The longest train journey in Japan

Disclaimer

This article is about regular services. Timetables show major stations only so that those who seek for detailed information should check official websites.

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British Rail Class 220

"The longest train journey" always sounds attractive for railway enthusiasts, even if there is no daily user that enjoy (or rather, endure) the whole journey. In Britain, the famous Crosscountry's service from Aberdeen to Penzance is the longest one among all trains.

Crosscountry service

Aberdeen	8:20
Edinburgh	11:08
Newcastle	12:42
York	13:44
Leeds	14:11
Birmingham New Street	16:03
Bristol Temple Meads	17:45
Exeter St Davids	18:47
Plymouth	19:44
Penzance	21:39

According to The Guardian, the train runs on Saturdays, though not always because of service alterations caused by planned engineering work and COVID-19. It travels 774 miles (1245.6 km) and takes 13 hours and 19 minutes. Surprisingly, this service is neither a night train nor a high-speed train, but an ordinary intercity train that runs through the main island.

Then, how about Japan? There were so many long-distance services until the 2010s, but they were mostly discontinued and split into several parts, as a lengthy route is always prone to delays and troubles. Furthermore, it is not easy for all parties concerned to adjust tracks, signalling systems and other facilities to be compatible with a specific train. Even so, there are a few such services today.

Nozomi bullet train

N700A series bullet train

The longest train service in Japan in terms of distance is a bullet train Nozomi. It runs on Tokaido and Sanyo Shinkansen high-speed rails between Tokyo and Hakata in Fukuoka Prefecture. There are 32 round trips a day (2-4 services per hour), and more on holidays.

Nozomi 64

Hakata	18:59
Hiroshima	20:00
Shin-Osaka	21:20
Nagoya	22:12
Tokyo	23:45

Nozomi 64 is pretty unique. It is the last eastbound service of day to Tokyo, and it is also the fastest service between Hakata and Tokyo, as it runs 1,069 km (664.3 miles) taking 4 hours and 46 minutes. It is usually very crowded as people always rush into this service, otherwise they will have to wait for the first train on the next day.

Sunrise Izumo

JR West 285 series

What about non-high-speed trains? Among them, Limited Express Sunrise Izumo is the longest service in Japan. It is a night train with a round trip everyday (plus one during the peak season).

Sunrise Izumo (Eastbound)

Izumoshi	18:53
Okayama	22:30
Osaka	0:31
Shizuoka	4:38
Tokyo	7:08

Since it runs on "conventional lines", it is way slower than Nozomi. Sunrise Izumo travels 954 km (593 miles) and takes 12 hours and 15 minutes, the longest journey time among all trains. There is a cheap option on this service called "Nobinobi Zaseki" (lit. "unconstrained seat"), but it would be a very hard journey to spend more than 12 hours on a sleeping space without a mattress or a pillow. Those who plan to use this train should consider booking a bedroom.

Nichirin Sea Gaia

JR Kyushu 787 series

The longest non-night train journey in Japan is Limited Express Nichirin Sea Gaia in Kyushu, western Japan. This service is not well known outside the area. However, it is not so long compared to trains in other countries, including in the Continent.

Nichirin Sea Gaia 5

Hakata	7:30
Kokura	8:31
Oita	10:03
Miyazaki	13:07
Miyazaki Airport	13:19

There are many Nichirin services, but only one round trip of them a day runs the entire section. There is no direct road or railway between cities of Fukuoka and Miyazaki so that this train runs longer than the actual distance. It takes 5 hours and 49 minutes to complete a journey of 413 km (256.7 miles).

There are three "longest train journeys" in Japan, but surprisingly, none of them can beat the one in the UK both in terms of distance and journey time. Thus, these services might not always sound attractive for travellers living outside Japan, but probably still worth checking them.

Finally, Crosscountry issues "longest journey certificate" to passengers, but none of the three services in Japan provide such a collectable. Pretty disappointing!

Platform edge doors and fare rise

On 6th April, JR East announced a fare rise in the Greater Tokyo Area. On the next day, Tokyo Metro announced a fare rise as well. They charge 10 more yen for each single ticket. With the additional source of revenue, both companies will install more platform edge doors (also known as platform screen doors) across the entire network.

