East Japan Railway Company

is the largest passenger railway company in the world and one of the seven JR companies. It is often known as .

History

JR East was incorporated on April 1, 1987 after being spun off from the government-run Japanese National Railways. Although this was a nominal "privatization," the company was actually a wholly-owned subsidiary of the government-owned JNR Settlement Corporation for several years, and was not completely sold to the public until 2002.

Following the JNR breakup, JR East assumed responsibility for passenger operations on former JNR lines in the Greater Tokyo Area, the Tōhoku region and surrounding areas.

Lines

Its railway lines serve Kanto and Tōhoku regions primarily, along with adjacent parts of Niigata, Nagano, Yamanashi and Shizuoka prefectures.

Shinkansen

JR East operates all of the Shinkansen (high speed rail lines) north of Tokyo.

Akita Shinkansen (秋田新幹線)(Morioka - Akita)
Hokuriku Shinkansen (北陸新幹線)(Tokyo - Nagano)
Joetsu Shinkansen (上越新幹線)(Tokyo - Niigata)
Tōhoku Shinkansen (東北新幹線)(Tokyo - Sendai - Hachinohe)
Yamagata Shinkansen (山形新幹線)(Fukushima - Shinjo)

Note that the Tokyo-Osaka Tokaido Shinkansen is owned and operated by the Central Japan Railway Company, although it stops at several JR East stations.

Greater Tokyo Area lines

Akabane Line (赤羽線) (Ikebukuro - Akabane)
Chuo Main Line (中央本線) (Tokyo - Hachioji - Kofu)
Chuo-Sobu Line (中央・総武緩行線) (Mitaka - Tokyo - Chiba)
Hachiko Line (八高線) (Hachioji - Takasaki)
Itsukaichi Line (五日市線) (Haijima - Musashi Itsukaichi)
Joban Line (常磐線) (Tokyo - Hitachi)
Karasuyama Line (烏山線) (Karasuyama - Hoshakuji)
Kashima Line (鹿島線) (Katori - Kashima)
Kawagoe Line (川越線) (Omiya - Kawagoe - Komagawa)
Keihin-Tohoku Line (京浜東北線) (Omiya - Tokyo - Yokohama)
Keiyo Line (京葉線) (Tokyo - Soga)
Kururi Line (久留里線) (Kisarazu - Kazusa Kameyama)
Mito Line (水戸線) (Oyama - Tomobe)
Musashino Line (武蔵野線) (Tokyo - Fuchu Hommachi)(Tokyo outer loop)
Nambu Line (南武線) (Kawasaki - Tachikawa)
Narita Line (成田線) (Sakura - Choshi; Abiko - Narita; Narita - Narita Airport)
Negishi Line (根岸線) (Yokohama - Ofuna)
Nikko Line (日光線) (Utsunomiya - Nikko)
Ome Line (青梅線) (Tachikawa - Ome - Okutama)
Ryomo Line (両毛線) (Oyama - Shin Maebashi)
Sagami Line (相模線) (Hachioji - Chigasaki)
Saikyo Line (埼京線) (Osaki - Omiya)
Shonan Shinjuku Line (湘南新宿線) (Omiya - Shinjuku - Ofuna)
Sobu Main Line (総武本線) (Tokyo - Choshi)
Sotobo Line (外房線) (Chiba - Mobara - Awa Kamogawa)
Takasaki Line (高崎線) (Omiya - Takasaki)
Togane Line (東金線) (Naruto - Oami)
Tohoku Main Line(Utsunomiya Line) (東北本線(宇都宮線)) (Ueno - Kuroiso)
Tokaido Main Line (東海道本線) (Tokyo - Yokohama - Atami)
Tsurumi Line (鶴見線) (Tsurumi - Ougimachi; Anzen - Okawa; Asano - Umishibaura)
Uchibo Line (内房線) (Soga - Kisarazu - Awa Kamogawa)
Yamanote Line (山手線) (Tokyo inner loop)
Yokohama Line (横浜線) (Higashi Kanagawa - Hachioji)
Yokosuka Line (横須賀線) (Tokyo - Kurihama)

