485 series DC/AC EMUs (until July 2014) - Inaho, Hakucho, Rakuraku Train Murakami
E127 series and 115 series at Murakami Station, March 2009
KiHa 40/47/48 series, Amarume - Nishibukuro, March 2017
KiHa 40/47/48 series, Tsuruoka - Fujishima, October 2016
KiHa E120 and 110 at Sakamachi Station, July 2009
485 series Hakucho limited espress, Akita Station, 1987
485-3000 series Inaho limited express, Kosagawa - Kamihama, March 2014
History
The line was opened in sections between 1912 and 1924, and electrified in 1972, the same year CTC signalling was commissioned.[citation needed]
Work to double-track the line in sections commenced in 1957, and continued for 25 years until being suspended due to capital expenditure restrictions in 1983, at which time 51% of the route was double-tracked.[citation needed]
On July 28, 2022, JR East announced that ridership in some sectors was less than 2000 persons/day, the deficit for the sector between Murakami Station to Tsuruoka Station being 4,990 billion yen, the largest deficit within the JR East system.[2][3]
Accidents
On December 25, 2005, all six cars of a limited express train Inaho No.14 on the Uetsu Line derailed in Yamagata prefecture, about 350 kilometres (220 mi) north of Tokyo. The train was headed south towards Kita-Amarume Station. Three of the cars turned over, causing the deaths of five people and injuring 33 others. Three other persons were originally reported missing, but authorities later discovered that they had disembarked from the train before the accident. It is likely that the event was caused by a tornado although it is uncertain whether or not a tornado was involved with this accident.[4][citation needed]
JR全線全駅ステーション倶楽部編(上) [Complete JR Line/Station Compendium (Vol. 1)] (in Japanese). Tokyo, Japan: Bunshun Bunko. September 1988. p. 236-248. ISBN4-16-748701-2.