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Sunrise Seto

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Sunrise Seto
285 series EMU on a Sunrise Seto service, 2019
Overview
Service typeLimited express
StatusOperational
LocaleJapan
PredecessorSeto
First service10 July 1998
Current operator(s)JR Central, JR West
Route
TerminiTokyo
Takamatsu
Distance travelled804.7 km (500.0 mi)
Average journey timeapprox. 9 hours 30 minutes
Service frequency1 return working daily
Train number(s)Westbound: 5031M
Eastbound: 5032M
Line(s) usedJR East: JT Tōkaidō Main Line, Tōkaidō Freight Line

JR Central: Tōkaidō Main Line
JR West:  A  Tōkaidō Main Line,  A   S  San'yō Main Line,  L  Uno Line,  M  Honshi-Bisan Line

JR Shikoku: ■ Honshi-Bisan Line, ■ Yosan Line, ■ Dosan Line
On-board services
Seating arrangementsNone
Sleeping arrangementsPrivate compartments/open-plan sleeping areas
Catering facilitiesNone
Technical
Rolling stock285 series EMUs
Track gauge1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in)
Electrification1,500 V DC
Operating speed130 km/h (80 mph)

The Sunrise Seto (サンライズ瀬戸, Sanraizu Seto) is an overnight sleeping car train service in Japan operated by the East Japan Railway Company (JR East), Central Japan Railway Company (JR Central), West Japan Railway Company (JR West), and Shikoku Railway Company (JR Shikoku) since July 1998.[1][2]

Operations

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The Sunrise Seto runs daily between Tokyo and Takamatsu in Kagawa Prefecture on the island of Shikoku, taking about 9 hours 30 minutes for the 804.7 km (500.0 mi) journey.[2] The service operates in conjunction with the Sunrise Izumo service to Izumoshi between Tokyo and Okayama. The combined 14-car train departs from Tokyo, and stops at Yokohama, Atami, Numazu, Fuji, Shizuoka, Hamamatsu (final midnight stop), Himeji (first morning stop), and arrives at Okayama, where the train splits, with the Sunrise Izumo half of the train heading to Izumoshi.[3] Between Okayama and Takamatsu, the 7-car Sunrise Seto train stops at Kojima and Sakaide, before arriving in Takamatsu. The return train departs from Takamatsu, and is coupled with the Sunrise Izumo from Izumoshi at Okayama Station, departing together from there, and arriving at Tokyo Station in the next morning.

There are seasonal extended services which Sunrise Seto trains from Tokyo run beyond Takamatsu, to Kotohira on the Dosan Line. These extended service trains run during particular seasons (Differs each year), and during the holidays.

Sunrise Izumo and Sunrise Seto pass through stations in Nagoya and Kyoto without stopping due to the fact that they arrive at these stations around midnight and are unable to play the announcements.

  • A Sunrise Seto & Sunrise Izumo combined formation on the Sanyo Main Line, May 2012
    A Sunrise Seto & Sunrise Izumo combined formation on the Sanyo Main Line, May 2012
  • Sunrise Izumo and Sunrise Seto units being uncoupled at Okayama Station, March 2013
    Sunrise Izumo and Sunrise Seto units being uncoupled at Okayama Station, March 2013
  • Destination indicator for a Tokyo-bound service
    Destination indicator for a Tokyo-bound service

Station list

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Line Station Distance (km) Time[4][5] Location
Name Japanese Between

stations

From

Tokyo

Westbound

(-> Takamatsu)

Eastbound

(-> Tokyo)

Ward / City Prefecture /

Metropolis

Tōkaidō Main Line Tokyo 東京 - 0.0 21:50 Departure 07:08 Arrival Chiyoda Tokyo
Yokohama 横浜 28.8 28.8 22:14 Arrival

22:15 Departure

06:44 Arrival

06:45 Departure

Yokohama Kanagawa
Atami 熱海 75.8 104.6 23:21 Arrival

23:23 Departure

05:43 Arrival

05:45 Departure

Atami Shizuoka
Numazu 沼津 21.6 126.2 23:38 Arrival

23:39 Departure

05:26 Arrival

05:27 Departure

Numazu
Fuji 富士 20.0 146.2 23:52 Arrival

23:53 Departure

05:09 Arrival

05:10 Departure

Fuji
Shizuoka 静岡 34.0 180.2 00:18 Arrival

00:20 Departure

04:38 Arrival

04:40 Departure

Shizuoka
Hamamatsu 浜松 76.9 257.1 01:11 Arrival

01:12 Departure

↑

(Brief stop)

Hamamatsu
Toyohashi 豊橋 36.5 293.6 (Brief stop) Toyohashi Aichi
Nagoya 名古屋 72.4 366.0 ↓ ↑

(Brief stop)

Nagoya
Gifu 岐阜 30.3 396.3 ↓

(Brief stop)

