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====Limited express sleeper trains====
====Limited express sleeper trains====
* ''[[Akatsuki (train)|Akatsuki]]'' - connected [[Kyoto Station|Kyoto]] and [[Nagasaki Station (Nagasaki)|Nagasaki]]; discontinued in March 2008.
* ''[[Akatsuki (train)|Akatsuki]]'' - connected [[Kyoto Station|Kyoto]] and [[Nagasaki Station (Nagasaki)|Nagasaki]]; discontinued in March 2008.
* ''[[Akebono (train)|Akebono]]'' - connected [[Ueno Station|Ueno]] (Tokyo) and [[Aomori Station|Aomori]]; discontinued in March 2014.<ref name="mainichi20131107">{{cite web |url= http://mainichi.jp/select/news/20131107k0000m040116000c.html|script-title=ja:ブルートレイン:廃止へ…ＪＲ３社、北海道新幹線開業で|trans_title= Blue Trains to be scrapped by 3 JR companies - with opening of Hokkaido Shinkansen |first= Masatoshi|last= Saito|date= 7 November 2013|work= Mainichi.jp|publisher= The Mainichi Newspapers|location= Japan|language= Japanese|archiveurl= |archivedate= |accessdate= 7 November 2013}}{{dead link|date=May 2015}}</ref><ref name="japanpressdaily20131108">{{cite web |url= http://japandailypress.com/japans-sleeper-trains-to-be-put-to-bed-soon-0839227/|title=Japan's sleeper trains to be put to bed soon|trans_title= |first= Ida|last= Torres|date= 8 November 2013|work= Japanpressdaily.com|publisher= Japan Press Daily|location= Japan|language= English|archiveurl= |archivedate= |accessdate= 17 May 2015}}</ref>
* ''[[Akebono (train)|Akebono]]'' - connected [[Ueno Station|Ueno]] (Tokyo) and [[Aomori Station|Aomori]]; discontinued in March 2014.<ref name="mainichi20131107">{{cite web|url=http://mainichi.jp/select/news/20131107k0000m040116000c.html |script-title=ja:ブルートレイン:廃止へ…ＪＲ３社、北海道新幹線開業で |trans_title=Blue Trains to be scrapped by 3 JR companies - with opening of Hokkaido Shinkansen |first=Masatoshi |last=Saito |date=7 November 2013 |work=Mainichi.jp |publisher=The Mainichi Newspapers |location=Japan |language=Japanese |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/20131108004147/http://mainichi.jp/select/news/20131107k0000m040116000c.html |archivedate=November 8, 2013 |accessdate=7 November 2013 |deadurl=yes }}</ref><ref name="japanpressdaily20131108">{{cite web |url= http://japandailypress.com/japans-sleeper-trains-to-be-put-to-bed-soon-0839227/|title=Japan's sleeper trains to be put to bed soon|trans_title= |first= Ida|last= Torres|date= 8 November 2013|work= Japanpressdaily.com|publisher= Japan Press Daily|location= Japan|language= English|archiveurl= |archivedate= |accessdate= 17 May 2015}}</ref>
* ''[[Aki (train)|Aki]]'' - connected [[Shin-Osaka Station|Shin-Osaka]] and [[Shimonoseki Station|Shimonoseki]]; discontinued in October 1978.
* ''[[Aki (train)|Aki]]'' - connected [[Shin-Osaka Station|Shin-Osaka]] and [[Shimonoseki Station|Shimonoseki]]; discontinued in October 1978.
* ''[[Asakaze (train)|Asakaze]]'' - connected [[Tokyo Station|Tokyo]] and [[Shimonoseki Station|Shimonoseki]]; discontinued in 2005.
* ''[[Asakaze (train)|Asakaze]]'' - connected [[Tokyo Station|Tokyo]] and [[Shimonoseki Station|Shimonoseki]]; discontinued in 2005.

Revision as of 12:08, 23 February 2016

Fuji sleeper train, June 2004

Blue Trains (ブルートレイン, burū torein) in Japan are long-distance sleeper trains, nicknamed as such for the color of the train cars. They consist of 20-, 14- or 24-series sleeper cars, and as of 2015 run on three routes connecting major destinations within Japan across long distances, other routes being served by a fleet of newer limited-express sleeper trains which are not blue.

Five Blue Train services were eliminated in 2008 and 2009, and six more between 2010 and 2015. The Japan Railways Group (JR) is expected, according to the Asahi Shimbun, to phase out most other sleeper services as well.

History

The first Blue Train was known as the Asakaze. It ran between Hakata and Tokyo beginning in 1956; air-conditioned cars were added two years later. As was the case with sleeper train services in other parts of the world, the Blue Trains acquired a romantic aspect and, at the peak of their popularity in the late 1970s, appeared in many novels. They were often described as "hotels on the move".

