Both times it had a short life... The tragic story of the limited express train "Aoba" [Miyagi Prefecture]
During the time when the Japanese National Railways (JNR), the predecessor of JR, still existed , there were two express trains nicknamed " Aoba ."
The name "Aoba" comes fromAoba, making it a very clear nickname that the train had ties to Sendai. However,both times the "Aoba" train ran,it was only for a short period, and currently there are no express trains named "Aoba" in service.
What is "Aoba"?
Before the limited express train "Aoba" was introduced,the express "Aoba." This express train, which mainly connected Ueno Station in Tokyo and Sendai Station in Miyagi Prefecture via the Tohoku Main Line (not via the Joban Line; the Tohoku Shinkansen had not yet opened at that time), was given the nickname "Aoba" in 1950.
The origin of the nickname is undoubtedly Aoba Castle, another name for Sendai Castle
The express train "Aoba" underwent several changes after its introduction, including extensions to its operating section, changes in the rolling stock used, and even conversion to an overnight train. Although it was described as "mainly connecting Ueno Station and Sendai Station," in reality, trains originating from or terminating at Akita Station or Aizu-Wakamatsu Station were also attached at different times
Later, in 1965, the "Aoba" service was extended to Morioka Station, and its name was changed to "Kitakami," at which point the "Aoba" service ceased to exist. It disappearedafter only 15 years since its nickname was given, but the subsequent limited express train also named "Aoba" had an even shorter lifespan.
Incidentally, an express train nicknamed "Kitakami" would reappear later. However, the "Kitakami" train that ran between Ueno Station and Morioka Station disappeared in the October 1968 timetable revision when it was incorporated into and renamed the express train "Iwate," so it has absolutely no relation to the "Kitakami" that appeared later
Then,in 1971, the limited express train "Aoba" was introduced. Its route was from Sendai Station to Akita Station.
The second "Aoba" limited express train appeared in June 1982, coinciding with the opening of the Tohoku Shinkansen. At that time, the section that opened ran from Omiya Station to Morioka Station, and two types of trains were introduced: the "Aoba," which stopped at every station, and the "Yamabiko," an express train that skipped some stations along the way.
Nowadays, Shinkansen trains are often simply referred to as "Shinkansen" and may not be consciously thought of as "express trains." However, Shinkansen trains are indeed a type of express train
However, to make the distinction easier, from now on we will refer to the limited express train that ran between Sendai Station and Akita Station as "Limited Express 'Aoba'", and the Tohoku Shinkansen "Aoba" as "Shinkansen 'Aoba'"
Limited Express "Aoba"
The limited express "Aoba" began operation on March 20, 1971, as a temporary limited express train connecting Sendai Station and Akita Station. It ran via the Tohoku Main Line, Kitakami Line, and Ou Main Line, with the main stations it passed through being Kitakami Station in Iwate Prefecture and Yokote Station and Omagari Station in Akita Prefecture.
Initially a special service, it was upgraded to a regular service (a train that operates daily in principle) a year later in March 1972
The limited express "Aoba" had several distinguishing features besides its short lifespan. First, itwas the first limited express train to operate entirely within the Tohoku region, and the first limited express train to run on the Kitakami Line. Before the introduction of "Aoba," there were express trains that operated entirely within the Tohoku region and limited express trains that connected the Tohoku region with other regions, but there were no limited express trains that operated entirely within the Tohoku region.
Another characteristic, which also contributed to its short lifespan, was that "itwas operated using rolling stock that was originally intended for other express trains."
The "Aoba" was a limited express train that could not have existed without the "Tsubasa" limited express train (not the current "Tsubasa" of the Yamagata Shinkansen) which at the time connected Tokyo Station/Ueno Station with Akita Station
(For more details about "Tsubasa," please see the article below.)
According to the March 1972 timetable, the "Tsubasa No. 1" train, which departed Tokyo Station at 7:20 AM, arrived at Akita Station at 3:10 PM, passing through stations such as Ueno, Fukushima, and Yamagata
The train that arrived as "Tsubasa No. 1" would return to Ueno the next day, but it did not remain waiting in the Akita depot. It would depart Akita Station at 5:30 PM as "Aoba" and arrive at Sendai Station at 9:20 PM. The stops along the way were Omagari, Yokote, Rikuchu-Kawajiri (now Hotto-Yuda), Kitakami, Ichinoseki, and Kogota
The following morning, it departs Sendai Station again as "Aoba" at exactly 8:00 AM, arriving at Akita Station at 11:50 AM. Then, as "Tsubasa No. 2," it departs Akita Station at 1:25 PM, embarking on another long journey, arriving at Ueno Station at 9:09 PM
This practice of reusing trains for different purposes between their primary uses is called " interim operation ."
