| Ban'etsu East Line | |
| Native Name: | 磐越東線 |
| Color: | 800080 |
| Type: | Heavy rail |
| Status: | In operation |
| Stations: | 16 |
| Owner: | JR East |
| Character: | Rural |
| Depot: | Kōriyama |
| Stock: | KiHa 110 series DMU |
| Linelength: | 85.6 km (53.2 mi) |
| Tracks: | Entire line single tracked |
| Electrification: | None |
| Speed: | 100 km/h (62 mph) |
| Map State: | collapsed |
The is a railway line in Fukushima Prefecture, Japan operated by East Japan Railway Company (JR East). It connects Iwaki Station in Iwaki and Kōriyama Station in Kōriyama. The name "Ban'etsu" is taken from the first characters of the names of the ancient provinces of and, which the Ban'etsu East and Ban'etsu West lines connect. means "east" in Japanese.
The line's nickname is the, taken from the Abukuma River that flows nearby.
All trains are operated as local services in 2-, 3-, or 5-car formations. Service between Kōriyama and Ononiimachi is provided once every 30 minutes to two hours, but between Ononiimachi and Iwaki, there is a period of five hours where no trains operate. One reason for the few continuous services between Iwaki and Kōriyama is the opening of the parallel Ban-etsu Expressway in 1995; as a result, most long distance passengers use highway bus services.
The last express service, Iwaki, stopped running in 1982. During peak holiday periods such as Golden Week, Obon, and New Year, the rapid Abukuma makes a single round trip with a 2-car train.
| Station | Japanese | Distance (km) | Rapid Abukuma | Transfers | Location | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Between stations | Total | ||||||
| いわき | - | 0.0 | ● | Jōban Line | ∨ | Iwaki | |
| 赤井 | 4.8 | 4.8 | ｜ | ｜ | |||
| 小川郷 | 5.5 | 10.3 | ● | ◇ | |||
| 江田 | 8.0 | 18.3 | ｜ | ｜ | |||
| 川前 | 8.0 | 26.3 | ｜ | ◇ | |||
| 夏井 | 10.4 | 36.7 | ｜ | ｜ | Ono, Tamura District | ||
| 小野新町 | 3.4 | 40.1 | ● | ◇ | |||
| 神俣 | 6.5 | 46.6 | ● | ◇ | Tamura | ||
| 菅谷 | 3.3 | 49.9 | ｜ | ｜ | |||
| 大越 | 4.4 | 54.3 | ● | ◇ | |||
| 磐城常葉 | 4.4 | 58.7 | ｜ | ◇ | |||
| 船引 | 3.8 | 62.5 | ● | ◇ | |||
| 要田 | 7.0 | 69.5 | ｜ | ◇ | |||
| 三春 | 4.2 | 73.7 | ● | ◇ | Miharu, Tamura District | ||
| 舞木 | 6.1 | 79.8 | ｜ | ◇ | Kōriyama | ||
| 郡山 | 5.8 | 85.6 | ● | Tōhoku Shinkansen, Yamagata Shinkansen, Tōhoku Main Line, Ban'etsu West Line, Suigun Line[1] | ∧ | ||
As of February 2009, the following rolling stock is used on the East Ban'etsu Line.
The line was planned by the Railway Construction Act in 1892. The Japanese Government Railways opened the first section as the between Koriyama and Miharu in 1914. The Iwaki - Ogawagō opened in 1915 as the, the same year Miharu - Ononiimachi section opened. When the two sections were connected in 1917, the line became the Ban'etsu East Line.
Freight services ceased in 1987.