Now there are over 85 round trips a day! The story of how the Tohoku Shinkansen became what it is today
The Tohoku Shinkansen , often called the "main artery of Eastern Japan" connecting the Kanto and Tohoku regions , opened its first section on June 23, 1982. At the time of its opening, the Tohoku Shinkansen looked quite different from what it is today, with different starting and ending points. What stages did it take to become what it is today?
Current Tohoku Shinkansen
As of 2026, the Tohoku Shinkansen is a 674.9km line connecting Tokyo Station in Chiyoda Ward, Tokyo, to Shin-Aomori Station in Aomori City , Aomori Prefecture. The entire line is under the jurisdiction of JR East. Along the way, it passes through stations such as Omiya Station in Saitama Prefecture, Utsunomiya Station and Nasushiobara Station in Tochigi Prefecture, Koriyama Station and Fukushima Station in Fukushima Prefecture, Sendai Station in Miyagi Prefecture, and Morioka Station in Iwate Prefecture.
The main trains running on the Tohoku Shinkansen include trains that operate entirely within the Tohoku Shinkansen line (Nasuno, Yamabiko, Hayabusa) and trains that run directly between the Tohoku Shinkansen and the Hokkaido Shinkansen, which are connected at Shin-Aomori Station (Hayabusa, Hayate). These types of trains alone operate more than 85 round trips per day
In addition, Joetsu Shinkansen and Hokuriku Shinkansen trains also run on the Tohoku Shinkansen tracks from Tokyo Station to Omiya Station. As a result, this section has a very busy schedule, with as many as 15 trains per hour running in each direction
Some Hayabusa trains, which have fewer stops, run coupled with Komachi trains on the Akita Shinkansen line. The Akita Shinkansen connects Tokyo Station and Akita Station, and runs on the Tohoku Shinkansen tracks from Tokyo Station to Morioka Station, where it is coupled with Hayabusa trains
The main reason for this coupled operation is the high frequency of trains running between Tokyo Station and Omiya Station, as mentioned earlier. By coupling two trains together, it's possible to operate as many trains as possible
Furthermore, the Hayabusa and Komachi trains reach a maximum speed of 320 km/h between Utsunomiya Station and Morioka Station, making them the fastest trains currently operating in Japan.
Some "Yamabiko" trains run coupled with the "Tsubasa" trains of the Yamagata Shinkansen. The Yamagata Shinkansen connects Tokyo Station with Yamagata Station and Shinjo Station in Yamagata Prefecture, and runs on the Tohoku Shinkansen tracks between Tokyo Station and Fukushima Station
Tohoku Shinkansen plan
The Tohoku Shinkansen was first conceived in the "New National Comprehensive Development Plan," approved by the Cabinet in 1969. At that time, Japan only had the Tokaido Shinkansen, connecting Tokyo Station and Shin-Osaka Station, and the Sanyo Shinkansen between Shin-Osaka Station and Hakata Station was still under construction. Furthermore, the various JR companies did not yet exist; the Japanese National Railways (JNR) operated all railways throughout the country, including the Shinkansen
The following year, in 1970, a law called the "National Shinkansen Railway Development Law" (commonly known as the "Zenkan Law") was promulgated with the aim of developing Shinkansen lines throughout the country. Based on this law, plans for three lines were established in 1971: the Tohoku Shinkansen , the Joetsu Shinkansen, and the Narita Shinkansen (construction began but it never opened) .
However, at this point, the section of the Tohoku Shinkansen line whose development plan had been decided was the section from Tokyo through the vicinity of Utsunomiya City and Sendai City to Morioka City
Table 1 Three routes for which development plans were established in 1971
| Route name | starting point | the last stop | Major transit points |
| Tohoku Shinkansen | Tokyo | Morioka City | Near Utsunomiya City, near Sendai City |
| Joetsu Shinkansen | Tokyo | Niigata City | |
| Narita Shinkansen (never realized) | Tokyo | Narita City (Chiba Prefecture) |
The significance of constructing the Tohoku Shinkansen goes beyond simply enabling high-speed travel. The Tohoku Main Line, which runs parallel to the Tohoku Shinkansen, had a very large number of trains running on it before the Shinkansen opened. It is said that the number of trains was comparable to the number of trains on the Tokaido Main Line before the Tokaido Shinkansen opened, so it is likely that increasing the number of trains was no longer feasible
With the opening of the Tohoku Shinkansen, it was able to take over most of the role previously played by the limited express trains that ran on the Tohoku Main Line,allowing for an increase in the number of other trains. This is one of the major benefits of the opening of the Tohoku Shinkansen.
Two years after the plan to extend the Tohoku Shinkansen to Morioka City was decided, in 1973, plans for the development of five additional lines, including those north of Morioka Station, were established. These five lines are collectively known as the "Development Shinkansen."
