Railway electrification in Japan
This is a list of railway electrification systems in Japan.
All lines use an overhead line power supply unless otherwise noted., the rail system consists of the following:
- of narrow gauge, of which is electrified.
- of, all of which is electrified.
- of Scotch gauge, all of which is electrified.
- of narrow gauge, all of which is electrified.
The frequency of the AC power supply is 50 Hz in Eastern Japan and 60 Hz in Western Japan.
DC">Direct current">DC electrified
600 V
1,067 mm gauge
Other gauges
| Name | Operator | Gauge | Notes |
| Hakodate City Tram | Hakodate City Tram Department | 1,372 mm | |
| Main Line | Kurobe Gorge Railway | 762 mm | |
| Tateyama Tunnel Trolleybus | Tateyama Kurobe Kanko | Trolleybus | |
| Ueno Zoo Monorail | Tokyo Metropolitan Bureau of Transportation | Suspended monorail | Overhead contact Service suspended since 2019 |
| Toden Arakawa Line | Tokyo Metropolitan Bureau of Transportation | 1,372 mm | Only surviving Tokyo Toden |
| Setagaya Line | Tokyu Railways | 1,372 mm |
750 V
1,500 V
1,067 mm gauge
1,435 mm gauge
Other gauges
AC">Alternating current">AC electrified
20 kV, 50 Hz
| Name | Operator | Gauge | Notes |
| Chitose Line | JR Hokkaido | 1,067 mm | Include Chitose Airport branch |
| Hakodate Main Line | JR Hokkaido | 1,067 mm | Shin-Hakodate-Hokuto – Otaru section is not electrified |
| Kaikyō Line | JR Hokkaido | 1,067 mm | Dead section within Shin-nakaoguni signal base, 25 kV electrified north of dead section, only freight trains and Train Suite Shikishima cruise train may run after 2016 |
| Muroran Main Line | JR Hokkaido | 1,067 mm | Oshamambe – Higashi-Muroran, and Numanohata – Iwamizawa section is not electrified |
| Sasshō Line | JR Hokkaido | 1,067 mm | All non-electrified sections are abandoned in 2020 |
| Sōya Main Line | JR Hokkaido | 1,067 mm | Only for dead mileage purpose of Hakodate Main Line trains, and for freight trains, passenger trains of Sōya Main Line are using DMUs, as the rest of line is not electrified |
| Akita Shinkansen | JR East | 1,435 mm | Mini-Shinkansen, concurrent with Tazawako Line and Ōu Main Line |
| Banetsu West Line | JR East | 1,067 mm | As of 2022, no EMUs are running west of Aizu-Wakamatsu, Aizu-Wakamatsu – Kitakata electrification is therefore planned to be abandoned, the rest of line are not electrified |
| Jōban Line | JR East | 1,067 mm | Dead section between Toride – Fujishiro, 1,500 V electrified south of the dead section |
| Mito Line | JR East | 1,067 mm | Dead section between Oyama – Otabayashi, 1500 V electrified near the Oyama Station |
| Oga Line | JR East | 1,067 mm | While not de jure considered electrified line, all trains are using battery EMU |
| Ōu Main Line | JR East | Mixed 1,067 mm and 1,435 mm in different sections | except the mainly-freight transport Tsuchizaki – Akita Port section which is not electrified Concurrent with Yamagata Shinkansen and Akita Shinkansen |
| Senzan Line | JR East | 1,067 mm | |
| Tazawako Line | JR East | 1,435 mm | Concurrent with Akita Shinkansen |
| Tōhoku Main Line | JR East | 1,067 mm | Except Senseki-Tōhoku Line connection which is not electrified, dead section between Kuroiso – Takaku, 1500 V electrified south of the dead section |
| Tsugaru Line | JR East | 1,067 mm | Tsugaru Line trains north of Kanita are using DMUs, the electrification north of Kanita is for Kaikyō Line trains |
| Uetsu Main Line | JR East | 1,435 mm | Except freight-only Sakata – Sakatakō, dead section between Murakami – Majima, 1,500 V electrified southwest of the dead section |
| Yamagata Shinkansen | JR East | 1,435 mm | Mini-Shinkansen, concurrent with Ōu Main Line |
| Abukuma Express Line | AbukumaExpress | 1,067 mm | |
| Aoimori Railway Line | Aoimori Railway | 1,067 mm | formerly part of Tohoku Main Line until 2010 |
| Iwate Galaxy Railway Line | IGR Iwate Galaxy Railway | 1,067 mm | formerly part of Tohoku Main Line until 2002 |
| Tsukuba Express | Metropolitan Intercity Railway Company | 1,067 mm | Dead section between Moriya – Miraidaira, 1,500 V electrified south of the dead section |
