Senseki Line

Senseki Line
Senseki Line 205-3100 series train at Tagajō Station
Overview
Type	Heavy rail
System	JR East
Status	Operating
Locale	Miyagi Prefecture
Termini	Aoba-dōri Station Ishinomaki Station
Stations	31
Operation
Opened	June 5, 1925
Owner	JR East
Operator(s)	JR East, JR Freight
Rolling stock	205 series
Technical
Track length	50.2 km (31.2 mi)
No. of tracks	2 (Aoba-dōri — Higashi-Shiogama), 1 (Higashi-Shiogama — Ishinomaki)
Track gauge	1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in)
Electrification	1,500 V DC
Operating speed	95 km/h (59 mph)
Route map

The Senseki Line (仙石線, Senseki-sen) is a rail line in Miyagi Prefecture, Japan. Part of the East Japan Railway Company (JR East) system, it runs from Aoba-dōri Station in Sendai to Ishinomaki Station in Ishinomaki, and provides access to the central coast areas of Miyagi Prefecture, significantly the Matsushima area. It connects with the Sendai Subway Nanboku Line at Aoba-dōri Station; the Tōhoku Shinkansen, the Tōhoku Main Line and the Senzan Line at Sendai Station; and the Ishinomaki Line in Ishinomaki. The name Senseki (仙石) comes from the combination of the first kanji of Sendai (仙台) and Ishinomaki (石巻), the two cities that the Senseki Line connects.

Basic data

• Operators, distances:
  • East Japan Railway Company (Services and tracks)
    • Aoba-dōri — Ishinomaki: 50.2 km / 31.2 mi.
  • Japan Freight Railway Company (Services and tracks)
    • Rikuzen-Yamashita — Ishinomaki-Minato: 1.8 km / 1.1 mi.
  • Japan Freight Railway Company (Services)
    • Rikuzen-Yamashita — Ishinomaki: 1.4 km / 0.9 mi.
• Stations:
  • Passenger stations: 31
  • Freight terminals: 1 (Ishinomaki-Minato)
• Tracks:
  • Double-track: Aoba-dōri — Higashi-Shiogama
  • Single-track: Higashi-Shiogama — Ishinomaki
• Electrification: Whole line (1500 V DC)
• Railway signalling:
  • Aoba-dōri — Ishinomaki: ATS-Ps
• CTC center: Miyagino Operation Control Center

Service

"Mangattan Liner" 205 series train, July 2006

"Mangattan Liner II" 205 series train, January 2009

All trains originate from Aoba-dōri Station, with most running to Tagajō or Higashi-Shiogama. Local trains and rapid service trains that run the entire length of the line operate at 30-minute intervals.

The segment from Aoba-dōri to Higashi-Shiogama is a key part of Sendai's transportation system, and becomes very crowded during peak periods, and headways are as short as 4 minutes. During non-peak times 3-5 trains run per hour. Between Higashi-Shiogama and Ishinomaki two trains run per hour (generally one local and one rapid train).

In addition to local trains, there are two types of rapid services on the Senseki Line. Both rapid services make only intermittent stops between Tagajō and Yamoto, but the first type (known as "green" rapids) stops at every station between Aoba-dōri and Tagajō, while the second type (known as "red" rapids) makes intermittent stops between Aoba-dōri and Tagajō. Local and rapid trains make all stops from Yamoto to Ishinomaki.

Green rapid trains serve Aoba-dōri, Sendai, Tagajō, Hon-Shiogama, Higashi-Shiogama, Matsushima-Kaigan, Takagimachi, Nobiru, Rikuzen-Ono, Yamoto, and all stations until Ishinomaki. Red rapid trains stop at the stations above as well as at all stations between Sendai and Tagajō.

A "Mangattan Train" operates on the Senseki Line, with a livery featuring Ishinomori Manga characters.

Service was halted since the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami, as several trains, stations, and sections of the line were destroyed, heavily damaged, or flooded. Service for the first 16 miles of the line from Sendai was expected to be restored by the end of May 2011. By mid-July, the Sendai – Matsushima-Kaigan and Yamoto – Ishinomaki sections had service restored, although the latter segment was with diesel trains due to the loss of the power substation. As the remainder of the line between Matsushima-Kaigan and Yamoto was virtually obliterated by the tsunami, no timeline has been set for its restoration; complicating matters are plans to move the surrounding communities to higher ground, which would require a track realignment and new stations to serve the relocated settlements.

As of the December 2011 edition of the Kotsushinbunsha timetable data, service has been extended to Takagimachi.

