel Tappi Inclined Shaft Line will take you 140m below sea level in 7 minutes. Here, a corner of the underground tunnel recreates the site as it was when the tunnel was excavated. This facility conveys to the present day a monumental project that should be recorded in the history of civil engineering not only in Japan but also around the world. The Seikan Tunnel Memorial Museum is not on the regular route of the Wan-Taxi taxi service, but it is possible to get on and off the taxi with a prior reservation.
passes through Cape Tappi on the Tsugaru PeninsulaNational Route 339, has a section that is the only national highway in Japan that consists of stairs. As it is a staircase, it is naturally a road that cars cannot use despite being a national highway, and there are various theories as to the background of how such a national highway came to be. Some say that although it was designated as a national highway, the slope was too steep to be made into a road, while others say that officials designated it as a national highway without even inspecting the site. Whatever the circumstances, the rarity of a national highway with stairs has become a tourist attraction and it is gaining popularity as a tourist spot in Tsugaru. The path has 362 steps, a total length of 388.2m, and an elevation difference of about 70m, so climbing it is quite challenging. However, the view of the Tsugaru Strait and other scenery from the staircase national highway is very nice. Access is a short walk from the Cape Tappi Lighthouse, the final stop of the Wan-Taxi scheduled service.
Inquiry number: 0174-31-1228 (Togahama Town Industry and Tourism Division)
Note: Closed during winter
Google Map
Tsugaru Strait Winter Scenery Song Monument
Sayuri Ishikawa's famous song "Tsugaru Kaikyo Fuyu Geshiki" (Winter Scenery of the Tsugaru Strait) depicts the scenery of a journey from Ueno to Aomori on an overnight train, then across to Hokkaido on the then-operating Aomori-Hakodate ferry. A monument to this song has been erected at Cape Tappi (a similar one is also located in Aomori City). When you press the button on the monument, the lyrics of the second verse, which sings about Cape Tappi, play. You can really feel the sense of having come to the very edge of Honshu. It is located near the upper entrance of the staircase national highway, so the most convenient access is from the Cape Tappi Lighthouse, the final stop of the regular Wan-Taku taxi service.
The Tsugaru Line, which opened as a local line, has followed a contrasting history: the southern section was later given the role of a route connecting Honshu and Hokkaido, while the northern section remained a local line but was eventually abandoned following heavy rain disasters. It is sad when a railway line is discontinued, and I wholeheartedly agree with that. However, what is important for the communities along the line is not to preserve the railway at all costs, butto create a situation where residents can continue to use public transportation in the future. The progress made by JR East and the municipalities along the Tsugaru Line toward maintaining sustainable public transportation will undoubtedly be a focus of attention for other regions across the country that are facing the problem of unprofitable local lines.
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