The latest update of The Red List of Trains in Japan includes four new articles (mostly those in Kyushu) as well as nearly 100 articles being up to date. Check HERE for articles with major changes, either newly added or status being changed.
I have a plan to update some articles in late-2024, when details of the next nationwide timetable revision are officially available.
Resolution issued on 1 Oct 2024 concerning the use of X. pic.twitter.com/GpJzLrWsyY
— Hiroshi Deng Luma (see Mastodon & Bluesky) (@Networker_365) September 30, 2024
As I have posted earlier today, I have decided to terminate my X (former Twitter) account on 31 December 2024 unless the widespread disinformation and discrimination that exacerbate division and hatred significantly diminishes, which is extremely unlikely to happen.
I therefore encourage X followers once again using other social media platforms, namely Mastodon (or any other ones connected to Fediverse) and Bluesky. My accounts thereof are as follows:
"x years ago today", a series of posts with a train photo I upload at 8:30 pm every Thursday (Japan Time), is also available on those platforms.
My X account will remain even after 1 January 2025 to prevent malicious users using this ID a month after deactivating my account, but I will not log in to it. Therefore, any reply or message will not reach me after that. I may make it a private account when deemed necessary. Your understanding is appreciated.
On 1 October, Tokaido Shinkansen marks the 60th anniversary. The first high-speed rail in history opened in 1964, and it is still the most heavily used railway in the world. The bullet train network has expanded in the last 60 years in Japan as well, and there are ten lines in total including so-called mini Shinkansen. This article looks back upon present and past "named" services.
Currently, each line has one or more types of services, depending on destination and speed. There are 19 services in total as follows:
In addition to them, there were a few services that were discontinued in the past, all of which were in eastern Japan.
Aoba was introduced when Tohoku Shinkansen opened in 1982. This name derived from Aoba Hills in Sendai city, where Sendai Castle located and later became part of Tohoku University. At that time, there were only Yamabiko fast services and Aoba calling at all stations. 200 series trains were mostly used for them, but a few double-decker trains ran as MAX Aoba.
Aoba dramatically declined when JR East started Nasuno services in 1995, which aimed to attract commuters going to Tokyo. Nasuno calls at all stations as well, but JR East chose not to use the name Aoba as Nasuno does not run as far as Sendai. In 1997, Aoba was discontinued.
Asahi was introduced to Joetsu Shinkansen when it opened in 1982. Asahi literally meant "the morning sun", and it was initially used for fast services towards Niigata. In 1997, JR East dramatically rearranged the service patterns, and all services between Tokyo and Niigata were called Asahi regardless of the number of stations they stop. 200 series was used for ordinary Asahi, while double-decker trains were used for MAX Asahi.
However, many passengers filed complaints as they frequently confused Asahi with Asama (Tokyo - Nagano). In fact, Asahi and Asama ran the same tracks between Tokyo and Takasaki, and their pronunciations were similar to each other. Not only passengers but also ticket office staff struggled with these names so that the company changed Asahi to Toki in 2002.
MAX stood for Multi Amenity eXpress. JR East introduced two types of double-decker bullet trains in the 1990s and 2000s, namely E1 series and E4 series. These trains could run merely at a speed of 240 km/h (150 mph) but could carry far more passengers than other bullet trains. A 16-car E4 series service could carry 1,634 people, the largest among all high-speed trains in the world.
There were seven MAX services as follows.
| MAX Aoba | Tokyo ⇔ Sendai | 1994-2007 |
|---|---|---|
| MAX Asahi | Tokyo ⇔ Niigata | 1994-2002 |
| MAX Asama | Karuizawa ⇒ Tokyo | 2001-2003 |
| MAX Nasuno | Tokyo ⇒ Nasushiobara | 1995-2012 |
| MAX Tanigawa | Tokyo ⇔ Echigo-Yuzawa | 1994-2021 |
| MAX Toki | Tokyo ⇔ Niigata | 2002-2021 |
| MAX Yamabiko | Tokyo ⇔ Morioka | 1994-2012 |
MAX Asama is the least known one among all MAX services. It ran during high seasons (mostly summer holidays) between July 2001 and September 2003, only from Karuizawa to Tokyo. The double-decker trains were heavier than other bullet trains so that they generally could not run steep gradient between Takasaki and Karuizawa on Nagano Shinkansen (now Hokuriku Shinkansen), but four out of 26 E4-series units were compatible with the line. Nevertheless, MAX Asama did not last long as JR East later feared that the train would be too heavy to climb the mountain when it was full of passengers so that there had only been few services from Karuizawa.