Timeline

• June 5, 1925: Miyagi Electric Railway (later Senseki Line): Sendai – Nishi-Shiogama.
• January 1, 1926: Miyaginohara Station opens.
• April 14, 1926: Nishi-Shiogama – Hon-Shiogama section opens.
• April 18, 1927: Hon-Shiogama – Matsushima-Kōen (later Matsushima-Kaigan Station) section opens.
• April 10, 1928: Matsushima-Kōen – Rikuzen-Ono section opens.
• May 15, 1928: Nigatake Station opens.
• November 22, 1928: Rikuzen-Ono – Ishinomaki section opens, connecting Sendai to Ishinomaki.
• June 1, 1929: Kazuma Station opens.
• October 23, 1931: Nobiru Station becomes Tōhoku-Suma Station.
• December 1, 1931: Tōna Station opens.
• January 8, 1932: Ishinomaki station becomes Miyaden-Ishinomaki Station.
• August 1, 1932: Geba Station opens.
• February 1, 1939: Miyaden-Yamashita Station (later Rikuzen-Yamashita Station) opens.
• November 7, 1939: Miyaden-Yamashita – Kama (later Ishinomaki Port Station) freight connection opens.
• May 1, 1944: Miyagi Electric Railway is nationalized, becomes the Senseki Line; Higashi-Nanabanchō Station becomes Sendai Higashi-Guchi Station, Hamada Station becomes Rikuzen-Hamada Station, Matsushima-Kōen becomes Matsushima-Kaigan Station, Tomiyama becomes Rikuzen-Tomiyama Station, Ōtsuka becomes Rikuzen-Ōtsuka Station, Tōhoku-Suma becomes Nobiru Station, and Miyaden-Ishinomaki becomes Ishinomaki Station.
• June 1, 1952: Sendai – Sendai Higashi-Guchi section stops operation.
• September 26, 1952: Sendai – Sendai Higashi-Gushi section abolished.
• 1957: Rapid trains begin operation.
• February 23, 1968: Track doubled on Fukudamachi – Tagajō section.
• March 19, 1968: Track doubled on Rikuzen-Haranomachi – Fukudamachi section.
• October 11, 1968: Kama – Ishinomaki-Futō freight connection opens
• September 26, 1969: Track doubled on Tagajō to Nishi-Shiogama section.
• April 1, 1971: Kama – Ishinomaki-Minato freight connection abolished.
• March 15, 1972: Kama Station becomes Ishinomaki-Minato Station.
• 1974: 72 series and 79 series trains begin operation.
• October 1, 1979: 103 series trains begin operation.
• April 1, 1981: Nakanosakae Station opens.
• November 1, 1981: Nishi-Shiogama – Higashi-Shiogama section elevated, double-tracked; Hon-Shiogama Station and Higashi-Shiogama Station moved.
• October 2, 1983: New weekend schedule introduced.
• March 31, 1987: Higashi-Yamoto Station opens.
• April 1, 1987: Senseki Line becomes part of the East Japan Railway Company (JR East).
• March 13, 1988: Rapid trains renamed Umikaze; scheduling changes.
• July 21, 1990: Ishinomaki and Senseki Lines' Ishinomaki stations are merged.
• November 1, 1999: Ishinomaki-Minato – Ishinomaki-Futō; freight connection abolished.
• March 11, 2000: Sendai – Rikuzen-Haranomachi section moved underground; Aoba-dōri – Sendai section added.
• November 5, 2002: 205-3100 series trains begin operation.
• July 2004: Last remaining 103 series trains withdrawn.
• March 13, 2004: Kozurushinden Station opens.
• October 16, 2004: "Umikaze" name is discontinued; weekday and Saturday schedules are merged.
• March 16, 2005: Nishi-Shiogama Station becomes unmanned.
• November 2006: One 4-car 103 series train is brought out of storage and reinstated into service.
• October 21, 2009: JR East's last remaining 103 series train is withdrawn from service.

Senseki Line 205 series EMU damaged by tsunami, March 2011

• March 11, 2011: Two Senseki Line trains were derailed and badly damaged by the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami.

Stations

Station Name	Japanese	Station distance (km)	Distance (km)	Red Rapid	Green Rapid	Transfers	Location
Aoba-dōri	あおば通		0.0	●	●	Sendai Subway Nanboku Line	Aoba-ku, Sendai
Sendai	仙台	0.5	0.5	●	●	Tōhoku Shinkansen, Akita Shinkansen, Tōhoku Main Line, Senzan Line, Jōban Line, Sendai Subway Nanboku Line	Miyagino-ku, Sendai
Tsutsujigaoka	榴ヶ岡	0.8	1.3	|	●
Miyaginohara	宮城野原	1.1	2.4	|	●
Rikuzen-Haranomachi	陸前原ノ町	0.8	3.2	|	●
Nigatake	苦竹	0.8	4.0	|	●
Kozurushinden	小鶴新田	1.6	5.6	|	●
Fukudamachi	福田町	2.1	7.7	|	●
Rikuzen-Takasago	陸前高砂	0.9	8.6	|	●
Nakanosakae	中野栄	1.7	10.3	|	●
Tagajō	多賀城	2.3	12.6	●	●		Tagajo, Miyagi
Geba	下馬	1.8	14.4	|	|
Nishi-Shiogama	西塩釜	0.8	15.2	|	|	≈1 km from Tōhoku Main Line Shiogama Station.	Shiogama, Miyagi
Hon-Shiogama	本塩釜	0.8	16.0	●	●
Higashi-Shiogama	東塩釜	1.2	17.2	|	|
Rikuzen-Hamada	陸前浜田	3.1	20.3	|	|		Rifu, Miyagi
Matsushima-Kaigan	松島海岸	2.9	23.2	●	●	≈2 km from Tōhoku Main Line Matsushima Station.	Matsushima, Miyagi
Takagimachi	高城町	2.3	25.5	●	●	≈1 km from Tōhoku Main Line Matsushima Station.
Tetaru	手樽	1.8	27.3	|	|
Rikuzen-Tomiyama	陸前富山	1.3	28.6	|	|
Rikuzen-Ōtsuka	陸前大塚	2.2	30.8	|	|		Higashimatsushima, Miyagi
Tōna	東名	1.6	32.4	|	|
Nobiru	野蒜	1.6	34.0	●	●
Rikuzen-Ono	陸前小野	3.2	37.2	●	●
Kazuma	鹿妻	1.6	38.8	|	|
Yamoto	矢本	2.6	41.4	●	●
Higashi-Yamoto	東矢本	1.4	42.8	●	●
Rikuzen-Akai	陸前赤井	1.5	44.3	●	●
Hebita	蛇田	3.5	47.8	●	●		Ishinomaki, Miyagi
Rikuzen-Yamashita	陸前山下	1.0	48.8	●	●
Ishinomaki	石巻	1.4	50.2	●	●	Ishinomaki Line