The Uetsu Main Line (羽越本線) is a railway line in the Tohoku and Chubu regions of Japan. Part of the East Japan Railway Company (JR East) system, it connects Niitsu Station in the city of Niigata and Akita Station in Akita. The name "Uetsu" refers to the ancient provinces of Dewa (出羽) and Echigo (越後), which the line connects.

Route data

Services

, the following services are operated. Between Shibata and Murakami, most of the local trains travel through to/from Niigata via Hakushin Line.

Stations

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Rolling stock

Present

Local

Inaho/Rakuraku Train Murakami

Kairi

Former

History

The line was opened in sections between 1912 and 1924, and electrified in 1972, the same year CTC signalling was commissioned. Work to double-track the line in sections commenced in 1957, and continued for 25 years until being suspended due to capital expenditure restrictions in 1983, at which time 51% of the route was double-tracked. On July 28, 2022, JR East announced that ridership in some sectors was less than 2000 persons/day, the deficit for the sector between Murakami Station to Tsuruoka Station being 4,990 billion yen, the largest deficit within the JR East system.

Accidents

On December 25, 2005, all six cars of a limited express train Inaho No.14 on the Uetsu Line derailed in Yamagata prefecture, about 350 km north of Tokyo. The train was headed south towards Kita-Amarume Station. Three of the cars turned over, causing the deaths of five people and injuring 33 others. Three other persons were originally reported missing, but authorities later discovered that they had disembarked from the train before the accident. It is likely that the event was caused by a tornado although it is uncertain whether or not a tornado was involved with this accident.