The final Hayabusa and Fuji sleeping car service after arriving at Tokyo Station, 14 March 2009

More recently, however, as the shinkansen (bullet train), buses, and airplanes have become faster, more popular, and sometimes cheaper, the Blue Trains have seen a severe decline in ridership and therefore revenues. The 2005 ridership on sleeper trains traveling west from Tokyo was calculated as one-fifth of that in 1987. For this and other reasons, such as aging equipment and a shortage of overnight staff, JR made plans to eliminate the majority of the overnight services.[1]

The Asakaze service connecting Hakata and Tokyo was eliminated in 2005, its average occupancy below 30 percent. The Hayabusa and Fuji were eliminated in March 2009. The daily Hokuriku train from Tokyo to Kanazawa was discontinued on 13 March 2010 along with its former Blue Train counterpart, the Noto.

Services like the Cassiopeia, however, have retained their popularity in the tourist market, due to their more luxurious status and pending the completion of the Shinkansen line to Hokkaido, although this will change in fiscal 2016.

Services

Current services

Discontinued services

Limited express sleeper trains

Express sleeper trains

  • Amanogawa - connected Ueno and Akita; discontinued in March 1985.
  • Chikuma - connected Nagano and Osaka; downgraded from Blue Train status in October 1997; discontinued in October 2005.
  • Daisen - connected Osaka and Izumoshi; downgraded from Blue Train status in October 1999, discontinued in October 2004.
  • Ginga - connected Tokyo and Osaka; discontinued in March 2008.
  • Kaimon - connected Mojikō and Nishi-Kagoshima; replaced by Dream Tsubame in March 1993.
  • Kitaguni - connected Osaka and Niigata; downgraded from Blue Train status in March 1985.
  • Marimo - connected Sapporo and Kushiro; downgraded from Blue Train status in March 1993; discontinued in August 2008.
  • Myōkō - connected Ueno and Naoetsu via the Shin'etsu Main Line; downgraded from Blue Train status in March 1985; discontinued in March 1993.
  • Nichinan - connected Hakata and Nishi-Kagoshima via the Nippō Main Line; replaced in March 1993 by Dream Nichirin night train.
  • Noto - connected Ueno and Kanazawa via the Shin'etsu Main Line; downgraded from Blue Train status in March 1993; discontinued in March 2010.
  • Rishiri - connected Sapporo and Wakkanai; downgraded from Blue Train status in March 1991; discontinued in September 2007.
  • Sanbe - connected Yonago and Hakata; discontinued in February 1984.
  • Shinsei - connected Ueno and Sendai; discontinued in November 1982.
  • Taisetsu - connected Sapporo and Abashiri; replaced in March 1992 by Okhotsk night train
  • Towada - connected Ueno and Aomori via the Jōban Line; discontinued in March 1985.
  • Tsugaru - connected Ueno and Aomori via the Ōu Main Line; discontinued in March 1985.

Notes

  1. ^ Although not technically a blue train, the Cassiopeia is included here as it is a luxury overnight service similar to the Twilight Express.
  2. ^ a b Although the Sunrise Izumo and Sunrise Seto are night trains, they are not considered blue trains and are therefore not included on this list.

References

  1. ^ Furuya, Masanobu. "JR putting Blue Trains to bed as passengers find faster ways to travel". Asahi Shimbun - English Edition. 11 December 2007. Accessed 12 December 2007.
  2. ^ a b c Saito, Masatoshi (7 November 2013). ブルートレイン:廃止へ…ＪＲ３社、北海道新幹線開業で. Mainichi.jp (in Japanese). Japan: The Mainichi Newspapers. Archived from the original on November 8, 2013. Retrieved 7 November 2013. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help); Unknown parameter |trans_title= ignored (|trans-title= suggested) (help)
  3. ^ Torres, Ida (8 November 2013). "Japan's sleeper trains to be put to bed soon". Japanpressdaily.com. Japan: Japan Press Daily. Retrieved 17 May 2015. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |trans_title= (help)
  4. ^ 寝台特急〈北斗星〉ラストラン. RM News (in Japanese). Japan: Neko Publishing Co. Ltd. 24 August 2015. Retrieved 2 September 2015. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |trans_title= ignored (|trans-title= suggested) (help)
  5. ^ "Tickets for last Twilight Express run sell out in seconds; pair top ¥1 million". Japantimes.co.jp. Japan: The Japan Times. 13 February 2015. Retrieved 17 May 2015. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |trans_title= (help)

Further reading

  • Miyake, Toshihiko (25 December 2008). ブルートレイン. Japan: JTB Can Books. ISBN 978-4533073502. {{cite book}}: Unknown parameter |trans_title= ignored (|trans-title= suggested) (help)

Media related to Blue Train (Japan) at Wikimedia Commons

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