The very first platform edge doors are said to be the ones at Park Pobedy station in Saint Petersburg, Russia, which were installed in 1961. The first ones in Japan were installed on Tokaido Shinkansen high-speed rail in 1974 (excluding a demonstration at Expo '70). Unsurprisingly, platform edge doors were mainly for small stations with trains passing at dangerously high speed. In terms of ordinary railway (i.e. non high-speed rail nor monorail), Namboku line in Tokyo was the first one among them.

The platform edge door had been very rare until the 1990s, but it has become mandatory for new stations after 2000, as "Act on Promotion of Smooth Transportation, etc. of Elderly Persons, Disabled Persons, etc." (also known as the Barrier-Free Transport Act) was promulgated. Railway companies are not obligated to install the doors on existing stations, but several tragedies (some of which were blind people being hit by a train) gave impetus to do more. In 2020, The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (hereinafter referred to as the Transport Ministry) adopted a report that railway companies should make stations with more than 3,000 daily users 100% accessible.

However, the platform edge doors are so expensive that even major railway companies have been struggling to deal with implementing the policy. Hence, the Transport Ministry established Railway Station Barrier Free Fares Scheme in 2021, which allows railway companies to raise fares in so far as the extra income is duly spent for making stations accessible. Not only installing platform edge doors, but also lifts and accessible toilets are included. Even so, the most important issue is the platform edge doors, since more than 94% of JR East stations in the area already have lifts and accessible toilets.

JR East raises fares in March 2023. Tokyo Metro is also expected to do so at the same time. JR East and Tokyo Metro plan to complete installing the platform edge doors on stations required by the Barrier-Free Transport Act by 2032 and 2026, respectively. Since the fare rise is reasonable and justifiable, most passengers surely accept it. More railway companies are highly likely to follow JR East and Tokyo Metro.

*Sources including a press release of JR East, a document from the Transport Ministry and a newspaper article of Yomiuri Shimbun.

Permanent closure of Hakodate Main Line

(Latest information was added on 26 Mar 2022)

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The future of railways in the northern island of Hokkaido has always been bleak, due to significant costs to tackle severe winter. Since JR Hokkaido has been struggling to run business even with considerable amount of money from the government, many lines were closed in the last 40 years.

On 3 February, Asahi Shimbun and other newspapers in Japan reported that a part of Hakodate Main Line would be closed in 2031, when Hokkaido Shinkansen high-speed rail is extended to Sapporo. Local governments have agreed with the permanent closure between Oshamambe and Yoichi, roughly 120 out of 423 km (or 75 out of 263 miles). Given the financial crisis of JR Hokkaido, such an announcement was a matter of time.

The section between Yoichi and Otaru (20 km or 12.4 miles) is also subject to closure, but it is still under discussion.

Class 7100 steam locomotive for Horonai Railway

Hakodate Main Line was first opened in 1880 as Horonai Railway, the fourth railway in the country. It was 22 miles 25 chains long, connecting Temiya in Otaru city and Sapporo, and extended again and again. The construction work completed in 1905, and the Line now connects Hakodate and Asahikawa via Oshamambe, Kutchan, Otaru and Sapporo.

Like other parts of the northern island of Hokkaido, this area has been scarcely populated except major cities like Hakodate, Otaru, Sapporo and Asahikawa. Even so, Hakodate Main Line had been once the most important railway in the island and heavily used by both passenger and freight trains. It had been a vital part of the railway network connecting Tokyo and Hokkaido.

However, Hakodate Main Line has many speed restrictions due to steep slopes. Therefore, Japanese National Railways decided to improve Muroran Main Line and Chitose Line tracks, another route that connects Oshamambe and Sapporo. As the project completed in 1980, the Muroran route has become the most important one in the area, as it was capable of more frequent services and faster trains. All intercity and freight trains have shifted from Hakodate Main Line to Muroran Main and Chitose Lines by 1986.

