The is a railway line in

Yamagata Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan located in the Tōhoku region of Honshu. Yamagata Prefecture has a population of 1,079,950 (1 June 2019) and has a geographic area of 9,325 km² (3,600 sq mi). Yamagata Prefecture borders Akita Prefecture to the north, ...

, Japan, operated by the

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

Shinjō Station is a railway station in the city of Shinjō, Yamagata, Japan, operated by East Japan Railway Company (JR East). Lines Shinjō Station is served by the Ōu Main Line, and is the terminus for the Yamagata Shinkansen, Rikuu West Line and Rikuu ...

Amarume Station is a junction railway station in the town of Shōnai, Yamagata, Japan, operated by the East Japan Railway Company (JR East). Lines Amarume Station is served by the Rikuu West Line and the Uetsu Main Line. The station is located 154.7 rail kilo ...

, and trains continue on to Sakata Station, even though it is not officially a part of the Rikuu West Line. Its name refers to the ancient provinces of Mutsu and Dewa (or alternatively, the

Meiji-era The is an era of Japanese history that extended from October 23, 1868 to July 30, 1912. The Meiji era was the first half of the Empire of Japan, when the Japanese people moved from being an isolated feudal society at risk of colonization by ...

provinces of Rikuzen and Uzen ), although strictly speaking, only the

Rikuu East Line The is a railway line in Japan, operated by the East Japan Railway Company (JR East). It connects Kogota Station in Misato, Miyagi Prefecture to Shinjō Station in Shinjō, Yamagata Prefecture, acting as a connector between the Tōhoku Main ...

connects both areas.

Station list

* All stations are located in

. Symbols: * , - Single-track * ◇ - Single-track; station where trains can pass * ^ - Double-track section starts from this point * ∥ - Double-track * ∨ - Single-track section starts from this point

Rolling stock

* KiHa 110 series DMUs

History

The line was opened in sections between 1913 and 1914. Freight services ceased in 1987, and CTC signalling was commissioned in 1991. Due to the construction of a tunnel, that is part of Shinjo Sakata Road of National Route 47, the Rikuu West Line has temporarily suspended services since 14 May 2022 until at least 2024~2025, with replacement buses operating in the neighbour towns of stations.

References

External links

JR East website with stations listing
Lines of East Japan Railway Company Rail transport in Yamagata Prefecture 1067 mm gauge railways in Japan {{Japan-rail-line-stub