Freight Trains in Japan
JR Freight is the predominate rail freight carrier in Japan, which operates freight services across Kyushu, Honshu and Hokkaido and also Shikoku. There are also few private railways that carry freight, either small port area railways or small private railways.
Interested in Japan's freight trains?
Want to know best places to view
and take interesting pictures,
including those with that scenic backdrop?
Here at TS Japan Rail we can help you plan your trip or outing; including where are the best places to see many freight trains, to where you can get that scenic shot and importantly when! Whether your object is just freight trains or you want to include as part of a wider trip we have the information to help you make those plans, including providing directions to the best photography spots.
JR Freight
JR Freight inherited most of the freight services operated by JNR before it was privatized.
With the exception of 11 short routes, JR Freight does not possess its own lines but instead utilizes routes operated by the passenger JR companies and a few private rail companies. Aoimori Railway and IGR Iwate Galaxy Railway that took over parts of the Tohoku Main Line in Aomori Prefecture and Iwate Prefecture and IR Ishikawa Railway and Ainokaze Toyama Railway who took over parts of the Hokuriku Main Line earn a large part of their revenue from access fees paid by JR Freight on what are major freight trunk routes.
Most rail freight is carried in
containers or tankers...
Nowadays most freight
is carried in
containers or tankers.
JR Freight and its affiliates, together with some of their major customers who own their own containers, have a variety of different types of containers. Due to limited gauge of much of Japan’s railways however there are only a small number of routes that international size shipping containers can be carried.
Rail Freight is growing...
01
In recent times, the rail industry has witnessed a decline in the amount of freight being transported, currently accounting for only around 10%. Road and inland shipping have emerged as major competitors in this regard.
02
Nevertheless, there is now a notable surge in interest towards rail freight, primarily due to challenges faced by road haulage companies in recruiting drivers. Additionally, upcoming regulations that will limit truck drivers' working hours starting April 2024 have further fueled this interest. As a result, JR Freight has taken steps to expand its operations by increasing the number and length of trains operated on its main trunk routes.
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- Freight Routes as at March 2020
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- Rail Freight Timetable
Not all rail freight is handled by JR Freight...
There are a number of private rail companies that handle only freight, mostly in port areas.
Such companies include Kanagawa Ringai Tetsudo that operates in the Keihin Industrial areas of Yokohama and Kawasaki; Nagoya Rinkai Tetsudo, which operates in the Nagoya Port area and Fukushima Rinkai Tetsudo. They are very sensitive to local industry, so the number of such railways has declined in recent years.
Picture and Video Gallery
Tokaido~
Sanyo~
Kyushu route
Tokaido Main Line (Tokaido Freight Line), Kansai Main Line, Sanyo Main Line, Yosan Line, Kagoshima Main Line, Nippo Line
Tokaido Main Line freight Trains
Tohoku
Tohoku Main Line, Joban Line, Iwate Galaxy Railway, Aoimori Railway
EH500-43 a Dual Voltage EL passing Hachinohe Station on the Iwate Galaxy Railway
Japan Sea route
Uetsu Main Line Uo Line, AinoKaze Toyama Railway, IR Ishikawa Railway, Hapi-Line Fukui Railway, Hokuriku Main Line
EH500 EL passing Tsuruoka station on the Uetsu Main line
Joetsu & Chuo Line Routes
Takasaki Line & Joetsu Line
"Annaka Freight" - Toho Zinc's Zinc Ore Train (Izumi station on the Joban Line to Annaka on the Shinetsu Line in Gunma)
Hokkaido Routes
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Hokkaido
Hakodate Main Line, Muroran Main Line, Hidaka Main Line, Chitose Line, Ishikatsu Line, Nemuro Main Line, Hanasaki Line
There are also a small number of companies that operate both freight and passenger trains.
Good example of these are the Chichibu Railway in Saitama and the Sangi Railway in Mie Prefecture, both of which were originally built for freight but also introduced passenger services. In fact many rural lines were originally built with freight traffic in mind, which nowadays has long gone.
In days past some of the major private rail companies also had freight operations. Tobu Railways and Seibu Railways are a couple.
Picture and Video Gallery
Such companies include Kanagawa Ringai Tetsudo that operates in the Keihin Industrial areas of Yokohama and Kawasaki; Nagoya Rinkai Tetsudo, which operates in the Nagoya Port area and Fukushima Rinkai Tetsudo. They are very sensitive to local industry, so the number of such railways has declined in recent years.
Tokaido~
Sanyo~
Kyushu route
Tokaido Main Line (Tokaido Freight Line), Kansai Main Line, Sanyo Main Line, Yosan Line, Kagoshima Main Line, Nippo Line
Our Classes
Tokaido Main Line freight Trains
Tohoku
Tohoku Main Line, Joban Line, Iwate Galaxy Railway, Aoimori Railway
EH500-43 a Dual Voltage EL passing Hachinohe Station on the Iwate Galaxy Railway
Japan Sea route
Uetsu Main Line Uo Line, AinoKaze Toyama Railway, IR Ishikawa Railway, Hapi-Line Fukui Railway, Hokuriku Main Line
EH500 EL passing Tsuruoka station on the Uetsu Main line
Joetsu & Chuo Line Routes
Takasaki Line & Joetsu Line
"Annaka Freight" - Toho Zinc's Zinc Ore Train (Izumi station on the Joban Line to Annaka on the Shinetsu Line in Gunma)
Hokkaido Routes
A lot of freight travels between Hokkaido and Honshu by rail.
This gives rise to one of th einteresting points about rail freight in Hokkaido - it travels along the Hokkaido Shinkansen route through the Seikan Tunnel with dedicated locomotives that can operate on the shinkansen 25kv AC system and the 20kv AC system used on the conventional lines either side of the tunnel. As much of the rail network in Hokkaido is non electrified, JR Freight introduced its DF200 diesel locomotive, built specially for the harsh and mountainous conditions there.
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