During this period, several limited express trains were created through the use of trains in between service hours. For example, the limited express "Hitachi," which is now considered the flagship train of the Joban Line, initially used trains from the limited express "Inaho" (which at the time operated between Ueno Station and Akita Station) in between service hours when it was introduced in 1969
It is presumed that the "Aoba" was initially set up as a temporary train not to meet passenger demand, but rather out of the supplier's need to utilize the rolling stock during downtime, and was run on a trial basis. The fact that it was upgraded to a regular train just one year later suggests that it became popular as soon as it started running
The trains used for the "Tsubasa" and "Aoba" services were called KiHa 181 seriesdiesel railcars. Diesel railcars are vehicles that run primarily on diesel fuel. Unlike electric trains, which (basically) cannot run without an external power supply, diesel railcars can run on non-electrified lines that do not have power facilities. In 1970, the "Tsubasa" route included non-electrified lines, so the "Tsubasa" was operated using diesel railcars. Also, the Kitakami Line (Kitakami Station to Yokote Station), which the "Aoba" service runs on, is still non-electrified, but diesel railcars can operate on it without any problems.
However, the situation changed dramatically in 1975, four years after the start of "Aoba" service. With the electrification of the Ou Main Line completed in October, the rolling stock used for "Tsubasa" was changed from the KiHa 181 series diesel railcars to the 485 series electric railcars starting November 25th
The "Aoba" train service was based on the premise of using rolling stock originally intended for the "Tsubasa" service during off-peak hours. However, unlike diesel railcars, the 485 series electric trains cannot run on the non-electrified Kitakami Line, so it was not possible to operate the "Aoba" through this off-peak operation. As a result, the "Aoba" service was abruptly discontinued just four years after its inception
During the time when the limited express "Aoba" was running, the express train "Kitakami" was scheduled in its place. The "Kitakami" was a train that had been in service since before the introduction of the "Aoba," connecting Sendai Station and Aomori Station via Akita Station. Later, a "Kitakami" that connected Sendai Station and Akita Station (without going all the way to Aomori Station) was also introduced, and the "Kitakami" that appeared as a replacement after the discontinuation of the "Aoba" also operated between Sendai Station and Akita Station, taking over the route previously served by the "Aoba."
In short,the limited express "Aoba" hasbeen downgraded to the express train "Kitakami." While there have been many instances in the history of Japanese National Railways where express trains were upgraded to limited express trains, the reverse is quite rare.
There was a considerable difference in the quality of interior amenities between the limited express and express train cars (it was even common for express train cars not to have air conditioning). Also, the journey time between Sendai Station and Akita Station for the limited express "Aoba" was 3 hours and 50 minutes, while the express "Kitakami" took about 4 hours and 10 minutes, a slight increase in travel time. It is undeniable that the level of service declined with the discontinuation of the "Aoba."
With the discontinuation of the "Aoba" limited express, the Kitakami Line will be without limited express trains for some time (except when it is used as a detour due to damage to other lines). The only regularly scheduled limited express train to run on the Kitakami Line as its designated route after that will be the"Akita Relay" limited express.
The "Akita Relay" was a train service established because the Tazawako Line became unusable due to construction work for the opening of the Akita Shinkansen. It connected Kitakami Station and Akita Station via the Kitakami Line
Given its purpose, the "Akita Relay" service was discontinued in March 1997 with the opening of the Akita Shinkansen. Since then, no regular limited express trains have been scheduled on the Kitakami Line
Furthermore, the express train "Kitakami" was downgraded to a rapid train in 1982, and its operating section was changed to between Kitakami Station and Yuzawa Station. Later, the rapid train "Kitakami" was also discontinued
However, the direct transportation service between Sendai Station and Akita Station, which was previously handled by the "Aoba," is nowthe Akita Shinkansen "Komachi." The "Komachi" connects Sendai Station and Akita Station in just over two hours (this varies slightly depending on the train), representing a significant reduction in travel time compared to the days of the limited express "Aoba" and the express train "Kitakami" (*).
