The legendary special express "Echo Morioka/Aomori" [Iwate Prefecture/Aomori Prefecture]

On the Tohoku Main Line, known as the main artery of Tohoku,Echo Morioka" and "Echo Aomorithere were temporary express trains called
both because of their speed, which was comparable to that of limited express trains, and because of the extremely short period during which they ranlegendary temporary express trainscalled

What is "Echo Morioka"?

The train equivalent to "Echo Morioka" was created in the spring of 1971, during the JNR (Japanese National Railways) era, when JR did not yet exist and the Tohoku Shinkansen had not yet been built.
It was established to increase the frequency of the limited express "Yamabiko," which connected Tokyo Station and Ueno Station in Tokyo with Morioka Station in Iwate Prefecture via the Tohoku Main Line, during peak seasons.
However, because the 485 series trains used for "Yamabiko" could not be secured, it was not possible to increase the frequency of "Yamabiko."
Therefore, the 455 series trains, which were used for express trains, were used to operate as the temporary express "Morioka."

In the timetable revision of March 1972, the following year, the express train "Morioka," connecting Ueno Station and Morioka Station via the Joban Line, was established as a regular train (a train that runs every day).
At that time, the temporary express train "Morioka"Echo Moriokawas renamed

The author could not find a clear explanation for the origin of the name "Echo," but since it had few stops and was as fast as an express train,like the "Yamabiko" (echo) train, it was possible to go from Morioka to Ueno and back in one dayit is thought that it was named in the sense that,
Furthermore, the round trip was not a metaphor; the schedule was actually set so that it would depart Morioka Station in the morning, go to Ueno Station, and return to Morioka Station in the evening.

According to the timetable from the March 1972 timetable revision, the "Echo Morioka" departed Morioka Station at 7:25 AM, stopping at five stations: Hanamaki, Kitakami, Mizusawa, Ichinoseki, and Kogota in Miyagi Prefecture, arriving at Sendai Station at 9:34 AM. Departing Sendai
Station at 9:36 AM, it stopped at five stations: Fukushima and Koriyama in Fukushima Prefecture, Kuroiso and Utsunomiya in Tochigi Prefecture, and Omiya in Saitama Prefecture, arriving at Ueno Station at 1:58 PM. The total travel time from Morioka Station to Ueno Station was 6 hours and 33 minutes.
Of the stations where the "Echo Yamabiko" stopped, only Kuroiso and Omiya were stations that the limited express "Yamabiko No. 1," which ran the same section, did not stop at, indicating that the number of stops was as limited as that of a limited express train.
Even considering the travel time from Morioka to Ueno, the limited express "Yamabiko" took 6 hours and 4 minutes, while the express "Iwate" took around 7 hours and 10 minutes. The temporary express "Echo Morioka" was truly remarkably fast for an express train.

The southbound train departed Ueno Station at 3:05 PM, passed through Omiya Station, stopped at Utsunomiya, Kuroiso, Koriyama, and Fukushima, and arrived at Sendai Station at 7:15 PM. It
departed Sendai Station at 7:17 PM, stopped at Kogota, Ichinoseki, Mizusawa, Kitakami, and Hanamaki, and arrived at Morioka Station at 9:37 PM.

During this period (spring 1972), the Echo Morioka operated for three days from March 18th to 20th and during the Golden Week holidays from April 28th to May 10th

What is "Echo Aomori"?

In the autumn and winter of 1971, a similar train called the temporary express "Echo Aomori" also operated between Sendai Station and Aomori Station in Aomori Prefecture.

Incidentally, the section from Morioka Station to Aomori Station is currently operated by IGR Iwate Galaxy Railway from Morioka Station to Metoki Station in Aomori Prefecture, and by Aoimori Railway from Metoki Station to Aomori Station. However, at the time, this section was also part of the Japanese National Railways' Tohoku Main Line.
For more information on the history of the Tohoku Main Line, please refer to this article.

Tohoku Rokken Trivia Media NEFT

The history of the Tohoku Main Line, which runs north to south through the Tohoku region

https://jp.neft.asia/archives/30079

The Tohoku Main Line, which runs north to south through the Tohoku region, was serviced by numerous limited express and express trains until the opening of the Tohoku Shinkansen in 1982. The line played a vital role in transporting people within the Tohoku region and between the Tokyo metropolitan area and the Tohoku region. The Tohoku Main Line's former terminus, Aomori Station, connected to the Seikan Ferry, providing access to Hokkaido. It also continues to play an important role today, providing commuter and student transportation in each region and freight trains connecting the Tokyo metropolitan area with the Tohoku and Hokkaido regions. This article explores the history of the Tohoku Main Line, highlighting the Nippon Railway Company, which formed the basis of the current Tohoku Main Line...