Timetable of northbound trains at Oshamambe

Time	Destination
06:03	Otaru
13:18	Kutchan
16:38	Otaru
20:04	Otaru

Since then, the section between Oshamambe and Otaru via Yoichi has had a very small number of passengers. According to the official statistics in 2018-19, there were 625 passengers per day on average. The annual revenue was 430 million yen (approx. 3.87 million USD), while it costed 2.79 billion yen (25.15 million USD). Niseko Town estimates that the number of passengers here would be less than 200 a day in 2060, as most people use bullet trains. Therefore, JR Hokkaido concluded that they could not maintain it.

There was an argument that Hakodate Main Line would play a crucial role in case of emergency. In fact, Muroran Main Line was partly closed and some limited express services and freight trains diverted when Mount Usu erupted in 2000. Looking back the history, it erupted in 1977, 1910, 1853, 1822, 1769 and 1663 - roughly every 40-100 years. Thus, critics pointed out that local economy would be struck hard if there was no alternative route especially for freight trains.

However, JR Freight dismissed the claim. In 2000, they were using Class DD51 diesel locomotives, which could run almost all lines in Hokkaido. However, these locomotives have already been withdrawn, and current rolling stock cannot enter the section in question on Hakodate Main Line due to weight restrictions and structure gauge. It would cost billions to solve them. Hence, JR Freight insisted that using lorries was far more practical in case of a natural disaster.

This area is known for stunning views

The story might not end here. The section between Yoichi and Otaru is also subject to a closure. Yoichi Town wishes the Line to be operational, and JR Hokkaido is looking for constructive negotiations with local governments. It is not likely to be closed as there are more than 1,000 passengers a day, but its fate depends on how much subsidies can local governments offer.

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On 26 March 2022, representatives of the Government of Hokkaido, Otaru City and Yoichi Town agreed with permanent closure of stations between Yoichi and Otaru (the yellow section on the map above), as retaining the railway would cost more than 20 billion yen (approx. 170 million USD) in 2030-60 and thus not affordable.

Is Keikyu really fast?

Introduction

Yokohama, approximately 20 miles south of Tokyo, is one of major cities in Japan with 3.7 million people. There are several railway lines connecting two cities, including JR East and Keikyu. It is said that Keikyu trains have always been faster than JR, but is it true? This article argues that, in short, negative.

Route

The route between Shinagawa and Yokohama stations is the oldest and the busiest one among all railway lines that connect Tokyo and Yokohama. Trains on both Keikyu Main Line and Tokaido Main Line can run at up to 120 km/h (75 MPH).

Keikyu's fastest service is Limited Express 快特 (hereinafter referred to as "Kaitoku"), which calls at three stations. At peak hours, there is another Limited Express 特急 (hereinafter referred to as "Tokkyu"), which calls at six stations. Unlike limited express services of JR East and some other private railways, there is no need to purchase an additional ticket to neither of them.

The main rival is Tokaido Main Line of JR East. There are Limited Express Saphir Odoriko and Odoriko services, which require an additional ticket, but they are for tourists going farther. All passengers going from Shinagawa to Yokohama and vice versa choose stopping services, which call at two stations.

There are also Keihin-Tohoku Line and Yokosuka Line, both of which are operated by JR East as well. Keihin-Tohoku Line lies parallel to Tokaido Main Line, but has more small stations. Yokosuka Line trains run a little different route between Shinagawa and Yokohama. Trains on both lines take longer than Tokaido Main Line services.

According to official documents, the distance between Shinagawa and Yokohama stations on Tokaido Main Line is 22.0 km (13.7 miles), while that of Keikyu is 22.2 km (13.8 miles), so almost the same.

Fares

Both Keikyu and JR East adopt distance-based scheme, but the routes between Shinagawa and Yokohama is an exception. Both companies apply special fares to compete with each other. A single fare ticket of Keikyu costs 310 yen (10 yen cheaper than what is supposed to be), while that of JR East (whichever route) costs 300 yen, which is supposed to be 400 yen.

