Gonō Line

The Gonō Line (五能線) is a railway line in Japan linking Higashi-Noshiro Station in Akita Prefecture with Kawabe Station in Aomori Prefecture, in the northern Tōhoku region of Honshu. The line stretches 147.2 km (91.5 mi) along the Sea of Japan coast with a total of 43 stations. The Gonō Line is operated by East Japan Railway Company (JR East).

Station list

 * For the Resort Shirakami rapid service, please see its article.
 * Trains may pass at stations marked "◇", "v", or "^".

Rolling stock

 * KiHa 40 series DMU
 * HB-E300 series DMU
 * GV-E400 series DMU

History
The first section of the Gonō Line was opened by the Japanese Government Railways (JGR) from Higashi-Noshiro to Noshiro in 1908. When every JGR railway line was assigned a line name on October 12, 1909, this short railway was named the Noshiro Line (能代線). In 1926 it was extended to Iwadate and in 1932 extended to Mutsu-Iwasaki.

The private Mutsu Railway (陸奥鉄道) began operations on September 25, 1918 linking Kawabe with Goshogawara. The line was extended to Mutsu-Morita on October 21, 1924 with the extension called the Goshogawara Line (五所川原線). The line was extended to Ajigasawa on May 15, 1925. The company was nationalized in 1927, with the Goshogawara Line being absorbed into the Mutsu Railway. The line was extended to Mutsu-Akaishi on November 26, 1929 and connected to the Gonō Line on July 30, 1936, at which time the entire line adopted its current name.

A CTC system was installed in 1986. With the privatization of the Japanese National Railways (successor of JGR) on April 1, 1987, the Gonō Line came under the control of the East Japan Railway Company (JR East).