| Sendai Airport Line | Sendai Airport Transit | 1,067 mm | |
| South Hokkaido Railway Line | South Hokkaido Railway | 1,067 mm | Dead section between Kikonai – Satsukari, 25 kV electrified west of dead section, passenger trains are using DMU, while freight trains are drag by electric locomotives formerly part of Esashi Line until 2016 |
20 kV, 60 Hz
| Name | Operator | Gauge | Notes |
| Hokuriku Main Line | JR West | 1,067 mm | Dead section between Tsuruga – Minami-Imajō, 1500 V electrified southwest of the dead section |
| Nanao Line | JR West | 1,067 mm | Dead section between Tsubata – Naka-Tsubata, 1500 V electrified north of the dead section |
| Chikuhō Main Line | JR Kyushu | 1,067 mm | Wakamatsu – Orio, and Keisen – Haruda sections are not electrified, but for the first non-electrified section, all trains are using battery EMUs since 2016 |
| Hōhi Main Line | JR Kyushu | 1,067 mm | The second electrified section is a dead mileage purpose section for Nippō Main Line trains, Hōhi Main Line trains east of Higo-Ōzu are DMUs, as Higo-Ōzu – Shimogōri is not electrified |
| Kagoshima Main Line | JR Kyushu | 1,067 mm | |
| Kashii Line | JR Kyushu | 1,067 mm | While not de jure considered electrified line, all trains are using battery EMU |
| Miyazaki Kūkō Line | JR Kyushu | 1,067 mm | |
| Nagasaki Main Line | JR Kyushu | 1,067 mm | South of the Hizen-Hama, the main route was electrified during 1976–2022, abandoned due to opening of the Nishi Kyushu Shinkansen, now being demolished, the old route was never electrified |
| Nichinan Line | JR Kyushu | 1,067 mm | The rest of Nichinan Line is not electrified |
| Nippō Main Line | JR Kyushu | 1,067 mm | |
| Ōmura Line | JR Kyushu | 1,067 mm | The line south of Huis Ten Bosch is not electrified |
| San'yō Main Line | JR Kyushu | 1,067 mm | Dead section between Shimonoseki – Moji, 1500 V electrified north of the dead section |
| Sasaguri Line | JR Kyushu | 1,067 mm | |
| Sasebo Line | JR Kyushu | 1,067 mm | |
| Ainokaze Toyama Railway Line | Ainokaze Toyama Railway | 1,067 mm | was a part of Hokuriku Main Line until 2015 |
| Nihonkai Hisui Line | Echigo Tokimeki Railway | 1,067 mm | Dead section between Echigo Oshiage Hisui Kaigan – Kajiyashiki, 1500 V electrified east of the dead section, was a part of Hokuriku Main Line until 2015 |
| Hisatsu Orange Railway Line | Hisatsu Orange Railway | 1,067 mm | was a part of Kagoshima Main Line until 2004, except the 36plus3 limited express and freight trains, all other passenger trains are using DMUs |
| IR Ishikawa Railway Line | IR Ishikawa Railway | 1,067 mm | was a part of Hokuriku Main Line until 2015 |
25 kV, 50 Hz
| Name | Operator | Gauge | Notes |
| Hokkaido Shinkansen | JR Hokkaido | 1,435 mm | Concurrent with Kaikyō Line between Shin-nakaoguni signal base – Yunosato-Shiriuchi signal base |
| Kaikyō Line | JR Hokkaido | 1,067 mm | Dead section within Shin-nakaoguni signal base, 20 kV electrified south of dead section, only freight trains and Train Suite Shikishima cruise train may run after 2016 Concurrent with Hokkaido Shinkansen between Shin-nakaoguni signal base – Yunosato-Shiriuchi signal base |
| Jōetsu Shinkansen | JR East | 1,435 mm | |
| Tōhoku Shinkansen | JR East | 1,435 mm | has connections with two Mini-Shinkansens above, and hence dead sections on both connection points |
| Hokuriku Shinkansen | JR East, JR West | 1,435 mm | |
| South Hokkaido Railway Line | South Hokkaido Railway | 1,067 mm | Dead section between Kikonai – Satsukari, 20 kV electrified east of dead section, passenger trains are using DMU, while freight trains are drag by electric locomotives formerly part of Esashi Line until 2016 |
25 kV, 60 Hz
| Name | Operator | Gauge | Notes |
| Hokuriku Shinkansen | JR East, JR West | 1,435 mm | |
| Tōkaidō Shinkansen | JR Central | 1,435 mm | |
| Sanyō Shinkansen | JR West | 1,435 mm | |
| Kyushu Shinkansen | JR Kyushu | 1,435 mm | |
| Nishi Kyushu Shinkansen | JR Kyushu | 1,435 mm |