The was a

limited express A limited express is a type of express train service. It refers to an express service that stops at a limited number of stops in comparison to other express services on the same or similar routes. Japan The term "limited express" is a common ...

train service operated by

East Japan Railway Company The is a major passenger railway company in Japan and is the largest of the seven Japan Railways Group companies. The company name is officially abbreviated as JR-EAST or JR East in English, and as in Japanese. The company's headquarters are ...

(JR East) in Japan between March 1996 and March 1997. Engineering work to convert the

Tazawako Line The is a railway line operated by East Japan Railway Company (JR East) connecting Morioka Station in Morioka, Iwate and Ōmagari Station in Daisen, Akita, Japan. Akita Shinkansen '' Komachi'' trains travel over the line, which was regauge ...

between

Morioka is the capital city of Iwate Prefecture located in the Tōhoku region of northern Japan. On 1 February 2021, the city had an estimated population of 290,700 in 132,719 households, and a population density of . The total area of the city is . ...

and Ōmagari from

narrow gauge A narrow-gauge railway (narrow-gauge railroad in the US) is a railway with a track gauge narrower than standard . Most narrow-gauge railways are between and . Since narrow-gauge railways are usually built with tighter curves, smaller structu ...

standard gauge A standard-gauge railway is a railway with a track gauge of . The standard gauge is also called Stephenson gauge (after George Stephenson), International gauge, UIC gauge, uniform gauge, normal gauge and European gauge in Europe, and SGR in Ea ...

for use by Akita Shinkansen services entailed the complete closure of the line between March 1996 and March 1997. The ''Tazawa''

services that previously linked Morioka with

Akita is a Japanese name and may refer to: Places * 8182 Akita, a main-belt asteroid * Akita Castle, a Nara period fortified settlement in Akita, Japan * Akita Domain, also known as Kubota Domain, feudal domain in Edo period Japan * Akita, Kumamoto, ...

and

Aomori is the capital city of Aomori Prefecture, in the Tōhoku region of Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 278,964 in 136,457 households, and a population density of 340 people per square kilometer spread over the city's total area of ...

were curtailed to run between Akita and Aomori only, and temporary ''Akita Relay'' limited express diesel services were operated instead between Kitakami on the

Tōhoku Shinkansen The is a Japanese high-speed Shinkansen rail line, connecting Tokyo with Aomori in Aomori Prefecture in a route length of , making it Japan's longest Shinkansen line. It runs through the more sparsely populated Tōhoku region of Japan's main is ...

and Akita via the Kitakami Line and

Ōu Main Line The is a railway line in Japan, operated by the East Japan Railway Company (JR East). It connects Fukushima Station through Akita Station to Aomori Station. Since the opening of the Yamagata Shinkansen on July 1, 1992, the Fukushima–Yamag ...

. Services commenced on 30 March 1996, with 10 "down" services and 11 "up" services operating daily using a specially built fleet of KiHa 110-300 series

DMUs A diesel multiple unit or DMU is a multiple-unit train powered by on-board diesel engines. A DMU requires no separate locomotive, as the engines are incorporated into one or more of the carriages. Diesel-powered single-unit railcars are also ...

mostly in 4-car formations, but with some 3- or 7-car formations. These trains featured 2+2 abreast unidirectional limited express style seating identical to the seating used in

E217 series The is a suburban electric multiple unit (EMU) train type operated by East Japan Railway Company (JR East) in the Kantō region of Japan since 1994. Design Introduced in 1994 to replace the 113 series EMUs running on the Sōbu Line (Rapid) an ...

EMU Green cars. The ''Akita Relay'' services ended on 21 March 1997, the day before Akita Shinkansen '' Komachi'' services commenced between Morioka and Akita. The KiHa 110-300 series DMUs were subsequently refitted with standard seating, renumbered as KiHa 110-200 series, and reassigned for use on other lines such as the

Iiyama Line The is a railway line in Japan linking Toyono Station in Nagano, Nagano Prefecture and Echigo-Kawaguchi Station in Nagaoka, Niigata Prefecture. It is operated by East Japan Railway Company The is a major passenger railway company in Japan ...

Schedules

Down (Kitakami → Akita)

Up (Akita → Kitakami)

''(Source:)''

References

{{JR East trains Shinkansen East Japan Railway Company Named passenger trains of Japan Kitakami Line Ōu Main Line Railway services introduced in 1996 Railway services discontinued in 1997 1996 establishments in Japan 1997 disestablishments in Japan ja:こまち (列車)

Schedules

Down (Kitakami → Akita)

Up (Akita → Kitakami)

See also

References