Rolling stock

Keikyu 2100 series

Keikyu uses 600 series, 1000 series, 1500 series and 2100 series. The first three are mostly consisted of longitudinal seating, while the 2100 series have transverse seating. It would be a great time to spend time on the 2100 series unless all seats are occupied.

JR East E231 series

JR East uses E231 series and E233 series. Both trains are mainly consisted of longitudinal seating. Unlike Keikyu, they have Green Cars (first class) with better seats than the Keikyu 2100 series, but a Green Car ticket is necessary in addition to a standard fare ticket.

Journey times and frequency

As there were little differences of fares and rolling stock accommodation, journey times and service frequency are the keys to the race between the two companies. Is Keikyu really fast and convenient?

Shinagawa - Yokohama (daytime)

	Keikyu Main Line	Tokaido Main Line
Journey time	17 min	16-18 min
Frequency	6 per hour	6 per hour

At the daytime, there is almost no difference between them. Both trains from Shinagawa to Yokohama and those from Yokohama to Shinagawa are the same. Tokaido Main Line services mostly take 18 minutes, so Keikyu's "Kaitoku" services are usually one minute shorter than JR. Keikyu trains tend to be slightly less crowded than Tokaido Line trains.

Yokohama to Shinagawa (7-8 am on weekdays)

	Keikyu Main Line	Tokaido Main Line
Journey time	27-32 min	19-21 min
Frequency	11 per hour	13 per hour

However, Keikyu trains are far slower than Tokaido Line trains at morning peak hours. There are several "Tokkyu" services in addition to "Kaitoku" services, but none of them can win the race with Tokaido Line. This is frankly disgraceful.

The journey times of Keikyu at morning rush hours are even longer than trains on the other two JR routes, which are not rivals of Keikyu at off-peak. Yokosuka Line trains, with 11 services between 7 and 8 am, take 23-25 minutes. Moreover, Keihin-Tohoku Line trains, with 17 services at the same time, take 29-32 minutes. It is shocking that stopping services of Keihin-Tohoku Line sometimes run faster than Keikyu, despite their maximum speed is just 90 km/h (56 MPH) and they call at eight stations including Shinagawa.

E233 series on Keihin-Tohoku Line

A Keikyu train actually loses a race against a Keihin-Tohoku Line train. For example, a "Kaitoku" (note that this is the fastest service pattern) leaving Yokohama at 8:00 arrives Shinagawa at 8:32, calling only at Keikyu Kawasaki and Keikyu Kamata. Meanwhile, a Keihin-Tohoku Line stopping service leaving Yokohama at 8:00 arrives Shinagawa at 8:29, three minutes earlier despite stops at seven stations in between.

Why is Keikyu so slow?

Then, why are Keikyu trains so slow at morning peak times contrary to what is widely believed? There must be three major reasons as described below.

Keikyu 1000 series on stopping service

First, Keikyu Main Line is double track throughout, but there are several service patterns from "Kaitoku" and "Tokkyu" to stopping services. There are more services during rush hours than the daytime, so the entire line is crowded by trains. Fast services overtake stopping services at several stations, but sometimes they have to slow down significantly while a stopping service prepares to be overtaken. Meanwhile, Tokaido Main Line trains do not overtake any other service between Yokohama and Shinagawa, nor do those on Yokosuka and Keihin-Tohoku Lines.

Shinagawa station

Second, "Kaitoku" and "Tokkyu" are formed of 12 coaches at peak hours, but four of them are detached and terminate at Shinagawa. This requires more time than usual to vacate the platform, forcing other trains to wait for a while.

Keikyu 2000 series for Haneda Airport

Third, Keikyu has a branch line towards Haneda Airport. Keikyu Airport Line branches off at Keikyu Kamata, but trains from south (Yokohama) have to reverse at the station, taking longer than others to clear the blocked section.

