八戸の産業を支える鉄道とは…？　「八戸臨海鉄道」 その役割は工業地区の“縁の下の力持ち”（2026年6月17日放送）

This program closely follows the Hachinohe Rinkai Railway, a freight-only line in Hachinohe City, Aomori Prefecture, that is inaccessible to the general public. We will show valuable footage, including the tracks leading to the Mitsubishi Paper Mills factory and the driver's cab of the DE10 diesel locomotive, a rare sight nationwide. Witness the work of this "unsung hero" that is gaining renewed attention due to the 2024 logistics problem. (Aired June 17, 2026) [Main Feature] A freight train runs on tracks parallel to the JR Hachinohe Line. This is the Hachinohe Rinkai Railway. Established in 1970 as a third-sector railway company to transport goods in the coastal industrial zone, it connects Hachinohe Freight Station, located northeast of Hachinohe Station, to Kitajima Station in the coastal industrial area, covering 8.5 kilometers. The main goods transported on this line are... paper produced at this factory: Mitsubishi Paper Mills Hachinohe Plant. One of Japan's leading paper mills, it began operations in 1967. We produce approximately 40,000 tons of products every month, including various types of printing paper and packaging paper. [Report by Shota Kimura] "This is the product warehouse inside the factory, where products awaiting shipment are lined up. If you look here, you can see a yellow line. Beyond that are railway tracks. It's like a platform, with the tracks running into the factory." As the shutters open, container cars enter the factory. Upon arrival, loading of products begins immediately. Boxed products, rolled products, and other items are loaded into the containers one after another. Approximately 40% of the products produced at this factory are transported by rail, amounting to about 500 tons per day. The loaded container cars are transported from the factory to Kitajima Station, where they are handed over to a diesel locomotive of the Hachinohe Rinkai Railway. [Report by Shota Kimura] "Today, we'll be riding in this DE10 type locomotive." "It starts from here, from here!" This time, we're taking a special ride to Hachinohe Freight Station. This is a section that the general public cannot ride. [Report by Shota Kimura] "(The aisle is) narrow, isn't it?" "Excuse me, thank you for having me." "(The driver's cab) is oriented sideways, so that the view is consistent no matter which way you're driving." [Engineer] "That's right." Incidentally, the left handle is the master controller, which is like the accelerator in a car, and the two on the right are the brake handles. [Engineer] "All aboard, departure!" [Report by Shota Kimura] "The timing of departure feels like pulling something heavy, a kind of strong, pulsating feeling." The maximum speed is 35 kilometers per hour. The train, having left Kitanuma Station, proceeds at a slow speed. [Report by Shota Kimura] "The scenery is opening up. Up until now, we've been running along an industrial area, but here we make a sharp right turn, and from here we'll be running along the Mabuchi River." Perhaps because we're heading upstream, the tracks are uphill. When heavy, the 1350-horsepower locomotive powerfully pulls container cars that weigh over 300 tons for 12 cars. [Report by Shota Kimura] "The way it pulls little by little while unleashing its power feels different compared to, for example, passenger trains which are also pulled by locomotives." Of course, the weight of the cargo varies from train to train. [Hachinohe Rinkai Railway Engineer, Naoki Nakamura] "You can see the difference in weight even by looking at the numbers, but you can also feel it." [Reporter, Shota Kimura] "What does it feel like when it's heavy?" [Hachinohe Rinkai Railway Engineer, Naoki Nakamura] "It feels like I'm being pulled backward." "Of course, since the weight changes, the braking distance also changes, so I'm careful about that." Approximately 20 minutes after departing Kitamura Station, the train arrived at Hachinohe Freight Station. The container cars will then be coupled to a freight train bound for Osaka, arriving at their destination the following evening. The Hachinohe Rinkai Railway operates three round trips a day to coincide with factory operations, carrying up to 170 containers. [Report by Shota Kimura] "It's not often you get the chance to go inside, is it?" [Hachinohe Rinkai Railway President Hiroshi Kamikawa] "This is our locomotive." Next, we went to the engine shed where locomotive inspections are carried out. The Hachinohe Rinkai Railway uses three diesel locomotives. Two of these, DE10 type locomotives, were transferred from JR East. [Report by Shota Kimura] "Since it's a DE, it has two wheels on this side and three on the other side. This is quite rare for a locomotive these days, isn't it?" [Hachinohe Rinkai Railway President Hiroshi Kamikawa] "That's right. There are hardly any other locomotives like this left, are there?" Since 2021, they have been holding paid events such as locomotive driving experience ...