Sendai Airport Line

The Sendai Airport terminus with JR E721-500 series (left) and SAT721 (right) trains at the platforms

The Sendai Airport Line, or Sendai Airport Access Line (仙台空港アクセス線 Sendai Kūkō akusesu sen) is an airport rail link service connecting Sendai Airport to Sendai, Miyagi, Japan. Rail service began on March 18, 2007. The line was severely damaged by the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami and service was suspended indefinitely from 11 March 2011, not reopening until 1 October, nearly 7 months later.^[1]

Data

The third-sector Sendai Airport Transit Co., Ltd. (SAT) started construction of the line in 2002. The construction cost is expected to reach 34.9 billion yen, and it may take as long as thirty years before the railway turns a profit.^[2]

• Route: Natori Station – Sendai Airport Station
• Length: 7.1 km
• Gauge: 1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in)
• Number of stations: 4, including terminals
• Multiple-track sections: Single-track except for passing loop at Mitazono Station
• Electrification: 20,000 V AC
• Block system: Special automatic blocking (planned)
• Rolling stock: JR E721-500 and SAT721 series 2-car EMUs

Stations

• Natori Station
• Morisekinoshita Station
• Mitazono Station
• Sendai Airport Station

Rolling stock

SAT has ordered six 2-car SAT721 trainsets which are used in conjunction with similar design JR E721-500 series sets. The stainless-steel bodied trains feature barrier-free design and have a top speed of 120 km/h. LED indicators show the stations and destination. Train interior and exterior announcements are in given in Japanese and English.^[3]

Connections

From Natori Station, service extends via the Tōhoku Main Line tracks to Sendai Station, a stop for the Tōhoku Shinkansen express trains located in central Sendai. From Sendai Station, it takes 17 minutes (rapid service) or 25 minutes (local service) to get to the airport. The railway also has advertised that Sendai Airport can be reached from neighboring cities such as Fukushima and Ichinoseki in under one hour.

Trains can be up to six cars in length. Besides being faster than existing bus services from the city, with a fare of 400 yen from Natori Station, or 650 yen from Sendai Station, the rail service is also less expensive.

References

1. http://www.asahi.com/travel/rail/news/TKY201110010497.html
2. Kahoku Shimpō (河北新報); December 5, 2006

External links

• Sendai Airport Transit website (Japanese)
• SAT from Sendai airport to Sendai Stn. (how-to movies on transportation in Sendai)
• SAT from Sendai Stn. to Sendai airport (how-to movies on transportation in Sendai)