↑ Gifu Gifu
Maibara 米原 49.6 445.9 (Brief stop) Maibara Shiga
Ōsaka 大阪 110.5 556.4 ↓

(Brief stop)

00:31 Arrival

00:33 Departure

Osaka Osaka
Sannomiya 三ノ宮 30.6 587.0 ↓ 00:10 Arrival

00:11 Departure

Kobe Hyogo
San'yō Main Line Himeji 姫路 57.3 644.3 05:25 Arrival

05:26 Departure

23:32 Arrival

23:33 Departure

Himeji
Okayama 岡山 88.6 732.9 06:27 Arrival

(Decouple and separate from Sunrise Izumo)

06:31 Departure

22:23 Arrival

(Couple with Sunrise Izumo)

22:34 Departure

Okayama Okayama
Uno Line, Honshi-Bisan Line
Kojima 児島 27.8 760.7 06:52 Arrival

06:53 Departure

22:00 Arrival

22:01 Departure

Kurashiki
Yosan Line Sakaide 坂出 22.7 783.4 07:09 Arrival

07:10 Departure

21:43 Arrival

21:44 Departure

Sakaide Kagawa
Takamatsu 高松 21.3 804.7 07:27 Arrival 21:26 Departure Takamatsu
Seasonal extended services (from Tokyo) to Kotohira
Yosan Line Takamatsu 高松 - 804.7 07:54 Departure / Takamatsu Kagawa
Tadotsu 多度津 32.7 837.4 08:33 Arrival

08:35 Departure

Tadotsu
Dosan Line
Zentsūji 善通寺 6.0 843.4 08:43 Arrival

08:45 Departure

Zentsuji
Kotohira 琴平 5.3 848.7 08:52 Arrival Kotohira
  • Trains make brief stops for several reasons, here being crew changes at JR region boundaries. Passengers cannot board or get off the train when it makes such stops.
  • Regularly, only eastbound services will operate between Atami and Yokohama via the Tōkaidō Freight Line, where trains enter the line at Odawara and exit at Chigasaki back to the Tōkaidō Main Line.

Formation

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Trains are formed of dedicated 7-car 285 series Sunrise Express electric multiple units (EMUs) owned by both JR Central and JR West. They are formed as shown below, with cars numbered 8 to 14 in the down (westbound) direction, with car 14 at the Tokyo end, and 1 to 7 in the up (Tokyo-bound) direction, with car 7 at the Tokyo end.[1]

Car No. 1/8 2/9 3/10 4/11 5/12 6/13 7/14
Numbering KuHaNe 285 SaHaNe 285 MoHaNe 285 SaRoHaNe 285 MoHaNe 285 SaHaNe 285 KuHaNe 285
Accommodation B single berths B single berths B solo berths Single DX berths B single berths
Nobinobi floor space		 B single berths B single berths
B single/ single-twin berths B single/ single-twin berths Sunrise twin berths B single/ single-twin berths B single/ single-twin berths
Facilities     Mini lounge area, vending machine, shower   Vending machine    
  • Car 2/9 has a wheelchair-accessible compartment
  • Each car has toilet facilities at one end.[6]
  • Smoking is permitted in car 6/13, and some compartments in car 4/11.

Accommodation, Ticketing and Facilities

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The Sunrise Express services consist of six types of accommodation. There are five types of berths: A Single Deluxe, B Sunrise Twin (2-person use), B Single Twin (1 or 2-person use), B Single and B Solo. There is also a carpeted sleeping space called the Nobinobi sleeping area.

To ride the train, several fares are required. All passengers require a basic fare ticket (乗車券, Jousha ken) and a limited express ticket (特急券, Tokkyu ken) based on the distance traveled. On top of these, those wishing to travel in a private room must also pay for a berth ticket (寝台券, Shindai ken), while those traveling in the Nobi-nobi sleeping area must pay a small seat reservation charge (座席指定料金, zaseki shitei ryoukin) in order to reserve an individual sleeping space.

The berth and seat reservation charges are fixed, regardless of where the journey starts and ends.

Accommodation Price Table[7][8]
Person Accommodation Price
1-person use berth A Single Deluxe ¥13,980
B Single Twin ¥9,600
B Single ¥7,700
B Solo ¥6,600
2-people use berths B Sunrise Twin ¥15,400 for two people
B Single Twin ¥15,000 for two people
1-person use seating Nobinobi sleeping area ¥530 seat reservation charge

(+200 for peak seasons)

(-200 for off-seasons)

Tickets can be purchased up to one month before departure at a JR Midori no Madoguchi ticket counter or ticket machine in Japan, or online through the JR West Seat Reservation website.

A shower is located in cars 3 and 10. Passengers using the A Single Deluxe compartments are provided with a free shower card to use the showers on the train, while other passengers have to pay ¥330 for a 6-minute shower card if they desire to use the showers. Shower cards are not allocated to specific time slots, however due to the limited number of these cards issued on each train passengers are advised to purchase one as early as possible.

