| Tōhoku Shinkansen | |||
|---|---|---|---|
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 E5 Series Shinkansen set U2 coupled to anE6 Series Shinkansen set on aHayabusa service towards Tokyo, August 2023 | |||
| Overview | |||
| Native name | 東北新幹線 | ||
| Status | Operational | ||
| Owner | |||
| Locale | Tokyo;Saitama,Tochigi,Fukushima,Miyagi,Iwate andAomori Prefectures | ||
| Termini | |||
| Stations | 23 | ||
| Color on map | Green (#41934c) | ||
| Service | |||
| Type | High-speed rail (Shinkansen) | ||
| System | Shinkansen | ||
| Services | |||
| Operator(s) |  JR East | ||
| Depot(s) | Tokyo, Oyama, Nasushiobara, Sendai, Morioka, Shin-Aomori | ||
| Rolling stock | |||
| History | |||
| Opened | 23 June 1982; 43 years ago (1982-06-23) (Ōmiya –Morioka) 4 December 2010; 14 years ago (2010-12-04) (Full line) | ||
| Technical | |||
| Line length | 674.9 km (419.4 mi) | ||
| Number of tracks | Double-track | ||
| Track gauge | 1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in)standard gauge | ||
| Minimum radius | 4,000 m (2.5 mi; 13,000 ft) | ||
| Electrification | Overhead line, 25 kV 50 Hz AC | ||
| Operating speed | 110 km/h (68 mph) (Tokyo to Ueno),[1] 130 km/h (81 mph) (Ueno to Omiya)[1] 320 km/h (200 mph) Around 2030: 360 km/h (225 mph)[2] | ||
| Signalling | Cab signalling | ||
| Train protection system | DS-ATC | ||
| |||
TheTōhoku Shinkansen (東北新幹線) is a Japanese high-speedShinkansen rail line that runs through the more sparsely populatedTōhoku region of Japan's main island,Honshu. Operated by theEast Japan Railway Company, it linksTokyo in the south toAomori in the north, with stops in population centers such asMorioka,Koriyama,Fukushima,Hachinohe, andSendai. With a route length of 674.9 km (419.4 mi), it is Japan's longest Shinkansen line. It also has the highest operating speeds on the Shinkansen network, reaching a maximum of 320 km/h (199 mph) on a 387.5 km (241 mi) section betweenUtsunomiya andMorioka.
The first section of the Tōhoku Shinkansen opened in 1982 betweenŌmiya and Morioka, with additional sections gradually built over the following decades; the final section betweenHachinohe andShin-Aomori was completed in 2010. A continuation of the line opened as theHokkaido Shinkansen in 2016, which links Shin-Aomori toShin-Hakodate-Hokuto via theSeikan Tunnel. The Tōhoku Shinkansen also has twoMini-Shinkansen branch lines, theYamagata Shinkansen andAkita Shinkansen. Future plans include ongoing upgrade work to increase operating speeds throughout the line.
Four services currently operate on the Tōhoku Shinkansen, the all-stopNasuno, and the limited-stopYamabiko,Hayate, andHayabusa, with the latter two providing through service onto the Hokkaido Shinkansen. As of 2021, the fastest travel times between Tokyo and Shin-Aomori are on theHayabusa service, at 2 hours and 58 minutes.[3] The Mini-Shinkansen also provides through service from Tokyo via the Tōhoku Shinkansen; typically,Tsubasa andKomachi trains are coupled toHayabusa,Yamabiko, orNasuno trains at Tokyo and are decoupled at Fukushima and Morioka respectively, where they continue on to their Mini-Shinkansen lines.
There are four services in operation:
One service has been discontinued:
Through trains on theAkita Shinkansen andYamagata Shinkansen lines also run on Tōhoku Shinkansen tracks fromMorioka andFukushima respectively.
As of March 2021, the maximum line speed is 110 km/h (68 mph) between Tokyo and Ueno, 130 km/h (81 mph) between Ueno and Ōmiya, 275 km/h (171 mph) between Ōmiya and Utsunomiya, 320 km/h (199 mph) between Utsunomiya and Morioka, and 260 km/h (162 mph) between Morioka and Shin-Aomori.[4][5][1]
On 30 October 2012, JR East announced that it is pursuing research and development to increase speeds to 360 km/h (224 mph) on the Tohoku Shinkansen.[6] Work seems to be ongoing to upgrade the section between Morioka and Shin-Aomori to 320 km/h (199 mph), primarily in the form of improved sound barriers. This should make operating at 360 km/h (224 mph) possible, if the improved noise dampening techniques being tested using theALFA-X test train are successful.[7] Upgrade works on this section started in October 2020, and are expected to take seven years to complete.[8]
Legend:
| ● | All trains stop |
|---|---|
| ▲ | Some trains stop |
| | | All trains pass |
Notes:
OnlyHayabusa trains bound for Morioka stop at all or selected stations between Furukawa and Shin-Hanamaki. All trains bound for Shin-Aomori and Shin-Hakodate-Hokuto will pass them.