MAX allowed far more people than before to take the bullet trains. Passengers used to dress up until the 1980s, but the double-decker trains made the journey relatively cheaper so that commuters and students started using the bullet trains. In other words, the E1 and E4 series contributed to make Shinkansen, once recognised by citizens as luxurious or for elite, a casual mode of transport.
However, these double-decker trains were so slow and uncomfortable that JR East decided not to make a successor train to them. When the E4 series retired in 2021, the MAX brand was discontinued as well.
Finally, this article focuses on a service that is likely to disappear in the near future, Hayate. It means a (sudden) high wind, but it also implied a turbulent weather that potentially causes famine or infectious diseases in the region so that it was highly controversial. Hayate was introduced in 2002 when Tohoku Shinkansen was extended to Hachinohe, and it was once the fastest service running between Tokyo and Hachinohe by E2 series, running at 275 km/h (170 mph) and mostly non-stop between Omiya and Sendai.
However, when the line was extended again to Shin-Aomori and E5 series entered into service in 2011, JR East introduced much faster and more expensive Hayabusa service that runs at 320 km/h (200 mph). As more E5 series trains were delivered, Hayate significantly declined. It was a type of semi-fast service in the first half of the 2010s, but all regular Hayate to and from Tokyo were upgraded to Hayabusa by 2019.
Today, there are only two Hayate on each direction between Morioka or Shin-Aomori and Shin-Hakodate-Hokuto, all of which run either in the morning or at night. Most people must have forgotten that Hayate was once running at the highest speed between Tokyo and the Northeast region. It is hard to find reasons to have Hayate in such an inefficient way today so that it is likely to be discontinued within a few years.
JR East announced that the Green Car service for Chuo Line (Rapid) and Ome Line would start in spring 2025 ("the first-half of March 2025", to be exact). Chuo Line services between Tokyo and Otsuki as well as some Ome Line services between Tachikawa and Ome will have first class coaches. The company also announced that the Green Cars would be available free of charge from 13 October 2024 as a provisional measure, envisaging that the trial period would result in many commuters using the Green Car on a daily basis next year.
JR East has been focusing on the Green Car project on Chuo Line, which consists not only introducing new carriages but also platform extension work and rearrangement of signalling system and other facilities. Each orange commuter train is now formed of ten coaches (or 6+4), but two Green Cars will be inserted to each unit. The E233 series units will be rearranged to 12-car (or 8+4) trains in due course.
As this blog explained nearly two years ago, JR East has provided the first class coaches free of charge for a few weeks before launching the new service. Chuo Line is no exception, though the trial period will be longer than before.
| - | Suica | Paper ticket |
|---|---|---|
| 1-50 km | 750 yen | 1,010 yen |
| 51-100 km | 1,000 yen | 1,260 yen |
The Green Car fares are based on distance, and they are the same as those for other lines. Note that the actual distance of 50.1 km or more is classified as "51-100 km". In case of Chuo and Ome Lines, typical examples for these two classifications are as follows:
However, the Green Car service for Chuo and Ome Lines is slightly different to that for other lines in the Greater Tokyo Area. According to JR East's rules, a Green Car ticket for other lines (namely Tokaido, Takasaki, Utsunomiya and Joban Lines including Shonan-Shinjuku and Ueno-Tokyo Lines, as well as Yokosuka, Sobu Lines and their relevant lines in Chiba Prefecture) allows using two different lines if two trains go towards the same direction. For example, a passenger can travel from Atami (Tokaido Line) to Chiba (Sobu Line) via Totsuka with just one ticket. However, the ticket for Chuo and Ome Lines is only valid for these two lines. Thus, if a passenger wishes to travel from Mitaka (Chuo Line) to Chiba via Tokyo, he/she will have to purchase two tickets.