Tokai and Koshinetsu regional lines

Agatsuma Line (吾妻線) (Shibukawa - Omae)
Chuo Main Line (中央本線) (Kofu - Shiojiri)
Echigo Line (越後線) (Niigata - Kashiwazaki)
Hakushin Line (白新線) (Niigata - Shibata)
Iiyama Line (飯山線) (Toyono - Echigo Kawaguchi)
Ito Line (伊東線) (Atami - Ito)
Joetsu Line (上越線) (Takasaki - Miyauchi; Echigo Yuzawa - Gara Yuzawa)
Koumi Line (小海線) (Kobuchisawa - Komoro)
Ooito Line (大糸線) (Matsumoto - Minamiotari)
Shinetsu Main Line (信越本線) (Takasaki - Yokokawa; Shinonoi - Nagano - Niigata)
Shinonoi Line (篠ノ井線) (Shinonoi - Shiojiri)
Yahiko Line (弥彦線) (Higashi Sanjo - Yahiko)

Tōhoku regional lines

Aterazawa Line (左沢線) (Kita Yamagata - Aterazawa)
East Ban'etsu Line (磐越東線) (Iwaki - Koriyama)
East Riku'u Line (陸羽東線) (Kogota - Shinjo)
Gono Line (五能線) (Higashi Noshiro - Kawabe)
Hachinohe Line (八戸線) (Hachinohe - Kuji)
Hanawa Line (花輪線) (Odate - Koma)
Ishinomaki Line (石巻線) (Kogota - Onagawa)
Iwaizumi Line (岩泉線) (Moichi - Iwaizumi)
Jōban Line (常磐線) (Hitachi - Sendai)
Kamaishi Line (釜石線) (Hanamaki - Kamaishi)
Kesennuma Line (気仙沼線) (Maeyachi - Kesennuma)
Kitakami Line (北上線) (Kitakami - Yokote)
Ofunato Line (大船渡線) (Ichinoseki - Sakari)
Oga Line (男鹿線) (Oiwake - Oga)
Ominato Line (大湊線) (Noheji - Ominato)
Ōu Main Line (奥羽本線) (Fukushima - Yamagata - Akita - Aomori)
Senseki Line (仙石線) (Aobadori - Ishinomaki)
Senzan Line (仙山線) (Sendai - Uzenchitose)
Suigun Line (水郡線) (Mito - Kōriyama)
Tadami Line (只見線) (Aizuwakamatsu - Koide)
Tazawako Line (田沢湖線) (Morioka - Omagari)
Tōhoku Main Line (東北本線) (Kuroiso - Morioka)
Tsugaru Line (津軽線) (Aomori - Mimmaya)
Tsugaru Kaikyo Line (津軽海峡線) (Aomori - Nakaoguni)(a part of Tsugaru Line)
Uetsu Main Line (羽越本線) (Niizu - Akita)
West Ban'etsu Line (磐越西線) (Kōriyama - Niigata)
West Riku'u Line (陸羽西線) (Shinjō- Amarume)
Yamada Line (山田線) (Morioka - Kamaishi)
Yonesaka Line (米坂線) (Yonezawa - Sakamachi)

Subsidiaries

Higashi-Nihon Kiosk - provides newspapers, drinks and other items in station kiosks and operates the NEWDAYS convenience store chain
JR Bus Kanto/JR Bus Tohoku - intercity bus operators
Nippon Restaurant Enterprise - provides bento (box lunches) on trains and in train stations
Tokyo Monorail - waterfront monorail line in Tokyo (70% owned)

Miscellaneous

JR East co-sponsors the JEF United Ichihara Chiba J-League soccer club, which was formed by a merger between JR East and Furukawa Electric company teams.

External links

Companies headquartered in Tokyo | Japanese regional rail systems | Railway companies of Japan

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