Yamagata Shinkansen

The Yamagata Shinkansen (Japanese: 山形新幹線) is a special train route in Japan, run by the East Japan Railway Company (JR East). It travels between Tokyo and Shinjō in Yamagata Prefecture. This route uses the tracks of the Tōhoku Shinkansen and the Ōu Main Line.

The Yamagata Shinkansen is special because it connects Fukushima and Shinjō. The trains on this route share tracks with regular local trains, which is why it is often called a "mini-Shinkansen". This makes travel faster and more convenient for people living in that part of Japan.

Operations

The Yamagata Shinkansen uses special trains called E3 and E8 series, known as Tsubasa services. These trains travel between Tokyo and Fukushima together with other fast trains called Yamabiko on the main Tōhoku Shinkansen line. After Fukushima, they continue alone to Shinjō, sharing the tracks with regular trains and reaching speeds up to 130 kilometres per hour (81 mph).

Since the line opened in July 1992, around 62 million people have traveled on it. The quickest trips from Tokyo to Yamagata Station take about two hours and 29 minutes.

Station list

All the stations on this train line are found on the Ōu Main Line.

Rolling stock

The Yamagata Shinkansen uses different train types for its services. As of March 2024, the trains in use are the E3-2000 series, which started service on December 20, 2008, and the E8 series, which began on March 16, 2024. The E3-2000 series will be replaced by the E8 series in 2026.

In the past, the Yamagata Shinkansen used the 400 series and E3-1000 series trains. The 400 series was retired by April 18, 2010, and the E3-1000 series stopped running on March 18, 2024. There is also a special train called the Class E926 "East i" that is not used for regular passenger service.

History

The tracks for the Yamagata Shinkansen were changed between 1988 and 1992. Trains started running between Tokyo and Yamagata on July 1, 1992, using special six-car trains. By December 1995, these trains grew to seven cars, and the line reached all the way to Shinjō by December 1999.

In December 2008, new trains entered service, replacing the older ones by April 2010. After a big earthquake in March 2011, services stopped but started again later that year. In March 2020, plans were announced to improve the line with faster trains and better tracks. The new E8 series trains began running in March 2024 but faced some problems in June 2025, which were fixed by August 2025.

Future

JR East plans to build a new underground path through the Ōu Mountains west of Fukushima. This path would go between Niwasaka and Sekine. Most of this path, about 23 kilometers out of 25, would be underground. This would make trips faster by about 10 minutes because trains could go up to 200 kilometers per hour.

Right now, the train must go over a high pass where it can only go about 55 kilometers per hour. This area also gets lots of rain, snow, and wind, which can make trains late. If they build this underground path, it would cost about ¥150 billion. Planning would take five years, and building would take another 15 years. They could also make the tunnel bigger for an extra ¥12 billion.