The is a luxury charter train service in Japan, operated by East Japan Railway Company (JR East). It used to operate as a Limited express from July 1999 until March 2016. It ran between

Ueno Station is a major railway station in Tokyo's Taitō ward. It is the station used to reach the Ueno district and Ueno Park—which contains Tokyo National Museum, The National Museum of Western Art, Ueno Zoo, Tokyo University of the Arts and other ...

in Tokyo and the city of

Sapporo ( ain, サッ・ポロ・ペッ, Satporopet, lit=Dry, Great River) is a city in Japan. It is the largest city north of Tokyo and the largest city on Hokkaido, the northernmost main island of the country. It ranks as the fifth most populous cit ...

in the northern island of

Hokkaido is Japan's second largest island and comprises the largest and northernmost prefecture, making up its own region. The Tsugaru Strait separates Hokkaidō from Honshu; the two islands are connected by the undersea railway Seikan Tunnel. The lar ...

. The one-way journey took approximately 16 hours.

Route

The ''Cassiopeia'' ran on the following rail lines: JR East *

Tōhoku Main Line The Tōhoku Main Line ( ja, 東北本線, ) is a long railway line in Japan operated by the East Japan Railway Company (JR East). The line starts from Tokyo Station in Chiyoda, Tokyo and passes through such cities as Saitama, Utsunomiya, Fuku ...

, Ueno - Morioka IGR Iwate Ginga Railway *

Iwate Galaxy Railway Line The is a railway line in Japan operated by the " third sector" publicly and privately owned operator Iwate Galaxy Railway Company. It connects Morioka Station in Morioka, Iwate to Metoki Station in Sannohe, Aomori. Formerly part of the East Ja ...

, Morioka - Metoki Aoimori Railway *

Aoimori Railway Line The is a regional rail line in Aomori Prefecture, Japan that is operated by the Aoimori Railway Company. It connects the terminal station of the Iwate Galaxy Railway Line, Metoki Station, in the town of Sannohe to Aomori Station, the termi ...

, Metoki - Aomori JR East *

Tsugaru Line The is a railway line operated by East Japan Railway Company (JR East). It connects Aomori Station and Minmaya Station on the Tsugaru Peninsula in western Aomori Prefecture. The section of the line between Aomori Station and Naka-Oguni Stat ...

, Aomori - Naka-Oguni JR Hokkaido *

Kaikyō Line The is an 87.8-kilometer long railway line operated mainly by the Hokkaido Railway Company (JR Hokkaido). The line connects Naka-Oguni Station in Sotogahama, Aomori, through the Seikan Tunnel between Honshu and Hokkaido, to Kikonai Station in K ...

, Naka-Oguni - Kikonai *

Esashi Line The is a Japanese railway line formerly operated by Hokkaido Railway Company (JR Hokkaido). It connected (near Hakodate) and . The section between and closed in May 2014, and the remainder was transferred to third-sector operator South Hokk ...

, Kikonai - Goryōkaku *

Hakodate Main Line The is a railway line connecting the cities of Hakodate and Asahikawa via Sapporo in Hokkaido, Japan. It is one of the trunk lines operated by the Hokkaido Railway Company (JR Hokkaido). The Sawara Line, a 35 km loop line from Ōnuma to Mo ...

, Goryōkaku - Hakodate - Oshamambe *

Muroran Main Line The is a railway line in Hokkaido operated by Hokkaido Railway Company (JR Hokkaido), between Oshamambe Station in Oshamambe and Iwamizawa Station in Iwamizawa, approximately paralleling the coast of Iburi Subprefecture. There also is a branc ...

, Oshamambe - Numanohata *

Chitose Line The is a railway line in Hokkaido operated by Hokkaido Railway Company (JR Hokkaido), connecting Numanohata, Tomakomai and Shiroishi Station in Shiroishi-ku, Sapporo, linking the Muroran Main Line and Hakodate Main Line. There also is a branch ...

, Numanohata - Shiroishi *

, Shiroishi - Sapporo The train changed direction at Aomori and Hakodate. Northbound trains to Sapporo departed from Ueno after 16:00, and called at , , , , , , and . The first stop in Hokkaido was at at 05:00 the following day, with arrival in Sapporo around 09:30. Southbound trains to Ueno departed from Sapporo after 16:00; the first stop after leaving Hokkaido was at Sendai, around 04:30 the following day, and the arrival time at Ueno Station around 09:30. Trains departed three times per week, with more departures during holiday periods.

