Aoimori Railway Line | |||
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Aoimori Railway 701 series EMU, September 2010
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Overview | |||
Type | Regional rail | ||
Locale | Aomori Prefecture, Japan | ||
Termini |
Metoki Aomori |
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Stations | 26 | ||
Operation | |||
Opened | 1891 | ||
Owner | Aomori Prefecture | ||
Operator(s) | Aoimori Railway Company | ||
Rolling stock | 701 series EMUs | ||
Technical | |||
Line length | 121.9 km (75.7 mi) | ||
Track gauge | 1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in) | ||
Electrification | 20 kV AC, 50 Hz overhead catenary | ||
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The Aoimori Railway Line (青い森鉄道線 Aoimori Tetsudō-sen?) is a rail line in Japan. It connects Metoki Station in the town of Sannohe to Aomori Station in Aomori Prefecture.
The Aoimori Railway Line is operated by the Aoimori Railway Company, a "third sector" publicly and privately owned company. The railway facilities and tracks are owned by the local prefectural government as a "Category 3 Railway Business" under the Railway Business Act of Japan. The Aoimori Railway Company leases these facilities from the government and is responsible for operation of passenger trains on the tracks. This scheme is intended to mitigate the company's burden as an owner of fixed assets and is known as "track/service separation" (上下分離方式 jōge bunri hōshiki?).
JR East overnight sleeping car limited express services continue to use the line on services between Tokyo and Hokkaido. Japan Freight Railway Company (JR Freight), the nationwide freight train operator, also uses the line for freight services.
For maintenance work, the line relies on the services of the Hachinohe Rinkai Railway Line.
The Aoimori Railway operates a fleet of 701 series 2-car electric multiple units (EMUs). One set was built from new in September 2002, while eight more were transferred from JR East.