The construction of the Tōhoku Main Line began in the
Kantō region and extended to the north end of
Honshu, and the city of Aomori. It is one of oldest railway lines in Japan, with construction beginning in the late 19th century. Until 1 November 1906, the current Tōhoku Main Line was run by a private company
Nippon Railway. In 1883, the first segment between Ueno and
Kumagaya opened. In 1885, it was extended to Utsunomiya, but the
Tone River had to be crossed by boat. Following construction of the Tone River Bridge in 1886, Utsunomiya and Ueno were directly connected. The line gradually extended further to the north; to
Kōriyama, Sendai,
Ichinoseki and Morioka. In 1891, the segment between Morioka and Aomori opened, creating the longest continuous railway line in Japan.
After 1906, the line was nationalized and became the Tōhoku Main Line operated by the Ministry of Railways. When Tokyo Station opened in 1925, the Tōhoku Main Line was extended from Ueno to the new station. Until the 1950s, this segment was used and many trains ran through both the
Tōkaidō Main Line and Tōhoku Main Line. However, when the
Tōhoku Shinkansen opened, it occupied land previously used for the tracks of mid and long-distance Tōhoku Main Line trains. As a result, only a small number of commuter lines (such as the
Keihin–Tōhoku Line) operated from Ueno to Tokyo, making Tokyo Station's status as part of the Tōhoku Main Line somewhat circumspect, until the
Ueno–Tokyo Line opened in 2015, connecting the two stations (with the exception of the occasional train that terminates at Ueno Station). In 2002, the Tōhoku Shinkansen was extended from Morioka to Hachinohe and the operations of the local track segment between those two cities was turned over to
Iwate Ginga Railway (IGR) and
Aoimori Railway. With the extension of the Tōhoku Shinkansen to Shin-Aomori station in 2010, the segment between Hachinohe and Aomori was delegated to the Aoimori Railway Company. The shortened Tōhoku Main Line is now the second-longest line in Japan, after the
Sanin Main Line.
Double-tracking The Tokyo to Omiya section was
double-tracked between 1892 and 1896, extended to Koga in 1908, Oyama the following year, and to Utsunomiya in 1913. The Iwanuma - Sendai - Iwakiri section was double-tracked between 1920 & 1923 and the Utsunomiya - Iwanuma section between 1959 and 1964. The Iwakiri - Morioka - Aomori section was double-tracked between 1951 and 1968, including the realigned section between Iwakiri and Atago in 1962.
Electrification The Tokyo to Tabata section was electrified at 1,500 V DC in 1909, extended to Akabane in 1928, Omiya in 1932 and Kuroiso in 1959. Electrification was then continued north at 20 kV AC, reaching Fukushima in 1960, Sendai in 1961, Morioka in 1965, and Aomori in 1968.
Former connecting lines Saitama Prefecture • Hasuda Station: The Bushu Railway operated a line to Kamine from 1924 until 1938.
Tochigi Prefecture • Mamada Station: A gauge
handcar line to Omoigawa operated between 1899 and 1917. • Hoshakuji Station: A line servicing the Utsunomiya Army Airfield operated between 1942 and 1945. • Ujiie Station: An gauge
handcar line operated to Kitsuregawa between 1902 and 1918. • Yaita Station: The
Tobu Railway opened the gauge
Tobu Yaita Line to Shin Takatoku (on the
Tobu Kinugawa Line) on 1 March 1924. The line was converted to gauge in 1929, and closed on 30 June 1959. • Nishi-Nasuno Station: A line was opened by the Shiobara Railway to Shiobara in 1912. The line was electrified at 550 V DC in 1921, and closed in 1936. The Higashino Railway opened a line to Nasu Ogawa between 1918 and 1924, the line closing in 1968. At Otawara Station, it connected with the horse-drawn tramway mentioned below for the three years they were both open. A gauge handcar line to Otawara opened in 1908. In 1917, it was converted to a horse-drawn tramway, but closed in 1921. At Otawara Station, it connected with the Higashino Railway line mentioned above.
Fukushima Prefecture • Shirakawa Station: A line to Iwaki Tanakura (on the
Suigun Line) was opened by the Shirotana Railway in 1916. The line was nationalized in 1941, and closed in 1944. Plans to reopen the line in 1953 resulted in a decision to convert the line to a dedicated
busway, which opened in 1957. • Koriyama Station: The Fukushima Prefectural Government operated a gauge line to Miharu between 1891 and 1914. • Matsukawa Station: A line to Iwashiro Kawamata operated from 1926 until 1972.
Miyagi Prefecture • The Miyagi Prefectural Government operated the following three lines, all utilising gauge track: • Ogawara Station: a line to Toogatta opened between 1917 and 1922, and closed in 1937. • Tsukinoki Station: a line to Tateyama, opened in 1899 as a horse-drawn tramway. Steam locomotion was introduced in 1917, and the line closed in 1929. • Natori Station: a line to Yurage, operated from 1926 until 1939. • Nagamachi Station: A gauge horse-drawn tramway was opened to Akiu Onsen in 1912. In 1925, the Akiho Electric Railway converted the line to gauge and electrified it at 600 V DC. The line closed in 1961. • Kofuku-Tagajo Station: When the Tōhoku Main Line was realigned in 1956, the original line to Shiogama Wharf (on the
Senseki Line) remained in place as a freight-only line, closing in 1997. • Matsushima Station: The Miyagi Prefectural Government operated a , gauge line to Matsushima Kaigan, electrified at 550 V DC, between 1922 and 1944. • Matsushima-Machi Station: A gauge handcar line operated between 1923 and 1930. • Kogota Station: Prior to the opening of the
Rikuu East Line, a gauge horse-drawn tramway operated to Furukawa between 1900 and 1913. • Semine Station: The Senpoku Railway operated a gauge line from Tome to Tsukidate between 1921 and 1968. • Ishikoshi Station: The
Kurihara Den'en Railway Line operated between 1921 and 2007.
Iwate Prefecture • Hanamaki Station: An gauge line to Nishinamari Onsen was opened in 1915 by the Hanamaki Electric Railway, which then opened a second line, 8 km to Hanamaki Onsen in 1925. Both lines were electrified at 600 V DC. The latter closed in 1972, and the former in 1976.
Aomori Prefecture • Hachinohe Station: The Gonohe Electric Railway operated a line (not electrified, despite the company name) to Gonohe between 1929 and 1969. • Misawa Station: The
Towada Kanko Electric Railway Line operated between 1922 and 2012. • Noheji Station: The
Nanbu Jūkan Railway opened a line to Shichinohe in 1962. Freight services ceased in 1984, and the line closed in 1997. ==See also==