The was a

limited express A limited express is a type of express train or express bus service that stops at fewer locations compared to other express services on the same or similar routes. Japan The term "limited express" is a common translation of the Japanese ...

train service operated by

East Japan Railway Company The is a major passenger railway company in Japan and 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 in ...

(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 (Akita), Ōmagari Station in Daisen, Akita, Japan. Akita Shinkansen ''Komachi　(train), Komachi'' trains ...

between

Morioka is the capital Cities of Japan, city of Iwate Prefecture located in the Tōhoku region of northern Japan. On 1 August 2023, the city had an estimated population of 283,981 in 132,719 households, and a population density of . The total area of t ...

and Ōmagari from

narrow gauge A narrow-gauge railway (narrow-gauge railroad in the US) is a railway with a track gauge (distance between the rails) narrower than . Most narrow-gauge railways are between and . Since narrow-gauge railways are usually built with Minimum railw ...

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 in Europe, and SGR in East Africa. It is the ...

for use by

Akita Shinkansen The is a Mini-shinkansen rail line in Japan. Serving the Kantō and Tōhoku Regions of the country, it links Tokyo and Akita in Akita prefecture. From Tokyo to Morioka in Iwate prefecture, it operates on the Tōhoku Shinkansen tracks. From ...

services entailed the complete closure of the line between March 1996 and March 1997. The ''Tazawa''

services that previously linked Morioka with Akita and

Aomori , officially Aomori City (, ), is the capital Cities of Japan, city of Aomori Prefecture, in the Tōhoku region of Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 264,945 in 136,781 households, and a population density of 321 people per squa ...

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 that runs through the more sparsely populated Tōhoku region of Japan's main island, Honshu. Operated by the East Japan Railway Company, it links Tokyo in the south to Aomori in the north, with ...

and Akita via the

Kitakami Line The is a railway line in Japan. Part of the East Japan Railway Company (JR East) system, it connects Kitakami Station in Kitakami, Iwate, Kitakami, Iwate Prefecture to Yokote Station in Yokote, Akita, Yokote, Akita Prefecture, acting as a conn ...

and

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

. 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 was a suburban electric multiple unit (EMU) train type operated by East Japan Railway Company (JR East) in the Kantō region of Japan from 1994 to 2025. Design Introduced in 1994 to replace the 113 series EMUs running on the Sōbu Line (R ...

EMU Green cars. The ''Akita Relay'' services ended on 21 March 1997, the day before

'' 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, Nagano, Nagano Prefecture and Echigo-Kawaguchi Station in Nagaoka, Niigata, Nagaoka, Niigata Prefecture. It is operated by East Japan Railway Company (JR East). Stations ...

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