In Japan, vehicles that run on rails are often called "trains," but there are also many diesel railcars that run on diesel fuel, mainly on local train lines in rural areas.
The Tohoku Main Line, known as the main artery of Tohoku, once operated special express trains called the "Echo Morioka" and "Echo Aomori" in the late Showa period. These trains are probably quite little known.
Currently, there are many electric trains running on Japanese railways, but because electric trains basically require continuous external power supply, they cannot run on lines without power facilities.
In addition to passenger trains, the JR Tohoku Main Line, Iwate Galaxy Railway Line, and Aoimori Railway Line, which run through the Tohoku region, also operate numerous freight trains. And at the head of these freight trains...
Until about 40 years ago (2025), there was an express train that ran from Kanazawa Station in Ishikawa Prefecture to Aomori Station in Aomori Prefecture, taking over 12 hours. The train was called the "Shirayuki" express.
Regarding the Owani Line, a railway line operated by the Aomori Prefecture private railway company, Konan Railway, the company intends to suspend train operations at the end of fiscal year 2027.
It's fair to say that electric trains are the mainstay of Japan's railways today. Furthermore, on routes where electricity for running electric trains is unavailable (non-electrified routes), diesel railcars, which run on diesel fuel, are used...
There is a railway that runs along the Pacific coast of Iwate Prefecture. It is called the Sanriku Railway's Rias Line. The last railway to open along the Sanriku coast, the Sanriku Railway has continued to operate despite being damaged by the disaster.
In the railway industry, "electrification" refers to the ability to supply electricity to trains by, for example, stringing overhead wires (electrical cables) above the tracks. Generally, vehicles that run on rails are called "trains.".
When planning its construction, it is said that someone said, "Are you planning to let even monkeys ride on it?" This is the JR Yamada Line, which runs through Iwate Prefecture. What kind of line is the Yamada Line? Its history and...