Conclusion

	Keikyu Main Line	Tokaido Main Line
Journey time (peak)	27-32 min	19-21 min
Journey time (off-peak)	17 min	16-18 min
Frequency (peak)	11 per hour	13 per hour
Frequency (off-peak)	6 per hour	6 per hour
Single fare	310 yen	300 yen

Is Keikyu really fast? With regard to stations between Shinagawa in Tokyo and Yokohama, the answer is mostly NO. At the daytime, most Keikyu trains run merely a minute shorter than Tokaido Main Line, but it has little impact on the race. During rush hours, Keikyu is dreadful, as trains are far slower than the rivals and even slower than Keihin-Tohoku Line. The fact is shocking but the truth. It is a valuable lesson that enthusiasts often dream of something not true, and rumours often contain inaccuracy.

The end of "trains with so many doors" in Japan

Sanjo (Keihan), 26 Oct 2020

On Saturday 4th September, the last unit of Keihan 5000 series on mainline was taken out of regular service, more than 50 years after the introduction. Keihan initially planned to withdraw it in June, but deferred for three months. The series had been well known for having five sets of door per carriage, while most commuter trains in Japan have three or four.

In the late-1960s, Keihan had been struggling to deal with delays triggered by extreme congestion. Since it was not possible for the company to run more services or make existing trains longer, it decided to introduce trains with more doors. The 5000 series contributed to smooth boarding and alighting, minimising delays and thus easing congestion.

The most unique feature of the 5000 series was the seating. Second and fourth doors were used only during peak hours, and at off-peak hours the train was used as if an ordinary three-door train. As the video shows, seating could be stored when all doors were in use. To avoid troubles and accidents, the seats were stored or extracted when no passenger is on board.

The history of trains with more doors than usual started when the Keihan 5000 series was introduced. In the 1990s, railway companies in Tokyo followed Keihan. However, those in the capital did not adopt all ambitious features: only one or a few carriages per unit had five or six sets of doors, and there was no machine that stores or extracts additional seating.

Satte - Sugito-takanodai, 15 Oct 2016

In 1990, Teito Rapid Transit Authority (now Tokyo Metro) introduced 03 series with five sets of door. Tobu Railway later introduced a similar type of commuter train (20000 series). However, they were said to be infamous for being too cold in winter, as there were simply too many doors.

Keio introduced 6000 series with five sets of door as well, which was not successful.

Yokohama, 4 Feb 2014

In 1991, JR East introduced intermediate carriages of 205 series that have six sets of door. They were inserted to existing units on Yamanote Line, and later on Saikyo and Yokohama Lines. In addition, many 209 and E231 series units had six-door carriage as well from the very beginning.

Takadanobaba, 3 Feb 2014

In Tokyo, five or six-door carriages were usually inserted to the most crowded part of the unit. In other words, companies took account of location of staircases and ticket gates at major stations. The above photo is the 205 series on Saikyo Line, the second and third coaches of which are six-door carriages.

Unsurprisingly, not a few passengers disliked them because there were fewer seating than ordinary carriages. Some described it a de facto parcel train delivering workers to the office.

Tokyo, 1 Jul 2010

Those five and six-door carriages rapidly dwindled in the 2010s. The biggest reason for the decline was platform edge doors. Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism has been encouraging railway companies to install platform edge doors, to prevent accidents and make platforms safer especially for disabled people, but those five and six-door carriages did not fit the safety measure.

Moreover, since trains in these days are less crowded than before, thanks to railway companies' great efforts to ease congestion, such carriages with so many doors were no longer in need. Some foreigners claim that the population decline is the main cause, but it is not true, as it is still a gradual change and not applicable to major cities like Tokyo.

Obukuro - Kita-koshigaya, 29 Apr 2016

The newest one among them was Tokyu 5000 series, with three out of ten carriages per unit (the third, sixth and seventh coaches) had six sets of door. They were introduced in 2005-10 to Den-en-toshi Line, one of the most crowded line in the country. Even so, Tokyu replaced all of them with four-door coaches by 2017, in advance of installing platform edge doors. Some of them were demolished less than six years after being built.

The history of trains with more doors than usual started and ended with the Keihan 5000 series. Those trains were not necessarily great, as there were often fewer seats, but surely worth noting. They are now all gone, but it does not mean the decline of Japanese railway, as the withdrawals are aimed for better, safer rail transport in the 21st century.