 An E6 series train on aKomachi service in October 2016 | |
| Overview | |
|---|---|
| Service type | Shinkansen |
| Status | Operational |
| Locale | Tōhoku Shinkansen,Akita Shinkansen |
| First service | 22 March 1997 |
| Current operator(s) | JR East |
| Route | |
| Termini | Tokyo Akita |
| Distance travelled | 670.2 km (416.4 mi) |
| Service frequency | Hourly |
| On-board services | |
| Class(es) | Standard + Green |
| Catering facilities | Trolley service |
| Technical | |
| Rolling stock | E6 series |
| Track gauge | 1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) |
| Electrification | 25/20 kV AC overhead |
| Operating speed |
|
TheKomachi (こまち) is a high-speedshinkansen service betweenTokyo andAkita in Japan, operated by theEast Japan Railway Company (JR East) since March 1997. It is the only shinkansen service that runs on theAkita Shinkansen, and usesE6 series trains. BetweenTokyo Station andMorioka, it couples withTōhoku ShinkansenE5 seriesHayabusa and formerlyE2 series forE3 series respectively. After Morioka, theKomachi service continues alongstandard gauge tracks that were converted fromnarrow gauge. Because it then runs on tracks that havegrade crossings, its maximum speed from Morioka to Akita is 130 km/h (80 mph), compared to 320 km/h (200 mph) on the Tohoku Shinkansen.
TheKomachi service was named after a famous poet from the area,Ono no Komachi, whose name (小町) is also synonymous with "belle" or "beauty" in Japanese.
Komachi services stop at the following stations on theAkita Shinkansen between Morioka and Akita.[1] For details of station stops between Tokyo and Morioka, see theHayabusa articles.
(*) Not served by all trains.
Since 15 March 2014, mostKomachi services have operated by seven-carE6 series trainsets with running at a maximum speed of 320 km/h (200 mph) on the Tohoku Shinkansen coupled to E5 seriesHayabusa trainsets.[2] Car 11, the "Green" (first class) car, is at the Tokyo end. All seats are reserved and no-smoking.[1]
| Car No. | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Class | Green | Standard | Standard | Standard | Standard | Standard | Standard |
| Facilities | Wheelchair space | Wheelchair space / Cardphone | Cardphone |
Komachi services were also operated by five-carE3 series trainsets (later augmented to six cars).[2] These sets were formed as shown below, with car 11, the "Green" (first class) car, at the Tokyo end. All seats were reserved and no-smoking.[1]
| Car No. | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Class | Green | Standard | Standard | Standard | Standard | Standard |
| Facilities | Wheelchair space | Wheelchair space | Cardphone | Cardphone |
Komachi services began on the newly openedAkita Shinkansen line from the start of the revised timetable on 22 March 1997 using a fleet of 16 new 5-car E3 series trains running at a maximum speed of 275 km/h (170 mph) on the Tohoku Shinkansen.[3] The nameKomachi was officially announced in July 1996.[4] Services initially consisted of 13 return workings daily between Tokyo and Akita, and one return working between Sendai and Akita. Most trains ran coupled with200 seriesYamabiko trainsets between Tokyo and Morioka, but three return workings ran coupled with newly introduced E2 series sets, running at a maximum speed of 275 km/h (170 mph) between Utsunomiya and Morioka, and giving a fastest journey time of 3 hours 49 minutes between Tokyo and Akita (an average speed of 163.4 km/h).[4] The train services proved popular, and from the December 1998 timetable revision, an addition return working was added, and the E3 series trains were lengthened to six cars each.[4] From the December 1999 timetable, allKomachi services ran together with E2 seriesYamabiko trains, allowing overall journey times to be reduced, with a typical journey time of 4 hours 4 minutes.[4]
From 16 March 2013, newSuper Komachi (スーパーこまち) services started, using newE6 series trains running at a maximum speed of 300 km/h (185 mph) on the Tohoku Shinkansen.[5] Initially, a fleet of four trains was used to operate four return services daily between Tokyo and Akita. The fastest journey time was reduced to 3 hours 45 minutes, 5 minutes faster than the fastest previousKomachi services.[5] From the start of the revised timetable on 15 March 2014, all services were operated by E6 series trains, and the name was returned to simplyKomachi.[2] At the same time, the maximum speed on the Tohoku Shinkansen (on the section between Utsunomiya and Morioka[6]) was further raised to 320 km/h (200 mph).[2]
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Transit inAkita | |
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