Table 2: Five lines known as the Shinkansen (bullet train) lines under development
| Route name | starting point | the last stop | Major transit points |
| Hokkaido Shinkansen | Aomori City | Sapporo City | Near Hakodate City (Hokkaido), near Otaru City (same location) |
| Tohoku Shinkansen | Morioka City | Aomori City | Near Hachinohe City (Aomori Prefecture) |
| Hokuriku Shinkansen | Tokyo | Osaka City | Near Nagano City, near Toyama City, near Obama City (Fukui Prefecture) |
| Kyushu Shinkansen Kagoshima Route | Fukuoka City | Kagoshima City | Near Kumamoto City, near Sendai City (present-day Satsumasendai City, Kagoshima Prefecture) |
| Kyushu Shinkansen - Nagasaki Route (West Kyushu Shinkansen) | Fukuoka City | Nagasaki City | Near Saga City |
Regarding the route from Morioka City to Aomori City, a fierce competition ensued over whether to take the eastern route via Hachinohe City in Aomori Prefecture, or the western route via Odate City in Akita Prefecture and Hirosaki City in Aomori Prefecture
Ultimately, the Tohoku Shinkansen was rerouted to an eastern route, based on the existence of a plan for the "Uetsu Shinkansen," which would connect Toyama City, Niigata City, and Aomori City via the Sea of Japan coast. However, even now, more than 50 years after the plan was formulated, there are still no concrete plans for the Uetsu Shinkansen. The current situation is far from the original vision of having Shinkansen lines running along both the Pacific and Sea of Japan sides of the Tohoku region.
There is an article that explains the plans for the Uetsu Shinkansen, so please refer to it for more information
Opened the business while unable to travel to either Tokyo or Aomori Prefecture
On June 23, 1982, the Tohoku Shinkansen opened its section from Omiya Station to Morioka Station . The Tohoku Shinkansen, which was planned to connect Tokyo and Aomori Prefecture, opened without being able to travel to either destination
As already explained, the initial plan for the Tohoku Shinkansen was to extend from Tokyo to Morioka City, which is why the first section to open in the north ended at Morioka
On the other hand, the reason the line only goes as far south as Omiya is because construction work south of Omiya Station was delayed. Construction stagnation and partial changes to the plan occurred mainly due to opposition movements from local municipalities along the line, making it impossible to open the line in 1982
Since it wasn't possible to board the Tohoku Shinkansen directly from stations in Tokyo, a special train called the " Shinkansen Relay " was operated between Ueno Station and Omiya Station on the Tohoku Main Line to allow passengers to transfer to the Shinkansen . The journey time between Ueno Station and Omiya Station was approximately 25 minutes.
The trains used when the line first opened were the 200 series. At the time of opening, they operated at a maximum speed of 210 km/h, but this was later increased to 240 km/h
The opening on June 23, 1982, was designated as a "provisional opening," and the number of trains listed in the timetable was limited to 18 trains per day in each direction, even including trains that operated on limited days (10 trains if limited to trains that operated daily). At this point, a certain number of limited express trains were still operating on the parallel Tohoku Main Line.
For example, the "Hatsukari" train, which ran between Ueno Station and Aomori Station on the Tohoku Main Line, continued to operate at this point. However, while the "Hatsukari" took about 6 hours to travel from Omiya Station to Morioka Station, the Tohoku Shinkansen's "Yamabiko" covered the same distance in 3 hours and 17 minutes. It is presumed that the majority of people who used the "Hatsukari" switched to using the Shinkansen at this point
At the time of the provisional opening, the train service patterns were limited
- The "Yamabiko" train connects Omiya and Sendai, making stops at Utsunomiya, Koriyama, and Fukushima along the way
- The "Yamabiko" train connects Omiya and Morioka, making stops at Utsunomiya, Koriyama, Fukushima, Sendai, Furukawa, Ichinoseki, and Kitakami along the way
- The "Aoba" train connects Omiya and Sendai, stopping at every station along the way (Oyama, Utsunomiya, Nasushiobara, Shin-Shirakawa, Koriyama, Fukushima, and Shiroishi-Zao)
There are only these three types
Five months from now, on November 15th, the Tohoku Shinkansen will have its "full opening." The number of trains has been significantly increased to 30 in each direction per day. Among the increased trains are trains with patterns that did not exist during the provisional opening, such as the "Aoba from Sendai to Morioka" and the "Aoba from Omiya to Nasushiobara."