JR East envisages that the Green Cars will be another source of revenue and ease congestion of Chuo Line services. However, it is not certain if many passengers will use the first class after the "trial period". Given the high price, short journey time and limited scope of the ticket, there might be fewer daily users than the company anticipates.
On 1 April 1984, Nicchu Line in Northeastern Japan was closed. It was just 11.6 km (7.2 miles) long, a small rural railway operated by Japanese National Railways. 40 years have passed since then, but its ruins remain as a museum and a promenade. They are not well-known tourist spots but worth a visit.
Nicchu Line opened in 1938 between Kitakata and Atsushio stations in Fukushima Prefecture. It was supposed to be part of so-called Yagan-u Line connecting Imaichi in Tochigi Prefecture and Yonezawa in Yamagata Prefecture. The proposed Yagan-u Line was parallel to an old road called Shimotsuke Kaido that dates back to the mid-17th century. Shimotsuke Kaido was part of the shortest route between Edo (now Tokyo) and Aizu Province and thus heavily used for distribution of goods (e.g. salt, hemp) as well as transporting rice. Hence, the Japanese Government decided to construct a new railway in 1922.
The Yagan-u Line project was unsuccessful. A year after Nicchu Line opened, the Second Sino-Japanese War began. In addition, the Second World War devastated everything in the country so that the project was effectively abandoned by JNR.
The word Nicchu usually means daytime in Japanese, and it sometimes mean Japan-China relation. However, Nicchu Line was derived from a nearby hot spring called Nicchu Onsen. Due to the small number of services, it was often called "Nicchu Line that never runs in the daytime". In fact, there had only been three trains a day since 1958. The below timetables show how many trains ran in 1968, and there had only been a minimal change after that.
| Kitakata | 6:12 | 16:01 | 18:35 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aizu-Muramatsu | 6:20 | 16:09 | 18:43 |
| Kamisanmiya | 6:26 | 16:16 | 18:50 |
| Aizu-Kano | 6:40 | 16:31 | 18:59 |
| Atsushio | 6:49 | 16:39 | 19:08 |
| Atsushio | 7:02 | 16:50 | 19:18 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aizu-Kano | 7:15 | 17:04 | 19:30 |
| Kamisanmiya | 7:23 | 17:11 | 19:37 |
| Aizu-Muramatsu | 7:29 | 17:19 | 19:43 |
| Kitakata | 7:35 | 17:25 | 19:49 |
Atsushio station building had been well known as an adorable western-style one. It was about to fall into ruin, but fortunately JNR decided not to tear it down when the line was permanently closed. It was repaired and became Nicchu Line Museum in 1987, owned and managed by Kitakata City Board of Education.
The museum is free of charge, though donation is appreciated. There were quite a few photos, tickets and signboards of Nicchu Line as well as uniforms of staff. Tracks were removed by 1985, but the space is now used as a playground for children as well.
There are two static displays. This is 60 series coach (OHaFu 61-2752), converted in 1955 from an even older wooden carriage. Nicchu Line services were always loco-hauled and no diesel multiple unit was used until the very end. There is also Ki 100 series snow blower by the coach.
Outside the station building, there are disused level crossings and a turntable. The turntable, which is 200 yards south of the station itself, was abandoned by the early-1940s as Nicchu Line was so short and trains were so slow that there was no need to reverse a steam locomotive. The maximum speed of the line was set to 75 km/h (46 mph), but it is hard to believe that trains ran at such speed.
There is another ruin of Nicchu Line: a promenade often used by local residents. It now looks like an ordinary road for pedestrians and bicycles, but there was a train track until 40 years ago. Rails were mostly removed, but remain for a few metres with a steam locomotive Class C11 and an old shunter. The promenade is also known for having more than 1,000 cherry trees (weeping cherry trees), and it is one of the best cherry blossoms spot in Fukushima Prefecture.
Both the museum and the promenade are not close to the city centre of Kitakata. In fact, it is difficult to access to the museum without car. Even so, they are disused railway facilities that have successfully been managed by local governments, and thus anyone visiting the area are recommended adding them to their itinerary.