Yamabiko trains runs limited-stop to Sendai, and all-stations to Morioka. As a result,Tsubasa trains only couple with those trains bound for Sendai.
As of March 2024, the following types are used on Tohoku Shinkansen services.
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From Shin-Aomori, the line continues toShin-Hakodate inHokkaido (148.9 km or 92.5 mi, since March 26, 2016 under the nameHokkaido Shinkansen), passing through the world's longest undersea railway tunnel, theSeikan Tunnel. A further 211.3 km (131.3 mi) extension toSapporo is due to open by 2039, being pushed back from 2030.[17]
The mountainous terrain that the line passes through has necessitated heavy reliance on tunnels. TheIwate-Ichinohe Tunnel on the Morioka–Hachinohe stretch, completed in 2000, was briefly the world's longest land rail tunnel at 25.8 km (16.0 mi), but in 2005 it was superseded by theHakkōda Tunnel on the extension to Aomori, at 26.5 km (16.5 mi). In 2007 theLötschberg Base Tunnel (34.57 km or 21.48 mi), and in 2010 theGotthard Base Tunnel (57 km or 35 mi, bored through and due in service by 2016) inSwitzerland superseded both.
On the afternoon of 11 March 2011, services on the Tohoku Shinkansen were suspended as a result of theTōhoku earthquake and tsunami. JR East estimated that around 1,100 repairs would be required for the line between Omiya and Iwate-Numakunai, ranging from collapsed station roofs to bent power pylons.[18]
Limited service on the line was restored in segments: Tokyo toNasushiobara was re-opened on 15 March, and Morioka to Shin-Aomori was re-opened on 22 March.[19] The line between Morioka andIchinoseki re-opened on 7 April, Nasushiobara and Fukushima on 12 April, and the rest of the line on or around 30 April, although not at full speed or a full schedule.[20][21][22] The trains returned to full-speed operations on 23 September 2011.[23]
Amagnitude 7.1 earthquake struck the Tohoku area approximately 46 km (29 mi) east ofNamie on the evening of 13 February 2021.[24] Following the quake, infrastructure damage was discovered betweenShin-Shirakawa andFurukawa stations.[25]
JR East closed the Tohoku Shinkansen betweenNasushiobara andMorioka.[25] The section betweenIchinoseki and Morioka re-opened on 16 February,[26]Sendai and Ichinoseki on 22 February, and the remaining section between Nasushiobara and Sendai on 24 February.[27] Trains operated at 80% the usual timetable with top speeds reduced until 26 March, when repairs were completed and the normal timetable was restored.[28]
On 6 March 2025, at around 11:30 AM, theHayabusa-Komachi 21 train, composed of theH5 andE6 series Shinkansen, uncoupled while travelling betweenUeno andOmiya stations at around 60 km/h . Both trains made an emergency stop nearNishi-Nippori Station and no one among 642 passengers was injured. According to a JR East press conference, the problem came from the Komachi side.[29]
On that day, 111 Shinkansen trains were cancelled and 166 were delayed, affecting more than 150,000 people.[29] The Tohoku Shinkansen was not the only Shinkansen to be affected, asJoetsu andHokuriku Shinkansen services were also delayed. Coupled operations withYamagata andAkita Shinkansen were cancelled. Passengers were guided to interchange atFukushima station for Yamagata Shinkansen andMorioka station for Akita Shinkansen.[30] It brought inconvenience for passengers, as interchanges require transferring from Shinkansen to conventional line platforms, with stations more congested than usual.
A similar accident happened in September 2024, when Hayabusa-Komachi train travelling betweenFurukawa andSendai stations uncoupled while travelling at more than 300 km/h. Train inspections and special measures were taken.[29][31]
On 23 June 2007, 10-car set K47 was used for a specialYamabiko 931 service from Omiya to Morioka to mark the 25th anniversary of the opening of the Tohoku Shinkansen.[32]
On 23 June 2012, 10-car set K47 was used for a specialYamabiko 235 service from Omiya to Morioka to mark the 30th anniversary of the opening of the Tohoku Shinkansen.[33]
The Tohoku Shinkansen is mainly featured in the filmBullet Train Explosion.
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