Furthermore, express trains on the Tohoku Main Line were generally suspended, with the exception of through trains to other lines and overnight trains
On this same day, the Joetsu Shinkansen line, connecting Omiya Station and Niigata Station, also opened for business
Extension to Ueno Station and Tokyo Station
On March 14, 1985, the Tohoku Shinkansen was extended from Omiya Station to Ueno Station in Taito Ward, Tokyo. It took nearly three years from the provisional opening to finally reach central Tokyo. Naturally, the "Shinkansen Relay" service was discontinued
At the same time, the maximum speed of the Tohoku Shinkansen will be increased from 210 km/h to 240 km/h. In addition, trains with significantly fewer stops (stopping only at Omiya, Fukushima, and Sendai, or Omiya, Koriyama, and Sendai) will be introduced within the Yamabiko service, resulting in a minimum travel time of 2 hours and 45 minutes between Ueno Station and Morioka Station
Then,on June 20, 1991, the linewas finally extended to Tokyo Station. Japanese National Railways (JNR) had been dismantled in 1987, and the era of JR had already begun.
The newly extended line between Tokyo and Omiya now also carries Joetsu Shinkansen trains. Originally, the Joetsu Shinkansen was planned to run on a separate line from the Tohoku Shinkansen from Omiya Station, with Shinjuku Station as its Tokyo starting point. However, it ended up running on the Tohoku Shinkansen line and connecting to Ueno and Tokyo stations, resulting in the congested timetable that continues to this day
Opening of the Yamagata Shinkansen and Akita Shinkansen
On July 1, 1992, the Yamagata Shinkansen opened, providing direct service between Tokyo Station and Yamagata Station.As mentioned earlier, the Yamagata Shinkansen train, "Tsubasa," not only runs on the Tohoku Shinkansen tracks from Tokyo Station to Fukushima Station, but also, in principle, operates coupled with the Tohoku Shinkansen's "Yamabiko" train.
On March 22, 1997, the Akita Shinkansen line between Tokyo Station and Akita Station opened. The Akita Shinkansen's "Komachi" train also runs coupled with Tohoku Shinkansen trains from Tokyo Station to Morioka Station
Approximately six months later, on October 1st, the train names on the Tohoku Shinkansen were revised. As for "Aoba," all train names were changed to either " Nasuno" (initially operating between Tokyo Station and Nasushiobara Station), a new name introduced in 1995 , or "Yamabiko," and the "Aoba" train name was abolished. While it is common for train names to disappear without a trace on conventional lines, it is a rare occurrence on the Shinkansen.
The emergence and disappearance of double-decker Shinkansen trains
the Tohoku Shinkansenoperated double-decker trains. They first appeared in 1990, with double-decker cars added to some 200 series train sets. These trains were designed to improve service, featuring amenities such as cafeterias and private compartments.
Furthermore, in 1994, the E1 series train debuted, a 12-car train entirely composed of double-decker cars, designed to increase seating capacity for commuters using the Shinkansen . In 1997, the E4 series train appeared, an improved all-double-decker Shinkansen, consisting of 8-car trains that could be coupled together to form a 16-car train.
Trains using the E1 and E4 series had nicknames"Max Yamabiko," "Max Aoba," and "Max Nasuno,"making them easy to distinguish.
The aim of increasing seating capacity was reasonable at the time of its introduction. However, as the Tohoku Shinkansen was later extended towards Aomori City, the double-decker trains, which could only reach speeds of 240 km/h, became a bottleneck as they could not keep up with the increased speed. Furthermore, the difficulty of making them barrier-free due to their double-decker design was also a drawback
By 2012, all double-decker trains had been withdrawn from the Tohoku Shinkansen. Although they continued to be used on the Joetsu Shinkansen, all of them were retired by 2021, and unfortunately, there arecurrently no double-decker trains operating on Japan's Shinkansen lines.
The plan had temporarily stalled north of Morioka
In 1982, during the Japanese National Railways (JNR) era, the Tohoku Shinkansen line in the Tohoku region had opened as far as Morioka Station, but construction further north had not progressed. This was due to the deteriorating financial situation of JNR at the time
Although the construction freeze was finally lifted in 1987, the Tohoku Shinkansen development plan decided upon in 1992 after the lifting of the freeze involved improving the Tohoku Main Line in some sections to allow Shinkansen trains to run on it (similar to the Yamagata and Akita Shinkansen, this would be a mini-Shinkansen system where Shinkansen and conventional lines run directly together). While this would reduce construction costs, the time-saving effect would be somewhat limited because trains could not reach high speeds on the improved conventional line sections
In response, Aomori Prefecture and others demanded that the entire section be made into a genuine Shinkansen (full-standard Shinkansen), andultimately itwas decided that the entire section would be made into a full-standard Shinkansen.
