Slope car (inclined monorail) in Funaoka Castle Park,
during the Shibata Cherry Blossom Festival which takes place
each April.
National Network
JR East passenger services on 1067mm gauge lines
throughout the region, and the Tohoku, Akita and Yamagata
Shinkansen.
JR Hokkaido passenger services between Aomori and
the island of Hokkaido, through the Seikan tunnel, including the
Hakkaido Shinkansen.
JR Freight freight services on the 1067mm gauge
network.
Private Railways
Abukuma Express third sector 1067mm gauge passenger
railway between Fukushima and Tsukinoki. 55km, 23 stations (Site
in Japanese)
Aizu Railway 1067mm gauge passenger railway between
Nishi-Wakamatsu and Aizukōgen-Ozeguchi. 57km, 21 stations. The line
is operated as two separate sections, meeting at Aizu-Tajima. Trains on
the non-electrified northern section run through beyond Nishi-Wakamatsu
to Aizu-Wakamatsu via JR East, while trains on the southern section
run through to Tokyo via the lines of several other companies (Site
in Japanese)
Akita Inland Line third sector 1067mm gauge passenger
railway between Takanosu and Kakunodate. 94km, 29 stations (Site
in Japanese)
Akita Rinkai Railway third sector 1067mm gauge freight
railway in Akita. 8km (Site in Japanese)
Aoimori Railway 1067mm gauge passenger railway
between Sannohe and Aomori. 122km, 26 stations. The line is also
used by JR passenger and freight trains (Site in Japanese)
Fukushima Rinkai Railway third sector 1067mm gauge
freight railway in Iwaki. 5km (Site in Japanese)
Fukushima Tranportation 1067mm gauge passenger railway
between Fukushima and Iizaka. 9km, 12 stations (Site in Japanese)
Iwate Development Railway third sector 1067mm gauge
freight railway in Ofunato. 11km (Site in Japanese)
Iwate Galaxy Railway 1067mm gauge passenger railway
between Morioka and Sannohe. 82km, 16 stations (Site mainly in
Japanese with downloadable route, timetable and fare information in
English)
Konan Tetsudo 1067mm gauge passenger railway
between Hirosaki, Kuroishi and Owani. 2 lines, 30km, 26 stations
(Site in Japanese)
Sanriku Railway 1067mm gauge passenger railway
between Miyako and Kuji, and between Sakari and Kamaishi. The railway
was badly damaged in the tsunami of 2011 and is not expected to reopen
fully until 2014 (Site in Japanese)
Sendai Airport Transit 1067mm gauge passenger railway
between Natori and Sendai Airport. 7km, 4 stations (Site in
Japanese)
Sendai Rinkai
Railway 1067mm gauge freight railwayin the port of Sendai. 3 lines,
9km (Site in Japanese)
Tsutetsu 1067mm gauge passenger railway
between Goshogawara and Nakadomari. 20km, 12 stations (Site in
Japanese)
Yamagata Railway third sector 1067mm gauge passenger
railway between Nanyo and Shirataka. 30km, 17 stations (Site
in Japanese)
Yuri Kogen Railway third sector 1067mm gauge passenger
railway between Ugo-Honjo and Yashima. 23km, 12 stations (Site
in Japanese)
Tourist Services
JR East offers the following special
tourist services:
Dedicated diesel railcars on the line between Akita and Aomori,
with over 150km of sea and mountain views.
Dedicated diesel railcars on the line between Niigata and Sakata,
also with extensive coastal views.
Steam trains between Niigata and Aizu-Wakamatsu.
Museum
Kosaka Railway Rail Park near Towada offers
rides on pedal powered or diesel hauled trolleys within the museum
grounds. Operates 5 days each week, April to November
(Site in Japanese)
Metro and funiculars
Funaoka Castle Slope Car Castle Park, Shibata, Miyagi.
Inclined monorail rising about 70m in 305m, from the park entrance
to the summit (No website located at present)
Sendai
heavy rail metro (Two lines: 1067mm gauge, 15km, 17 stations and
standard gauge, 14km, 13 stations)
Seikan
Tunnel Funicular underground funicular descending from the Seikan
Tunnel Museum near Cape Tappi at the northern extremity of Honshu to
a station in the Seikan Rail Tunnel linking Honshu and Hokkaido. 914mm
gauge, 778m descent in 800m. The station and funicular are intended for
emergency evacuation purposes but may be accessed by guided tour from
the museum.
