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

In the late Showa period, special express trains called the " Echo Morioka " and " Echo Aomori " operated on the Tohoku Main Line, known as the main artery of Tohoku.
legendary special express trains due to both their speed, which rivaled that of limited express trains, and the extremely short period in which they were in operation .

What is "Echo Morioka"?

The train equivalent to the "Echo Morioka" was born in the spring of 1971, during the days of the
Japanese National Railways, when JR had no presence and the Tohoku Shinkansen had not yet been built. The service was created to increase the frequency of the "Yamabiko" limited express train, which connected Tokyo Station and Ueno Station in Tokyo with Morioka Station in Iwate Prefecture via the Tohoku Main Line, during peak passenger periods.
However, since the 485 series electric trains used for the "Yamabiko" could not be procured, the frequency of the "Yamabiko" could not be increased.
Therefore, the 455 series electric trains, which were used for express trains, were used and operated as the special express "Morioka."

In the following year's timetable revision in March 1972, the express "Morioka" connecting Ueno Station and Morioka Station via the Joban Line was established as a regular train (a train that runs daily).
Therefore, the special express "Morioka" was renamed Echo Morioka

I couldn't find a clear explanation for the origin of the name "Echo," but since it stopped at few stations and was as fast as an express train, it was probably named after the idea that,
like the "Yamabiko," it could go from Morioka to Ueno and back in one day The fact that it could go and come back wasn't just a metaphor; the train actually departed Morioka Station in the morning, went to Ueno Station, and returned to Morioka Station in the evening.

According to the timetable from the timetable revision in March 1972, the "Echo Morioka" departed Morioka Station at 7:25 AM, stopping at five stations: Hanamaki, Kitakami, Mizusawa, Ichinoseki, and Kogota in Miyagi Prefecture, before arriving at Sendai Station at 9:34 AM. It
departed Sendai Station at 9:36 AM, stopping at five stations: Fukushima and Koriyama in Fukushima Prefecture, Kuroiso and Utsunomiya in Tochigi Prefecture, and Omiya in Saitama Prefecture, before arriving at Ueno Station at 1:58 PM, for a total journey time of 6 hours and 33 minutes.
Among the stations where the "Echo Yamabiko" stops, the only ones where the "Yamabiko 1" limited express train, which runs the same route, does not stop are Kuroiso and Omiya, so it's clear that the number of stops is as limited as that of limited express trains.
Looking at the travel time from Morioka to Ueno, the Yamabiko express took 6 hours and 4 minutes, while the Iwate express took around 7 hours and 10 minutes, so the Echo Morioka special express was so fast that it was hard to believe it was an express train.

The outbound train departs Ueno Station at 3:05 PM, passes through Omiya Station, stops at four stations (Utsunomiya, Kuroiso, Koriyama, and Fukushima), and arrives at Sendai Station at 7:15 PM. The
outbound train departs Sendai Station at 7:17 PM, stops at five stations (Kogota, Ichinoseki, Mizusawa, Kitakami, and Hanamaki), and arrives 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 special express " Echo Aomori " also ran between Sendai Station and Aomori Station in Aomori Prefecture.

The section between Morioka Station and Aomori Station is now run by a company called IGR Iwate Galaxy Railway, from Morioka Station to Metoki Station in Aomori Prefecture, and by Aoimori Railway, from Metoki Station to Aomori Station, but 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 see 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 one round trip per day.
According to the timetable for the fall of 1971, it departed Sendai Station at exactly 9:00 AM
(apparently it was a 455 series train, originally used for the "Abukuma" express train that ran from Shirakawa Station in Fukushima Prefecture to Sendai Station, but with extended service). It stopped
at five stations, including Shiogama, Iwate Prefecture (Ichinoseki, Mizusawa, Kitakami, and Hanamaki), before arriving at Morioka Station at 11:24 AM. It
departed Morioka Station at 11:26 AM, stopping at Kita-Fukuoka (now Ninohe), Aomori Prefecture (Hachinohe, Misawa, Noheji, and Asamushi Onsen), before arriving at Aomori Station at exactly 2:00 PM.
The journey time between Sendai and Morioka was 2 hours and 24 minutes, and the journey time between Morioka and Aomori was 2 hours and 34 minutes.
The Hatsukari limited express train, which runs on the Tohoku Main Line, takes about two hours for the former and about two 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 up train departed Aomori Station at 14:30, stopped at the same stations as the down train, and arrived at Morioka Station at 17:01.
The journey time to Morioka Station was 2 hours and 31 minutes, shorter than the down train.
203.9 km in 2 hours and 31 minutes 81 km/h , which is quite fast for a conventional train .
It departed Morioka Station at 17:03, stopping at the same stations as the down train, and was scheduled to arrive at Sendai Station at 19:27.

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" operated in the fall and winter of 1971, it was discontinued in March 1972 due to factors such as the introduction of the 455 series electric trains on the "Kurikoma" express train between Sendai Station and Aomori Station. The
"Echo Aomori" only ran for around six months, and on a limited number of days.

The "Echo Morioka" also ran until the summer of 1972, but in the fall, a large number of 485 series electric trains were added, making it possible to increase the frequency of "Yamabiko" trains (which was what JNR had originally wanted to do), so the "Echo Morioka" was discontinued.
This too only ran for just over a year, and what's more, it only ran under the "Echo Morioka" name in the spring and summer of 1972.

Both were eventually discontinued, but even so, it is rare to see a train with such a short service life, even if it was a special train.
The small number of stations it stopped at, unusual for an express train, and its extremely short service life made the "Echo Morioka" and "Echo Aomori" into legendary special express trains.

A surprising revival in the Reiwa era

A train named after a legendary special express train that ran in the late Showa era will now be running in the Reiwa era.
Aoimori Railway, which took over the Tohoku Main Line between Metoki Station and Aomori Station from JR East, will operate a special express tour train called "Echo 703 (Nanamarusan)" that runs between Aomori Station and Morioka Station on March 9th and 11th, 2025.

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 "Echo 703" departed Aomori Station at 10:15 AM, 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 PM.
It then departed Morioka Station at 2:35 PM, stopping at four stations just like the outbound train before arriving at Aomori Station at 5:04 PM. The
outbound train passed through 37 stations, taking 2 hours and 28 minutes.
As you can imagine from its name, this train is modeled after the "Echo Aomori," and while it was only three minutes shorter than the "Echo Aomori," it
was impressive that Aoimori Railway was able to bring out this legendary special express train.

As the name suggests, the train used was the Aoimori 703 series, which belonged to the Aoimori Railway.
This was the first time that the Aoimori 703 series was operated on the Iwate Galaxy Railway Line.
This point also bears a resemblance to the "Echo Aomori," which was the first JNR 455 series train to enter Aomori Station.
Perhaps the "Echo 703" will also become a legendary special train 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