The is 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 in
Japan
Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...
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), which runs from to and via the
Tōhoku Main Line
The Tōhoku Main Line () is a railway line in Japan operated by the East Japan Railway Company (JR East). The line starts from Tokyo Station in Chiyoda, Tokyo and passes through such cities as Saitama, Saitama, Saitama, Utsunomiya, Tochigi, Uts ...
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 ...
.
Service pattern
Four return workings operate daily between and , with two return workings between Aomori and during busy seasons.
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Rolling stock
Services are normally formed of 4-car
E751 series
The is an AC electric multiple unit (EMU) train type operated on '' Tsugaru'' limited express services in the north of Japan by East Japan Railway Company (JR East) since March 2000. The design was based on the earlier (1,500 V DC) E653 seri ...
electric multiple unit
An electric multiple unit or EMU is a multiple-unit train consisting of self-propelled carriages using electricity as the motive power. An EMU requires no separate locomotive, as electric traction motors are incorporated within one or a number o ...
s (EMUs) based at Aomori depot,
with Aomori-based 4-car
485-3000 series EMUs also used on some additional services during busy seasons.
Formations
Trains are formed as shown below, with car 1 at the Akita end.
All cars are no-smoking.
History
The was first introduced on 1 October 1954 as an express service operating between in Tokyo and via and . From 19 November 1956, the train was amended to run via and Akita. This service was discontinued from the start of the revised timetable on 1 December 1993.
The ''Tsugaru'' name was revived from 1 December 2002 as a limited express service operating between and , superseding the former ''
Hatsukari
The and were limited express train services in Japan operated by Japanese National Railways (JNR) and later East Japan Railway Company (JR East) from 1958 until 2002.
History
The ''Hatsukari'' was first introduced on 1 October 1958 as a long- ...
'' limited express service which ran between and Aomori up until the opening of 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 ...
extension to Hachinohe.
Services were formed of 6-car
485-3000 series and
E751 series
The is an AC electric multiple unit (EMU) train type operated on '' Tsugaru'' limited express services in the north of Japan by East Japan Railway Company (JR East) since March 2000. The design was based on the earlier (1,500 V DC) E653 seri ...
EMUs based at Aomori depot, with JR Hokkaido
789 series
The is an AC electric multiple unit (EMU) train type operated by Hokkaido Railway Company (JR Hokkaido) on limited express services in Hokkaido, Japan, since 2002. Two variants exist: the original 789 series for use on ''Lilac'' services (form ...
EMUs used on some services.
From 4 December 2010, with the opening of the Tōhoku Shinkansen extension from Hachinohe to , the ''Tsugaru'' services were amended to operate between Aomori and Akita, replacing the ''
Kamoshika'' and ''
Inaho
The is a limited express train service in Japan operated by East Japan Railway Company (JR East), which runs from to and .JR Timetable, March 2012 issue, p.101/1003 The train runs along the Uetsu Main Line with views on the coast and Dewa Mo ...
'' services that previously ran on this route.
From this date, services were formed of shortened 4-car
485-3000 series EMUs, with the E751 series EMUs temporarily removed from service.
From 23 April 2011, the E751 series sets were reinstated on ''Tsugaru'' services, this time formed as 4-car sets, replacing the 485-3000 series sets.
References
External links
JR East 485 series ''Tsugaru''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Tsugaru (Train)
Named passenger trains of Japan
East Japan Railway Company
Railway services introduced in 1954
1954 establishments in Japan
Ōu Main Line