The Oga Line (男鹿線) is a railway line in Japan operated by East Japan Railway Company (JR East). It connects Oiwake Station in Akita, Akita Prefecture to Oga Station in Oga, Akita Prefecture. It is nicknamed the Oga Namahage Line (男鹿なまはげライン).

Stations

All stations are in Akita Prefecture.

Rolling stock

History

The line first opened on 9 November 1913 as the Funakawa Light Railway (船川軽便線) from Oiwake to Futada. This was extended to Wakimoto on 8 November 1914, to Hadachi on 1 December 1915, and to Funakawa (present-day Oga Station) on 16 December 1916. On 2 September 1922, the line was renamed the Funakawa Line (船川線). A freight-only branch from Funakawa to Funakawaminato was opened on 10 June 1937. On 1 April 1968, the line was renamed the Oga Line, coinciding with the renaming of Funakawa Station to Oga Station. With the privatization of Japanese National Railways (JNR) on 1 April 1987, the line came under the control of JR East.

Recent developments

In spring 2017, a new EV-E801 series battery electric multiple unit train was introduced on the Oga Line service from Akita. A special recharging facility was built at Oga Station. So far, there is only one battery electric trainset operated on this line, but in December 2019 JR East announced the plan to introduce additional such trainsets on this route after the fiscal year 2020, completely replacing KiHa 40 and 48 diesel multiple units. This would make the Oga Line another non-electrified railway line in Japan where battery electric trains completely replaced diesel trains; this has already happened, for example, on the Kashii Line and the Karasuyama Line.