Komachi (Shinkansen)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Komachi (こまち) is the sole service running on the Akita Shinkansen, using only E3 Series trains. Between Tokyo and Morioka, it couples with a Tōhoku Shinkansen train set E2 Series. After Morioka, the Komachi service continues along former narrow-gauge tracks that have been converted to standard gauge. Because it then runs on tracks that have grade crossings, its maximum speed from Morioka to Akita is 130 km/h, compared to 275 km/h on the first leg.

The Komachi service was named after a famous poet from the area, Ono no Komachi, whose name (小町) is also synonymous with "belle" or "beauty" in Japanese.