The is a railway line in Japan 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). It connects
Oiwake Station in
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, ...
,
Akita Prefecture
is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located in the Tōhoku region of Honshu.Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005). "Provinces and prefectures" in ; "Tōhoku" in . Its population is approximately 966,000 (as of 1 October 2019) and its ge ...
to
Oga Station in
Oga
Oga or OGA may refer to:
Places
* Oga, Akita, Tōhoku, Japan
* Oga Peninsula, Japan
* Oga, a ''frazione'' of Valdisotto, Italy
People
* Oga Atsushi, a Japanese sumo wrestler
* My Oga at the top, Nigerian Pidgin English term for "boss" or "lea ...
,
Akita Prefecture
is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located in the Tōhoku region of Honshu.Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005). "Provinces and prefectures" in ; "Tōhoku" in . Its population is approximately 966,000 (as of 1 October 2019) and its ge ...
. It is nicknamed the .
Stations
Rolling stock
![EV-E801 G1 train set at Akita 20190803a](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/aa/EV-E801_G1_train_set_at_Akita_20190803a.jpg)
*
KiHa 40 series
The is a diesel multiple unit (DMU) train type introduced by Japanese National Railways (JNR) in 1977 and operated by all Japan Railways Group companies on suburban and rural services in Japan. Since 2017, the train type has seen use by other ...
*
EV-E801 series
The is a two-car battery electric multiple unit (BEMU) train type operated by East Japan Railway Company (JR East) on the Oga Line in Akita Prefecture in northern Japan since 4 March 2017.
Overview
The train is derived from the experimental ...
History
The line first opened on 9 November 1913 as the from Oiwake to Futada.
This was extended to Wakimoto on 8 November 1914, to Hadachi on 1 December 1915, and to Funakawa (present-day Oga Station) on 16 December 1916.
On 2 September 1922, the line was renamed the .
A freight-only branch from Funakawa to Funakawaminato was opened on 10 June 1937.
On 1 April 1968, the line was renamed the Oga Line, coinciding with the renaming of Funakawa Station to Oga Station.
With the privatization of
Japanese National Railways
The abbreviated JNR or , was the business entity that operated Japan's national railway network from 1949 to 1987.
Network Railways
As of June 1, 1949, the date of establishment of JNR, it operated of narrow gauge () railways in all 46 pref ...
(JNR) on 1 April 1987, the line came under the control of JR East.
Recent developments
![JR East EV-E801 G1 train set at Oga Station 20180818a](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/99/JR_East_EV-E801_G1_train_set_at_Oga_Station_20180818a.jpg)
In spring 2017, a new
EV-E801 series
The is a two-car battery electric multiple unit (BEMU) train type operated by East Japan Railway Company (JR East) on the Oga Line in Akita Prefecture in northern Japan since 4 March 2017.
Overview
The train is derived from the experimental ...
battery electric multiple unit
A battery electric multiple unit (BEMU), battery electric railcar or accumulator railcar is an electrically driven multiple unit or railcar whose energy is derived from rechargeable batteries driving the traction motors.
Prime advantages of these ...
train was introduced on the Oga Line service from Akita. A special recharging facility was built at Oga Station.
So far, there is only one battery electric trainset operated on this line, but in December 2019
JR East
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 ...
announced the plan to introduce additional such trainsets on this route after the fiscal year 2020, completely replacing
KiHa 40 and 48 diesel multiple units
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 ...
.
This would make the Oga Line another non-electrified railway line in Japan where
battery electric trains completely replaced
diesel trains
A diesel locomotive is a type of railway locomotive in which the prime mover is a diesel engine. Several types of diesel locomotives have been developed, differing mainly in the means by which mechanical power is conveyed to the driving whee ...
; this has already happened, for example, on the
Kashii Line
The is a railway line in Japan operated by Kyushu Railway Company (JR Kyushu). It connects Saitozaki Station in Fukuoka with Umi Station in Umi.
Stations
History
The Hakata Bay Railway Co. opened the Saitozaki - Sue section in 1904, extendin ...
and the
Karasuyama Line
The is a railway line in Tochigi Prefecture, Japan, owned and operated by East Japan Railway Company (JR East). It connects in the town of Takanezawa with in Nasukarasuyama.
Services
Trains run approximately once every hour, traveling the ...
.
References
{{Akita transit
Lines of East Japan Railway Company
1067 mm gauge railways in Japan
Railway lines opened in 1913
1913 establishments in Japan