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The Ginza Line, a subway line running through Tokyo, is famous as Japan's first " subway " (sometimes referred to as Asia's first). While there's no doubt that the Ginza Line was the first fully underground line in Japan, it wasn't actually the first "passenger train to run underground" in Japan. That first line was the JR Senseki Line, which runs through Miyagi Prefecture, or more precisely, its predecessor, the Miyagi Electric Railway .
What is the JR Senseki Line?
The JR Senseki Line is a JR East line that runs 49.0 km from Aoba-dori Station in Aoba Ward, Sendai City, Miyagi Prefecture, to Ishinomaki Station in Ishinomaki City. Sendai Station, one stop away from Aoba-dori Station, is the representative station of Sendai City, the largest city in the Tohoku region. " Senseki Line" comes from the fact that it is a line that connects Sendai and Ishinomaki.
The Senseki Line not only transports commuters and students east of Sendai City, but also provides intercity transport between Sendai City and municipalities along the line, such as Tagajo City, Shiogama City, Matsushima Town, and Ishinomaki City, as well as transport to tourist destinations such as Matsushima. JR East has announced that the number of passengers per kilometer per day (average number of passengers) for fiscal year 2023 is 39,625 between Aoba-dori Station and Higashi-Shiogama Station, 7,371 between Higashi-Shiogama Station and Ishinomaki Station, and 18,693 for the entire section between Aoba-dori Station and Ishinomaki Station. Senseki the highest average number of passengers among all JR East lines that do not pass through the Tokyo metropolitan area .
Matsushima sightseeing boat
The origins of the Senseki Line
The Senseki Line was established in June 1925 (Taisho 14). a line operated by the Japanese National Railways, the predecessor of JR, but . The first section to open was from Sendai Station to Nishi-Shiogama Station, and was subsequently extended until the entire line was opened to Ishinomaki Station in 1928.
The Miyagi Electric Railway's starting point was Sendai Station (Miyaden Sendai Station), but it was eyeing an extension to the prefectural office area west of Sendai Station. Therefore, the section from Miyaden Sendai Station to Higashi-Nanabancho Station ran underground, allowing it to extend westward while avoiding the level crossing with the JNR Tohoku Main Line (as I will explain again later, this underground section no longer exists). In the history of Japanese railways, this was the first time that a commercial passenger train ran underground . The Tokyo Subway Ginza Line (then called the Tokyo Underground Railway), which is said to be "Japan's first subway," opened between Asakusa Station and Ueno Station at the end of 1927, two and a half years after the opening of the Miyagi Electric Railway.
During the war in 1944, the Miyagi Electric Railway line was purchased by the government and became the Senseki Line of the Japanese National Railways. The reason for nationalization is thought to be that the line was dotted with military facilities such as factories and airfields.
The Senseki Line was part of the Japanese National Railways and later became a JR line, but traces of its original existence as a private railway still remain. Private railways generally use DC electricity to provide the power needed for trains to run. However, most of the electrified JR lines in the Tohoku region were electrified with AC after the war. However, the Senseki Line is the only JR line in the Tohoku region to be DC-electrified. This is because the Senseki Line was DC-electrified from the moment it opened as a private railway .
After the war, in 1952, the Senseki Line's Sendai Station platform, which was located underground on the west side of the station, was moved above ground to the east side of the station. As a result, Japan's first underground railway section was abolished and became a thing of the past.
Back underground
The section near Sendai Station was moved above ground in 1952, but the level crossings required for the line to run above ground caused problems with traffic congestion. As a result, it was decided to put the section of the Senseki Line near Sendai Station (the section west of Nukutake Station in Miyagino Ward) underground again, with a groundbreaking ceremony held in 1985 and the underground tracks opening 15 years later in 2000. This construction project not only took the Senseki Line underground, but also shortened the route and extended the line to the newly built Aoba-dori Station west of Sendai Station.
Senseki Tohoku Line begins operation
As the Senseki Line runs along the Pacific coast of Miyagi Prefecture, it suffered significant damage in the Great East Japan Earthquake that occurred in 2011. Restoration took time, especially between Takajo-cho Station and Rikuzen-Ono Station, and after construction work such as relocating the tracks to higher ground and inland, train service resumed on the entire Senseki Line on May 30, 2015, more than four years after the disaster.
The former Nobiru Station platform in Higashimatsushima City, preserved as a relic from the earthquake disaster
Senseki Tohoku Line also began operation at the same time as the full line resumed operation . Senseki Tohoku Line trains run on the JR Tohoku Main Line from Sendai Station to Matsushima Station, then transfer to the Senseki Line via a connecting track that connects the Tohoku Main Line and Senseki Line tracks from Matsushima Station, and then run on the Senseki Line from Takajo-cho Station to Ishinomaki Station. By running on the Tohoku Main Line instead of the Senseki Line for a while from Sendai Station, trains can travel at higher speeds than if they were running on the Senseki Line, reducing the travel time from Sendai Station to Takajo-cho Station and beyond advantage is that Senseki Tohoku Line trains depart and arrive from the above-ground Tohoku Main Line platform rather than the underground Senseki Line platform at Sendai Station , making it more convenient to get on and off at Sendai Station
The Tohoku Main Line is electrified by AC, while the Senseki Line is electrified by DC, so the power sources for the trains are different. For this reason, trains on the Senseki Tohoku Line use the HB-E210 series hybrid diesel railcars (cars that run on power from an onboard diesel generator and battery) which can operate regardless of the electrification method.
HB-E210 series hybrid diesel railcars deployed on the Senseki Tohoku Line
Date SATONO using the HB-E300 series sometimes runs via the Senseki Tohoku Line. Please see this article for more information about SATONO which mainly runs on the Ban'etsu
Since 2003, the Senseki Line has been running a decorated train called Mangattan Liner This train is named after the late famous manga artist Shotaro Ishinomori , who had a connection to the Nakase area of Ishinomaki City during his lifetime, and whose Ishinomori Manga Museum is located here. The name "Mangattan" was thought up by Ishinomori himself, as the Nakase area is located on an island in the middle of a river, and is similar in location to Manhattan in New York, USA.
The latest Mangattan Liner is the fourth generation, which was introduced in 2022, and two of the HB-E210 series trains currently in service on the Senseki Tohoku Line are decorated with the design. Every Sunday, Ishinomori Manga Museum offers a service where passengers who ride the Mangattan Liner and get off at Ishinomaki Station will receive a commemorative boarding certificate (information current as of December 2024).
In addition, two four-car 205 series trains used on the Senseki Line (trains that run on the Senseki Line for the entire section from Sendai Station to Ishinomaki Station) have also been wrapped
205 series trains deployed on the Senseki Line (on the left is the Senseki Line Mangattan Liner II)
The underground section of the Senseki Line when it first opened as the Miyagi Electric Railway is little known as it no longer exists, but it was the first section in Japan where a passenger train ran underground. It still carries many passengers today, including commuters to and from the Sendai metropolitan area, making it a unique line among the railways of the Tohoku region, which are struggling with declining passenger numbers. It will likely continue to be an essential part of the transportation network along Miyagi Prefecture's Pacific coast.
