Rikuu East Line
A Rikuu East Line diesel train near Mogami Station
Overview
Native name	陸羽東線
Status	In operation
Owner	JR East
Locale	Miyagi and Yamagata Prefectures, Japan
Termini	Kogota Shinjō
Stations	27
Service
Type	Heavy rail
Operator(s)	JR East
Depot(s)	Kogota
Rolling stock	KiHa 110 series DMU
History
Opened	1913
Technical
Line length	94.1 km (58.5 mi)[1]
Number of tracks	Entire line single tracked
Character	Rural
Track gauge	1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in)
Electrification	None
Operating speed	95 km/h (59 mph) (Kogota - Naruko-Onsen) 85 km/h (53 mph) (Naruko-Onsen - Shinjō)
Route map

v t e Rikuu East Line
Legend
km Ishinomaki Line 0.0 Kogota Tōhoku Main Line 4.5 Kitaura 6.6 Rikuzen-Yachi 9.4 Furukawa Tōhoku Shinkansen 12.1 Tsukanome Tōhoku Expressway Sendai Railway ( 1922- 1960 ) 15.9 Nishi-Furukawa 19.1 Higashi-Ōsaki 21.9 Nishi-Ōsaki 24.8 Iwadeyama 25.8 Yūbikan 28.6 Kaminome 32.4 Ikezuki 38.8 Kawatabi-Onsen 42.7 Naruko-Gotenyu 44.9 Naruko-Onsen 50.0 Nakayamadaira-Onsen 55.3 Sakaida 61.1 Akakura-Onsen 62.8 Tachikōji 65.6 Mogami 69.5 Ōhori 71.5 Usugi 75.0 Semi-Onsen 81.0 Higashi-Nagasawa 82.8 Nagasawa Ōu Main Line Yamagata Shinkansen 89.1 Torigoe Junction 89.2 Minami-Shinjō 94.1 Shinjō Rikuu West Line Ōu Main Line

The Rikuu East Line (陸羽東線, Rikuu-tō-sen) 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,^[2] acting as a connector between the Tōhoku Main Line, Ōu Main Line, and Tōhoku Shinkansen in the southern Tōhoku region, and provides access to north-western Miyagi Prefecture and north-eastern Yamagata Prefecture.

Its name refers to the ancient provinces of Mutsu (陸奥) and Dewa (出羽) (or alternatively, the Meiji period provinces of Rikuzen (陸前) and Uzen (羽前)), which the line connects.

History

The Kogota - Naruko-Onsen section was opened in stages between 1913 and 1915, with the Shinjo - Naruko-Onsen section opened in stages between 1915 and 1917.

CTC signalling was commissioned in 1983, and freight services ceased in 1987.

The line celebrated its 100th anniversary on November 3, 2017, with a special train hauled by JNR Class DE10 locomotives.^[2]

Former connecting lines

• Nishi-Furukawa station - A 2 ft 6 in (762 mm) narrow gauge line ultimately extending 44 km (27 mi) to Tori-Machi, and connecting to the Senzan Line at Toshogu station, was opened by the Sendai City Council between 1922 and 1929. It closed in sections between 1937 and 1960.

Station list

Station	Japanese	Distance (km)	Transfers		Location
Kogota	小牛田	0.0	■ Tōhoku Main Line ■ Ishinomaki Line	∨	Misato	Miyagi Prefecture
Kitaura	北浦	4.5		◇
Rikuzen-Yachi	陸前谷地	6.6		｜
Furukawa	古川	9.4	Tōhoku Shinkansen	◇	Ōsaki
Tsukanome	塚目	12.1		｜
Nishi-Furukawa	西古川	15.9		◇
Higashi-Ōsaki	東大崎	19.1		｜
Nishi-Ōsaki	西大崎	21.9		｜
Iwadeyama	岩出山	24.8		◇
Yūbikan	有備館	25.8		｜
Kaminome	上野目	28.6		｜
Ikezuki	池月	32.4		◇
Kawatabi-Onsen	川渡温泉	38.8		◇
Naruko-Gotenyu	鳴子御殿湯	42.7		｜
Naruko-Onsen	鳴子温泉	44.9		◇
Nakayamadaira-Onsen	中山平温泉	50.0		｜
Sakaida	堺田	55.3		｜	Mogami	Yamagata Prefecture
Akakura-Onsen	赤倉温泉	61.1		｜
Tachikōji	立小路	62.8		｜
Mogami	最上	65.6		◇
Ōhori	大堀	69.5		｜
Usugi	鵜杉	71.5		｜
Semi-Onsen	瀬見温泉	75.0		｜
Higashi-Nagasawa	東長沢	81.0		｜	Funagata
Nagasawa	長沢	82.8		｜
Minami-Shinjō	南新庄	89.2		｜	Shinjō
Shinjō	新庄	94.1	Yamagata Shinkansen ■ Ōu Main Line ■ Rikuu West Line	｜

Symbols:

• ｜ - Single-track
• ◇ - Single-track; station where trains can pass
• ∨ - Single-track section starts from this point

Rolling stock

• KiHa 110 series DMUs

Past

• Resort Minori