Mini lounge areas are located in cars 3 and 10 which have a bench table with 4 seats on each side of the train. Small drink vending machines are available in cars 3, 5, 10 and 12 - these only vend a limited variety of drinks such as Coca Cola, Real Gold (energy drink), green tea (cold) and water. There is no food available for purchase onboard the train - passengers are required to purchase food before boarding the train.

Other than the mini lounge areas in cars 3 & 10 there are no seating areas anywhere on the train. (The "A Single Deluxe" compartment has a seat and desk).

  • "Single Deluxe" compartment
    "Single Deluxe" compartment
  • Car 4/11 corridor
    Car 4/11 corridor
  • Single berth
    Single berth
  • Single-twin berth
    Single-twin berth
  • Nobinobi open-plan sleeping area (car 5/12, upper floor)
    Nobinobi open-plan sleeping area (car 5/12, upper floor)
  • Nobinobi open-plan sleeping area (car 5/12, lower floor)
    Nobinobi open-plan sleeping area (car 5/12, lower floor)
  • Shower cubicle (car 3/10)
    Shower cubicle (car 3/10)
  • Mini lounge area (car 3/10)
    Mini lounge area (car 3/10)

Japan Rail Pass

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Holders of the Japan Rail Pass can reserve a Nobi-nobi space (open-plan carpeted sleeping area with a small blanket provided) for free. Use of any berth requires payment of the limited express and berth charges.

All travel on Sunrise Seto requires a seat reservation at a Midori no Madoguchi ticket counter or ticket machine. The "seat" number shown on your reserved seat ticket is the number of your berth or Nobi-nobi space. Demand is high for this train so a seat reservation should be made as soon as possible after picking up your Japan Rail Pass.

History

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Locomotive-hauled Seto service, October 1995

The Sunrise Seto services were introduced together with the Sunrise Izumo on 10 July 1998.[9] Previously, the Seto operated as a separate "Blue train" service connecting Tokyo with Takamatsu.[10] The Sunrise Izumo was intended to attract more passengers to train transportation by introducing newly designed trains and by reducing the journey time.

Ridership on overnight trains in Japan continues to decline, and from March 2009, the Sunrise Izumo and Sunrise Seto became the only overnight sleeping car trains to operate west of Tokyo via the Tokaido Line.[11]

From the start of the revised timetable on 12 March 2021, the departure time of the Sunrise Izumo and Sunrise Seto from Tokyo was changed from 10:00 PM to 9:50 PM.[12] It is the first time that the departure time was changed since the services' introduction in 1998. The change cleared the 10:00 PM departure slot for one of the new Shōnan limited express services to Odawara.

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b ＪＲ新幹線＆特急列車ファイル [JR Shinkansen & Limited Express Train File]. Japan: Kōtsū Shimbun. 2008. p. 124. ISBN 978-4-330-00608-6.
  2. ^ a b Haraguchi, Takayuki (2009). Encyclopedia of JR's Railway Cars: ＪＲ全車輌. Japan: Sekai Bunka. p. 34. ISBN 978-4-418-09905-4.
  3. ^ JR時刻表 [JR Timetable]. Japan: Kotsu Shimbunsha. March 2013. p. 144. EAN 4910053110334.
  4. ^ "時刻表 停車駅一覧：JR東日本". jreast-timetable.jp (in Japanese). East Japan Railway Company. Retrieved 13 March 2021.
  5. ^ "時刻表 停車駅一覧：JR東日本". jreast-timetable.jp (in Japanese). East Japan Railway Company. Retrieved 13 March 2021.
  6. ^ JR電車編成表 2013夏 [JR EMU Formations – Summer 2013]. Japan: JRR. May 2013. p. 122. ISBN 978-4-330-37313-3.
  7. ^ "寝台券" [Berth ticket]. jr-odekake.net (in Japanese). West Japan Railway Company. Retrieved 5 May 2020.
  8. ^ "指定席券" [Reserved Seat Ticket]. jr-odekake.net (in Japanese). West Japan Railway Company. Retrieved 5 May 2020.
  9. ^ こだわりの新幹線＆特急列車ガイド [In-depth Shinkansen & Limited Express Guide]. Japan: Ikaros Publishing. August 2000. pp. 194–195. ISBN 4-87149-284-2.
  10. ^ 最新特急大カタログ [Modern Limited Express Catalogue]. Japan: JTB. November 1992. p. 110.
  11. ^ Ogano, Minoru (March 2011). 新幹線・特急大図鑑2011 [Shinkansen & Limited Express Directory 2011]. Japan: JTB Publishing. p. 112. ISBN 978-4-533-08193-4.
  12. ^ "春の臨時列車運転のお知らせ" (PDF) (Press release) (in Japanese). 四国旅客鉄道. 22 January 2021. p. 2. Archived from the original (PDF) on 22 January 2021. Retrieved 22 January 2021.
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