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The "Echo Aomori" also operated on a daily round-trip basis.
According to the timetable for the autumn of 1971, it departed Sendai Station at exactly 9:00
(it seems to have been operated by extending the service of the 455 series train that had been used for the express train "Abukuma" that had run from Shirakawa Station in Fukushima Prefecture to Sendai Station).
It stopped at Shiogama, and then at five stations in Iwate Prefecture: Ichinoseki, Mizusawa, Kitakami, and Hanamaki, arriving at Morioka Station at 11:24.
Departing Morioka Station at 11:26, it stopped at five stations in Aomori Prefecture: Kitafukuoka (now Ninohe), Hachinohe, Misawa, Noheji, and Asamushi (now Asamushi Onsen), arriving at Aomori Station at exactly 14:00.
The journey time between Sendai and Morioka was 2 hours and 24 minutes, and between Morioka and Aomori was 2 hours and 34 minutes.
The journey time for the limited express "Hatsukari" that runs along the Tohoku Main Line is about 2 hours for the former and about 2 hours and 20 minutes for the latter, so it is indeed as fast as a limited express train.

Tohoku Rokken Trivia Media NEFT

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

https://jp.neft.asia/archives/28372

When people living in the Tokyo metropolitan area visit the Tohoku region by public transportation, they often use bullet trains such as the Tohoku Shinkansen. However, the Tohoku Shinkansen only opened in 1982, about 40 years ago. Before then, what did people travel to the Tohoku region by? One option was the Hatsukari, the first limited express train to run through the Tohoku region. The Appearance of the Tohoku Region's First Limited Express Train: In the prewar and immediate postwar period, the limited express trains of the Japanese National Railways (the predecessor of today's JR) were truly special trains, as their official name "limited express train" suggests, and express trains were the main mode of long-distance travel.

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The northbound train departed Aomori Station at 2:30 PM, made the same stops as the southbound train, and arrived at Morioka Station at 5:01 PM.
The journey time to Morioka Station was 2 hours and 31 minutes, shorter than the southbound train.
2 hours and 31 minutes for 203.9 km, which is quite fast for a conventional line train81 km/h.
Departing Morioka Station at 5:03 PM, it made the same stops as the southbound train and was scheduled to arrive at Sendai Station at 7:27 PM.

It is also worth noting from a historical perspective that this was the first time that the 455 series train was operated north of Morioka Station

And to the legendary train..

The Echo Morioka and Echo Aomori trains have become legendary for their limited number of stops and average speeds that allow them to compete with express trains

However, although the "Echo Aomori" train ran during the autumn and winter of 1971, it ceased operation in March 1972 due to factors such as the introduction of the 455 series train on the "Kurikoma" express service between Sendai Station and Aomori Station.
The "Echo Aomori" train ran for only about six months, and only for a limited number of days.

The "Echo Morioka" service also ran until the summer of 1972, but in the autumn, a large number of 485 series trains were added, allowing for an increase in the number of "Yamabiko" services (which was what the Japanese National Railways had originally wanted to do), so the "Echo Morioka" service was also discontinued.
This service also ran for just over a year, and moreover, it only operated under the name "Echo Morioka" during the spring and summer of 1972.

Although both were eventually dissolved in a positive way, it's rare to find trains with such short operating periods, even among temporary trains.
The unusually few stops for an express train, combined with the extremely short operating period, made "Echo Morioka" and "Echo Aomori" legendary temporary express trains.

A surprising revival in the Reiwa era

A train named after a legendary temporary express train that ran in the late Showa era is now running in the Reiwa era.
The Aoimori Railway, which inherited the section of the Tohoku Main Line between Metoki Station and Aomori Station from JR East, operated a special tour express train called "Echo 703" (Nanamarusan) on March 9th and 11th, 2025, running round trip between Aomori Station and Morioka Station.

aoimorirailway.com

<Registration closed> Express Echo 703 Ride Tour | Aoimori Railway Co., Ltd

https://aoimorirailway.com/archives/41440

This is the official website of Aoimori Railway, which operates the Aomori-Megane Railway. You can find information about the company, fares, timetables, discount tickets, and events along the line

The express train "Echo 703" departs Aomori Station at 10:15, stopping at four stations: Asamushi Onsen, Noheji, Misawa, and Hachinohe, before arriving at its final destination, Morioka Station on the IGR Iwate Galaxy Railway, at 12:43.
Departing Morioka Station at 14:35, it makes the same four stops as on the outbound journey, arriving back at Aomori Station at 17:04. It
passes through 37 stations, and the journey time is 2 hours and 28 minutes compared to the outbound train.
As the name suggests, it is a train that truly evokes the image of "Echo Aomori," and its journey time is only 3 minutes shorter than "Echo Aomori." I am
impressed that the Aoimori Railway managed to bring back that legendary temporary express train.

As the name suggests, the train used was the Aoimori 703 series, a train belonging to the Aoimori Railway.
This was the first time the Aoimori 703 series had operated on the Iwate Galaxy Railway line.
In this respect, there is a similarity to the fact that the first train to enter Aomori Station using the JNR 455 series was the "Echo Aomori."
Perhaps the "Echo 703" will also become a legendary special train that people talk about in the future.

Yuto Ono

A former railway engineer and current freelance writer who has loved trains since childhood, his dream is to make train travel his career