Rikuu West Line

Railway line in Japan

Shinjō
Amarume

Stations10ServiceOperator(s)JR EastDepot(s)KogotaRolling stockKiHa 110 series DMUHistoryOpened1913TechnicalLine length43.0 km (26.7 mi)Number of tracksEntire line single trackedCharacterRuralTrack gauge1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in)ElectrificationNoneOperating speed95 km/h (59 mph)

Route map

Legend

					Ou Main Line
					（Yamagata Shinkansen）
					Rikuu East Line
				0.0	Shinjō

					Ou Main Line
				7.5	Masukata
				10.6	Uzen-Zennami
					Sakegawa River
				12.9	Tsuya
					Mogami River
				17.0	Furukuchi
					Tsunokawa River

					Kutsuodaki Tunnel

				24.8	Takaya


					Haramaki Tunnel
				31.1	Kiyokawa
				34.9	Karikawa
				38.9	Minamino
					Uetsu Main Line
				43.0	Amarume
					Uetsu Main Line
					Sakata

The Rikuu West Line (陸羽西線, Rikuu-sai-sen) is a railway line in Yamagata Prefecture, Japan, operated by the East Japan Railway Company (JR East).^[1] It connects Shinjō Station to Amarume Station, and trains continue on to Sakata Station, even though it is not officially a part of the Rikuu West Line.

Its name refers to the ancient provinces of Mutsu (陸奥) and Dewa (出羽) (or alternatively, the Meiji-era provinces of Rikuzen (陸前) and Uzen (羽前)), although strictly speaking, only the Rikuu East Line connects both areas.

Station list

All stations are located in Yamagata Prefecture.

Station	Japanese	Distance (km)		Rapid	Transfers		Location
Station	Japanese	Between stations	Total	Rapid	Transfers		Location
Shinjō	新庄	-	0.0	●	Yamagata Shinkansen ■ Ōu Main Line ■ Rikuu East Line	∨	Shinjō
Masukata	升形	7.5	7.5	▼		｜
Uzen-Zennami	羽前前波	3.1	10.6	▼		｜
Tsuya	津谷	2.3	12.9	▼		｜	Tozawa
Furukuchi	古口	4.1	17.0	●		◇
Takaya	高屋	7.8	24.8	▼		｜
Kiyokawa	清川	6.3	31.1	▼		｜	Shōnai
Karikawa	狩川	3.8	34.9	●		｜
Minamino	南野	4.0	38.9	▼		｜
Amarume	余目	4.1	43.0	●	■ Uetsu Main Line	^
Through to the Uetsu Main Line (via Kita-Amarume, Sagoshi and Higashi-Sakata)
Sakata	酒田	-	55.3	●	■ Uetsu Main Line	∥	Sakata

Symbols:

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

Rolling stock

KiHa 110 series DMUs

History

The line was opened in sections between 1913 and 1914. Freight services ceased in 1987, and CTC signalling was commissioned in 1991.

Due to the construction of a tunnel, that is part of Shinjo Sakata Road of National Route 47, the Rikuu West Line has temporarily suspended services since 14 May 2022 until at least 2024~2025, with replacement buses operating in the neighbour towns of stations.^[2]

References

^ "ＪＲ陸羽西線、廃線に危機感国道トンネル工事で２年運休". 河北新報オンライン (in Japanese). 2022-05-14. Retrieved 2022-10-17.
^ "国土交通省による「（仮称）高屋トンネル」の施工に伴う陸羽西線全線の運転取りやめとバスによる代行輸送のお知らせ" (PDF). JR East (in Japanese). 22 February 2022. Archived from the original (PDF) on 1 May 2022.