Inaho
| Inaho | |
|---|---|
 485-3000 series Inaho | |
| Overview | |
| Service type | Limited express |
| Locale | Hakushin Line, Uetsu Main Line, Ōu Main Line |
| First service | 1 October 1969 |
| Current operator(s) | JR East |
| Former operator(s) | JNR |
| Route | |
| Start | Niigata |
| End | Akita |
| Distance travelled | 271.7 km (168.8 mi) |
| Average journey time | Approx. 3 hours 40 minutes |
| Service frequency | 7 return services daily |
| On-board services | |
| Class(es) | Green + standard |
| Technical | |
| Rolling stock | 485 series/E653-1000 series EMUs |
| Track gauge | 1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in) |
| Operating speed | 120 km/h (75 mph)[1] |
The Inaho (いなほ) is a limited express train service in Japan operated by East Japan Railway Company (JR East), which runs from Niigata to Sakata and Akita.[2]
Service pattern
Three return workings daily operate between Niigata and Akita, with a further four return workings between Niigata and Sakata.[2]
Inaho services stop at the following stations.[2]
Niigata - Toyosaka - Shibata - Nakajō - Sakamachi - Murakami - Fuya - Atsumi Onsen - Tsuruoka - Amarume - Sakata - Yuza - Kisakata - Nikaho - Ugo-Honjō - Akita
Rolling stock
Inaho services are operated by 6-car 485 or refurbished 485-3000 series electric multiple unit (EMU) trains based at Niigata Depot.[1]
The first of a planned fleet of eight seven-car E653-1000 series EMUs displaced from Fresh Hitachi services on the Joban Line was phased in on Inaho services from the start of the revised timetable on 28 September 2013. These will eventually replace the ageing 485 series sets.[3][4] The E653 series trains are modified with the addition of a Green (first class) car and a new livery evoking images of the sunset, rice plants, and the sea.[3]
-
485 series EMU on an Inaho service, May 2008
-
485-3000 series EMU on an Inaho service, August 2009
-
E653-1000 series set on an Inaho service, September 2013
Formations
Services are formed of 6-car 485 series sets as follows, with car 1 at the Akita end and car 6 at the Niigata end. All cars are no smoking.[2][5]
| Car No. | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Numbering | KuRoHa 481 | MoHa 484 | MoHa 485 | MoHa 484 | MoHa 485 | KuHa 481 | |
| Accommodation | Green | Reserved | Reserved | Reserved | Non-reserved | Non-reserved | Non-reserved |
| Facilities | Toilet | Toilet | Toilet | Toilet | Phone | Toilet | |
The services operated by 7-car E653-1000 series sets are formed as follows, with car 1 at the Akita end and car 7 at the Niigata end. All cars are no smoking.[4]
| Car No. | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Numbering | KuRo E652-1000 | MoHa E653-1000 | MoHa E652-1000 | SaHa E653-1000 | MoHa E653-1000 | MoHa E652-1000 | KuHa E653-1000 |
| Accommodation | Green | Reserved | Reserved | Reserved | Non-reserved | Non-reserved | Non-reserved |
Seating in the E653 series Green cars is arranged 2+1, with 18 seats in total.[4]
History
The Inaho was first introduced from 1 October 1969 as a limited express service operating between Ueno in Tokyo and Akita via Niigata.[6] Trains were formed of 7-car KiHa 80 series DMUs, with one service in each direction daily.[7]
The original schedule was as follows.[7]
- Down: Ueno (dep. 1350) → Sakata (arr. 2028) → Akita (arr. 2200)
- Up: Akita (dep. 0925) → Sakata (arr. 1056) → Ueno (arr. 1740)
From March 1972, train formations were extended to 9 cars to cope with popularity.[7] From October of the same year, the original DMUs were replaced by 485 series EMUs following electrification of the entire route. At the same time, service frequency was increased to two return workings daily, with one service extended to Aomori.[7] Electrification enabled journey times between Ueno and Akita to be reduced to approximately 7 hours 30 minutes, and increasing popularity resulted in formations being lengthened to 12 cars, with non-reserved seating cars added from October 1978, and a third daily return service added from July 1979.[7]
The typical 12-car formation was as follows, with car 1 at the Ueno end.[8]
| Car No. | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Accommodation | Reserved | Green | Reserved | Reserved | Reserved | Reserved | Restaurant | Reserved | Reserved | Reserved | Reserved | Reserved |