*While it's true that travel time has been shortened between Sendai Station and Akita Station, there are objections regarding other routes, such as between Kitakami Station and Akita Station
Shinkansen "Aoba"
The Tohoku Shinkansen line between Omiya Station and Morioka Station opened on June 23, 1982. Initially, the trains were given two names: "Yamabiko" and "Aoba." Now, "Aoba" is making a comeback after seven years.
Basically, the "Yamabiko" train ran the entire route from Omiya Station to Morioka Station, stopping at Utsunomiya, Koriyama, Fukushima, Sendai, and every station from Sendai to Morioka, as well as Furukawa, Ichinoseki, and Kitakami (Kurikoma-Kogen, Mizusawa-Esashi, and Shin-Hanamaki stations were not yet open at the time). The name "Yamabiko" was originally used for the Tohoku Main Line limited express train that ran between Ueno Station and Morioka Station, and was later adopted for the Tohoku Shinkansen
On the other hand, the Shinkansen"Aoba" stopped at every station from Omiya Station to Sendai Station. It was a train that started and ended at Sendai Station, and its route was close to that of the express train "Aoba" that had been running in the past, so it is presumed that this nickname was given to it.
With the timetable revision on November 15 of the same year, the "Aoba" train, which operates between Omiya Station and Nasushiobara Station (Tochigi Prefecture), also appeared, but basically, trains that stop at every station on the Tohoku Shinkansen line were given the name "Aoba"
However, the situation changed in 1987 when the Japanese National Railways (JNR) was privatized and split into the various JR companies, with JR East taking over the operation of the Tohoku Shinkansen
First, in 1995, trains that stopped at every station on the Tohoku Shinkansen line, specifically those operating between Tokyo Station and Nasushiobara Station, were given the new nicknames "Nasuno" or "Max Nasuno" (the "Max" designation had been used for all double-decker trains that debuted in 1994)
Prior to this, even trains that didn't go all the way to Sendai were given the nickname "Aoba," after Sendai Castle. It was reasonable to give a new nickname to the train that terminated at Nasushiobara Station. Subsequently, JR East further shifted its policy to give Shinkansen train nicknames based on the section of the route the train operated, rather than the number of stops
While trains terminating at Nasushiobara Station had already been renamed "Nasuno" and "Max Nasuno," with the timetable revision on October 1, 1997, trains going as far as Sendai were also given the nickname "Yamabiko" or "Max Yamabiko," regardless of whether they passed through any stations
Consequently,the nicknames "Aoba" and "Max Aoba"have been discontinued. While not as short-lived as the limited express "Aoba," and trains that stopped at every station like the "Aoba" have not disappeared from the Tohoku Shinkansen, the nickname "Aoba" has been discontinued after 15 years. Whether 15 years is a short time is debatable, but considering that the frequency of nickname changes for Shinkansen trains is lower than that of conventional trains, it can certainly be considered a short lifespan.
Even on the Shinkansen, train names change from time to time. For example, "Max Yamabiko" disappeared with the retirement of double-decker trains. However, "Yamabiko" is still an active train name
In addition, the E6 series train had the nickname "Super Komachi" for only one year starting in March 2013 when it debuted. After a year, it was changed to "Komachi," and both the "Komachi" and the E6 series trains are still in service today
In contrast, "Aoba"was an unusual name for a Shinkansen train, and it has now completely disappeared without a trace. The only other similar name is "Asahi," which was the name for the express train on the Joetsu Shinkansen line.
The reason the "Asahi" service was discontinued was because it was easily confused with the "Asama" service on the Hokuriku Shinkansen line. Apparently, not only passengers but even JR employees could easily make the same mistake. With the discontinuation of the "Asahi," the "Toki" service (which had been discontinued under similar circumstances to the "Aoba") has been revived
Although the "Aoba" train service has been discontinued, occasional special trains run on the Tohoku Shinkansen under names such as "Omoide no Aoba" (Memories of Aoba) and "Natsukashi no Aoba-go" (Nostalgic Aoba). This is likely due to the popularity of the nickname, which was related to Sendai Castle, or perhaps because people regret the discontinuation of the name
In the future, as the environment surrounding the Tohoku Shinkansen changes, for example when the Hokkaido Shinkansen fully opens to Sapporo, if the need arises to give it a new nickname, it's possible that "Aoba," a nickname derived from Sendai Castle, might see the light of day again
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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