Yonesaka Line

Yonesaka Line
KiHa 52 and KiHa 47 on the Yonesaka Line in August 2008
Overview
Native name	米坂線
Status	Partially suspended due to rainstorm damage
Owner	JR East
Locale	Yamagata Prefecture, Japan
Termini	Yonezawa Sakamachi
Stations	20
Service
Type	Regional rail
Operator(s)	JR East
Rolling stock	KiHa 110 series DMU, GV-E400 series DEMU
History
Opened	1936
Technical
Line length	90.7 km (56.4 mi)
Number of tracks	Entire line single tracked
Character	Rural
Track gauge	1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in)
Electrification	None
Operating speed	85 km/h (53 mph)
Route map 0.0 Yonezawa (Yamagata) (Ōu Main Line) Crossings' details 2x Mogami River 2x 3.1 Minami-Yonezawa Crossings' details Hottate River 2x 6.5 Nishi-Yonezawa Crossings' details Omono River 9.6 Narushima Crossings' details 3x Tanjo River 12.5 Chūgun Crossings' details 3x 2x Kuro River 16.9 Uzen-Komatsu Crossings' details 2x Inu River 19.4 Inukawa Crossings' details 3x 23.0 Imaizumi Yamagata Rail. Co. (Flower Nagai) Crossings' details Shirakawa River 2x 27.3 Hagyū Crossings' details Hagyu River 5x 30.1 Uzen-Tsubaki Crossings' details 3x Kojira River 34.7 Tenoko Crossings' details 2x Mase River Mase River (11x) Morizan River Mase River 43.9 Uzen-Numazawa Crossings' details 2x Myozawa River Myozawa River Myozawa River 50.0 Isaryō Crossings' details Myozawa River (3x) Myozawa River 54.7 Uzen-Matsuoka Crossings' details 2x Osawa River 3x 58.3 Oguni Crossings' details 2x Arakawa River Arakawa River Arakawa River Tama River 3x 67.8 Echigo-Kanamaru Crossings' details Arakawa River Arakawa River 73.1 Echigo-Katakai Crossings' details Numa River 2x Oishi River 2x 79.7 Echigo-Shimoseki Crossings' details 4x 83.5 Echigo-Ōshima Crossings' details Kuwaezawa River 2x 90.7 Sakamachi (Uetsu Main Line)

The Yonesaka Line (米坂線, Yonesaka-sen) is a railway line in Japan, operated by East Japan Railway Company (JR East). It connects Yonezawa Station in Yamagata Prefecture to Sakamachi Station in Niigata Prefecture. At Yonezawa, connections to the Yamagata Shinkansen and Ōu Main Line can be made; while the Uetsu Main Line connects at Sakamachi Station. The line takes its name from the first kanji of Yonezawa (米沢) and Sakamachi (坂町).

Trains can only pass each other at Uzen-Komatsu, Imaizumi, Uzen-Tsubaki, Oguni, Echigo-Kanamaru, and Echigo-Shimoseki stations.

Stations

Station	Japanese	Distance (km)		Transfers		Location
		Between stations	Total
Yonezawa	米沢	-	0.0	Yamagata Shinkansen ■Ōu Main Line	∨	Yonezawa	Yamagata Prefecture
Minami-Yonezawa	南米沢	3.1	3.1		｜
Nishi-Yonezawa	西米沢	3.4	6.5		｜
Narushima	成島	3.1	9.6		｜
Chūgun	中郡	2.9	12.5		｜	Kawanishi
Uzen-Komatsu	羽前小松	4.4	16.9		◇
Inukawa	犬川	2.5	19.4		｜
Imaizumi	今泉	3.6	23.0	■Flower Nagai Line	◇	Nagai
Hagyū	萩生	4.3	27.3		｜	Iide
Uzen-Tsubaki	羽前椿	2.8	30.1		◇
Tenoko	手ノ子	4.6	34.7		｜
Uzen-Numazawa	羽前沼沢	9.2	43.9		｜	Oguni
Isaryō	伊佐領	6.1	50.0		｜
Uzen-Matsuoka	羽前松岡	4.7	54.7		｜
Oguni	小国	3.6	58.3		◇
Echigo-Kanamaru	越後金丸	9.5	67.8		◇	Sekikawa	Niigata Prefecture
Echigo-Katakai	越後片貝	5.3	73.1		｜
Echigo-Shimoseki	越後下関	6.6	79.7		◇
Echigo-Ōshima	越後大島	3.8	83.5		｜
Sakamachi	坂町	7.2	90.7	■Uetsu Main Line	^	Murakami

Symbols:

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

Rolling stock

As of April 2020, the following rolling stock is used on the Yonesaka Line. All are based at Niitsu Depot.

• KiHa 110 series DMUs
• GV-E400 series DEMUs (since March 2020)

• 
  KiHa 110 DMU at Yonezawa Station in October 2016

Past

The following rolling stock was used on the Yonesaka Line. All were based at Niitsu Depot.

• KiHa 40/47/48 DMUs (until 2009)
• KiHa 52 DMUs (until 2009)
• KiHa 58 DMUs (until 2009)
• KiHa E120 DMUs (since November 2008, until March 2020)

• 
  KiHa 52 and 47 on Yonesaka Line in September 2008
• 
  KiHa 58 on Yonesaka Line in October 2008
• 
  A JR East KiHa E120 DMU at Imaizumi Station in July 2009

History

The Yonezawa to Oguni section was opened in stages between 1926 and 1935. The Sakamachi to Echigo-Kanamaru section was opened between 1931 and 1933. The line was completed with the opening of the Oguni to Echigo-Kanamaru section in 1936.

External links

• Yonesaka Line Supporters' Association website (in Japanese)