Opening of the entire section
After the decision was made to construct the line to full specifications, extension work proceeded. On December 1, 2002, the Tohoku Shinkansen extended from Morioka Station to Hachinohe Station in Aomori Prefecture . At this time, the "Hayate" was introduced as the fastest train with fewer stops than the "Yamabiko" . The E2 series train, which debuted in 1997, was put into service for the "Hayate". The E2 series has a top speed of 275 km/h.
Then, on December 4, 2010, eight years after the line opened to Hachinohe Station , the extension to Shin-Aomori Station was finally completed. A full 37 years had passed since the development plan from Morioka City to Aomori City was established in 1973. Nevertheless, it was the first of the five Shinkansen lines whose development was decided in 1973 to be fully opened (*).
*The Kyushu Shinkansen Kagoshima route was fully opened four months later, on March 12, 2011. On the other hand, the Hokkaido Shinkansen has sections that have not yet opened, and the Hokuriku Shinkansen and the Kyushu Shinkansen Nagasaki route (West Kyushu Shinkansen) have sections that have not yet begun construction
Table 3 Opening dates for each section of the Tohoku Shinkansen
| Order of opening | section | Date of establishment |
| 3 | Tokyo to Ueno | June 20, 1991 (Heisei 3) |
| 2 | Ueno to Omiya | March 14, 1985 (Showa 60) |
| 1 | Omiya to Morioka | June 23, 1982 (Provisional opening) November 15, 1982 (Full opening) |
| 4 | Morioka to Hachinohe | December 1, 2002 (Heisei 14) |
| 5 | Hachinohe to Shin-Aomori | December 4, 2010 (Heisei 22) |
The arrival of "Hayabusa"
Shortly after the entire line opened, on March 5, 2011,the "Hayabusa" (*), using the new E5 series train, began operation. At that time, its top speed was 300 km/h. It was thought that it would replace the "Hayate," which had been operated with the E2 series, and establish itself as the fastest train on the Tohoku Shinkansen.
*Although the nickname "Hayabusa" was decided based on the results of a public contest, there were many objections at the time, such as that it should have been named "Hatsukari," which was the top choice in the contest
However, just six days later, an unprecedented disaster struck, severely damaging the Tohoku Shinkansen and forcing it to suspend operations. Full service resumed on April 29th. Speed restrictions continued on some sections even after that, and it wasn't until September 23rd, six months after the disaster, that the pre-disaster schedule returned to normal
With the timetable revision on March 16, 2013, the maximum speed of some "Hayabusa" trains using the E5 series was increased to 320 km/h, reducing the travel time between Tokyo Station and Shin-Aomori Station to a minimum of 2 hours and 59 minutes. For those who remember the time when the Tohoku Main Line's limited express "Hatsukari" took about 9 hours to travel between Ueno Station and Aomori Station, this must feel like a completely different era.
With the timetable revision on March 15, 2014, the maximum speed of all "Hayabusa" trains was increased. At this point, it could be said that the Tohoku Shinkansen had largely reached its current form
Furthermore, having lost its status as the fastest express train, the number of Hayate trains and routes served have been gradually reduced. As of 2026, it has been reduced to only one round trip per day between Morioka Station and Shin-Hakodate-Hokuto Station, and one round trip per day between Shin-Aomori Station and Shin-Hakodate-Hokuto Station (without operating on the Tohoku Shinkansen line)
The future of the Tohoku Shinkansen
On March 26, 2016, the Hokkaido Shinkansen line between Shin-Aomori and Shin-Hakodate-Hokuto opened. Along with this,the Tohoku Shinkansen's "Hayabusa" and "Hayate" trains began through service with the Hokkaido Shinkansen. Additionally, JR Hokkaido's H5 series trains debuted and began operating on the Tohoku Shinkansen line.
Construction is underway to extend the Hokkaido Shinkansen to Sapporo Station. The extension is scheduled to open around the end of fiscal year 2038, which is still a long way off, but once it opens,direct trains from Tokyo to Sapporo are expected to operate. In addition, the Tohoku Shinkansen will be expected to play a more significant role in connecting the Tohoku region with Hokkaido.
The next generation of trains for the Tohoku Shinkansen has already been announced. These are the E10 series trains. While their top speed remains the same as the E5 series at 320 km/h, they aim to improve safety through measures such as shorter braking distances, enhanced services for passengers who wish to work or study on board, and expanded baggage transport
The Tohoku Shinkansen has played a significant role for over 40 years since its opening, but on the other hand, the fact that trains have separated twice while running coupled together, and that large-scale service disruptions have occurred frequently due to power outages, is a cause for concern, even though no passengers have been injured
More than anything else, I hope that the Tohoku Shinkansen will continue to be the main artery of the Tohoku region, as it has been in the past, it will also remain a safe and reliable mode of transportation that people can use with peace of mind
A former railway engineer and current freelance writer who has loved trains since childhood, his dream is to make train travel his career
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