From 15 November 1982, following the opening of the Jōetsu Shinkansen, two of the return Inaho services were cut, and the third return service remaining between Ueno and Akita via Niitsu was renamed Chōkai (鳥海).[7] From this date, Inaho train services were reorganized to run as five return workings daily between Niigata and Akita (with one service extended to/from Aomori) using 9-car 485 series EMUs with no restaurant car facilities.[7]
From March 1985, train formations were reduced to 6-car monoclass sets, although from November 1986, service frequency was increased from five to seven return workings daily.[7]
Green (first class) car accommodation was added to half of one car following privatization of JNR to become JR East.[7]
From the start of the 4 December 2010 timetable revision, services were further truncated to operate between Niigata and Akita, with some trains terminating at Sakata. Former operations between Akita and Aomori were covered instead by extended Tsugaru services.[9]
From 28 September 2013, refurbished E653-1000 series 7-car sets formerly used on Fresh Hitachi services were phased in on Inaho services, initially on just one return working a day.[4]
Future developments
From the start of the revised timetable on 15 March 2014, a further four return workings daily are scheduled to be operated by refurbished E653-1000 series EMUs, replacing the older 485 series sets.[10]
Accident
On 25 December 2005, the Inaho 14 service from Akita to Niigata was derailed and overturned by strong winds in the vicinity of the No. 2 Mogami River bridge between Kita-Amarume and Sagoshi stations while travelling at a speed of approximately 100 km/h. The front three cars overturned and rolled down the embankment, hitting a concrete structure below. The rear three cars were also derailed but remained upright. A total of 46 people were aboard the train, including three staff members. Five passengers were killed in the accident, and 33 people sustained injuries (including two staff members).[11][12] Heavy snow and winds hampered recovery efforts, and the train was not removed from the accident scene until 1 January 2006. The line was reopened to traffic on 19 January 2006.
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 JR新幹線＆特急列車ファイル [JR Shinkansen & Limited Express Train File]. Japan: Kōtsū Shimbun. 2008. p. 78. ISBN 978-4-330-00608-6.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 JR Timetable, March 2012 issue, p.101/1003
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 "特急「いなほ」の車両を一新します！" [New "Inaho" limited express trains] (pdf). News release (in Japanese). Japan: East Japan Railway Company - Niigata Division. 26 June 2013. Retrieved 26 June 2013.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 "２０１３年９月ダイヤ改正について" [September 2013 timetable revision details] (pdf). News release (in Japanese). Japan: East Japan Railway Company - Niigata Division. 5 July 2013. Retrieved 9 July 2013.
- ↑ JR電車編成表 2012夏 [JR EMU Formations - Summer 2012]. Japan: JRR. May 2012. p. 34-35. ISBN 978-4-330-28612-9.
- ↑ 列車名鑑1995 [Train Name Directory 1995]. Japan: Railway Journal. August 1995.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 7.4 7.5 7.6 7.7 7.8 Teramoto, Mitsuteru (July 2001). 国鉄・ＪＲ列車名大辞典 [JNR & JR Train Name Encyclopedia]. Tokyo, Japan: Chuoshoin Publishing Co., Ltd. p. 106-107. ISBN 4-88732-093-0.
- ↑ Kuribayashi, Nobuyuki (December 2012). "全盛期の国鉄特急を撮る ！ その22" [Photographing JNR limited expressesin their heyday - Part 22]. Japan Railfan Magazine (Japan: Koyusha Co., Ltd.) 52 (620): p.125.
- ↑ JR Timetable, December 2010 issue, p.100
- ↑ "２０１４年３月ダイヤ改正について" [Details of March 2014 timetable revision] (pdf). News release (in Japanese). Japan: East Japan Railway Company, Niigata Division. 20 December 2013. p. 2-3. Retrieved 20 December 2013.
- ↑ Japan Transport Safety Board accicent report Retrieved 21 December 2009. (Japanese)
- ↑ Japan Science & Technology Agency accident case study Retrieved 21 December 2009. (Japanese)
External links
 |
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Inaho. |
- JR East 485 series Inaho (Japanese)
- JR East press release explaining preventive measures implemented following 2005 Inaho derailment (20 December 2006) (Japanese)
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