Rolling stock

The train was formed of twelve E26 series sleeping cars, including a lounge car at the Sapporo end and a deluxe suite at the Ueno end. The train was hauled by a JR East Tabata-based Class EF510-500 dual-voltage electric locomotive between Ueno and Aomori, by a JR Hokkaido ED79 AC electric locomotive between Aomori and Hakodate, and by a pair of JR Hokkaido DD51 diesel locomotives between Hakodate and Sapporo. Prior to June 2010, the services were hauled by JR East Class EF81 dual-voltage electric locomotives. File:EF510-510 Cassiopeia in Higashi-Jujo 20120429.jpg, A ''Cassiopeia'' service in April 2012, hauled by JR East Class EF510-500 electric locomotive EF510-510 File:Cassiopeia ED79 14 20160318.jpg, A ''Cassiopeia'' service at Hakodate Station in March 2016, hauled by JR Hokkaido Class ED79 electric locomotive ED79 14 File:Cassiopeia DD51 1143 20120904.jpg, A ''Cassiopeia'' service in Hokkaido in September 2011, hauled by a pair of JR Hokkaido Class DD51 diesel locomotives File:JRE PC26 Cassiopeia 20070916 001.jpg, A ''Cassiopeia'' service at Utsunomiya Station in September 2007, hauled by a JR East Class EF81 electric locomotive

Formation

Accommodation and fares

The ''Cassiopeia'' consisted of all type "A" accommodation, all specific to this particular train. A flat fee was charged for all rooms, regardless of starting or ending location. Accommodation rates ranged from about ¥27,000 for a Cassiopeia Twin room to ¥51,000 for a Cassiopeia Suite. The other fares, the basic fare and limited express fare, were based on distance. For tourists using the Japan Rail Pass, the basic fare did not have to be paid. However, there was a charge of about ¥5,500 each way for travelling on a section of railroad not owned by Japan Railways between Morioka and .

History

The ''Cassiopeia'' service first ran on 16 July 1999. From the start of the revised timetable on 17 March 2012, smoking was banned in the restaurant car of ''Cassiopeia'' services.

End of scheduled services

The last scheduled ''Cassiopeia'' services were discontinued in March 2016 ahead of the opening of the

Hokkaido Shinkansen The is a Japanese high-speed Shinkansen rail line that links up with the Tōhoku Shinkansen in northern Aomori Prefecture in Honshu and continues on into the interior of Hokkaido through the undersea Seikan Tunnel. Construction started in May ...

high-speed line. The last down service departed from Ueno Station in Tokyo on 19 March 2016, and the last up service departed from Sapporo on 20 March, arriving at Ueno on 21 March.

Cruise services

Neither JR East nor JR Hokkaido owns electric locomotives capable of operating through the Seikan Tunnel to and from Hokkaido after the overhead line voltage was raised from 20 kV to 25 kV AC with the opening of the Hokkaido Shinkansen on 26 March 2016, but JR East leases

JR Freight , or , is one of the seven constituent companies of Japan Railways Group (JR Group). It provides transportation of cargo nationwide throughout Japan. Its headquarters are in Shibuya, Tokyo near Shinjuku Station. The Japan Railways Group was foun ...

electric locomotives to haul the ''Cassiopeia'' trainset on seasonal services through the Seikan Tunnel after the Hokkaido Shinkansen opened. The coaches are also used on cruise train services to other destinations within the JR East region. File:EF64 1030 EF81 95 Cassiopeia 20160604.jpg, A ''Cassiopeia'' cruise train hauled by JR East Class EF64-1000 and EF81 electric locomotives in June 2016 File:EH800-3 Cassiopeia 20160717 (cropped).jpg, A ''Cassiopeia'' cruise train hauled by JR Freight Class EH800 electric locomotive EH800-3 in Hokkaido in July 2016 File:DF200-61 Cassiopeia 20160717.jpg, A ''Cassiopeia'' cruise train hauled by JR Freight Class DF200 diesel locomotive DF200-61 in Hokkaido in July 2016

References

* JR Timetable, March 2008 issue

External links

* {{JR East trains Named passenger trains of Japan Hokkaido Railway Company East Japan Railway Company Night trains of Japan Railway services introduced in 1999 Railway services discontinued in 2016 1999 establishments in Japan 2016 disestablishments in Japan