The was a

limited express A limited express is a type of express train service. It refers to an express service that stops at a limited number of stops in comparison to other express services on the same or similar routes. Japan The term "limited express" is a common ...

service in Japan which ran between

Kagoshima-Chūō Station is a major railway station in Kagoshima, Japan, operated by Kyushu Railway Company (JR Kyushu). It is the main railway terminal serving Kagoshima, the southern terminus of the Kyushu Shinkansen and is located on the Kagoshima Main Line and Ibusuk ...

and

Yoshimatsu Station is a railway station on the Hisatsu Line and Kitto Line in Yūsui, Aira District, Kagoshima, Japan, operated by Kyushu Railway Company (JR Kyushu). The station opened in 1903. Lines Yoshimatsu Station is served by the Hisatsu Line. It is als ...

via the

Kagoshima Main Line The is a major railway line operated by the Kyushu Railway Company (JR Kyushu) between Mojikō in Kitakyushu, and Kagoshima Station in Kagoshima City, at the southern end of Kyushu. Until March 13, 2004, it extended 393 km between its ...

Nippō Main Line The is a railway line in Kyushu, in southern Japan, operated by Kyushu Railway Company (JR Kyushu). The line connects Kokura Station in Kitakyushu, Fukuoka, and Kagoshima Station in Kagoshima via the east coast of Kyushu, passing through the pr ...

, and

Hisatsu Line The is a railway line in Kyushu, Japan, operated by the Kyushu Railway Company (JR Kyushu). It connects Yatsushiro on the Kagoshima Main Line to Hayato station, Kirishima on the Nippo Main Line. From 1909 the line was the original rail conne ...

. It was operated by

Kyushu Railway Company The , also referred to as , is one of the seven constituent companies of Japan Railways Group (JR Group). It operates intercity rail services within Kyushu, Japan and the JR Kyushu Jet Ferry Beetle hydrofoil service across the Tsushima Strait ...

(JR Kyushu). Its final run was on 21 March 2022.

Schedule

There were two return services per day. All trains stopped at both Osumi-Yokogawa and Kareigawa Stations for about 5 minutes. Some trains stopped at Ryugamizu Station for about 4 minutes for a view of

Sakurajima Sakurajima ( ja, 桜島, literally "Cherry Blossom Island") is an active stratovolcano, formerly an island and now a peninsula, in Kagoshima Prefecture in Kyushu, Japan. The lava flows of the 1914 eruption connected it with the Ōsumi Peninsul ...

. (Passengers could not alight Ryugamizu Station.)

Rolling stock

The train was formed of two specially converted

diesel multiple unit A diesel multiple unit or DMU is a multiple-unit train powered by on-board diesel engines. A DMU requires no separate locomotive, as the engines are incorporated into one or more of the carriages. Diesel-powered single-unit railcars are also ...

(DMU) cars, KiHa 147-1045 and KiHa 47-8092. Initially, the train consisted of KiHa 147-1045 as reserved seating car 1 and KiHa 140-2066 as non-reserved seating car 2. From January 2006, a third car, KiHa 47-8092, was converted for use as reserved seating car 1, with KiHa 147-1045 as non-reserved seating car 2. KiHa 140-2066 was used as a spare car to make 3-car formations at busy periods, but was later rebuilt as a third car for use in the ''

Ibusuki no Tamatebako The is a limited express service operated by Kyushu Railway Company (JR Kyushu) in Japan since March 2011. It operates between Kagoshima-Chūō Station and Ibusuki Station via the Ibusuki Makurazaki Line. Service pattern There are three retu ...

'' DMU set, returning to service in March 2012. KiHa 147-1045 and KiHa 140-2066 were converted at JR Kyushu's Kokura Works. KiHa 47-8092 was converted at JR Kyushu's Kagoshima Depot. The set is based at Kagoshima Depot. File:JRK DC Kiha47-8092.jpg, KiHa 47-8092 File:JRK DC Kiha147-1045.jpg, KiHa 147-1045 File:JRK DC Kiha140-2066.jpg, KiHa 140-2066

Exterior

The train was painted all-over black, with deep panorama side windows in the center of each car.

Interior

The trains featured totally new interiors finished in fire-resistant wood with reclining seats and improved air conditioning. File:Hayatono-Kaze Inside Kiha147-1045.jpg, Interior of 147-1045 File:Hayatono-Kaze Inside Kiha47-8092.jpg, Interior of Kiha 47-8092 File:Hayatono-Kaze Inside Counter Kiha147-1045.jpg, 147-1045 observation seat counter table File:Hayatono-Kaze Inside Counter Kiha47-8092.jpg, Kiha 47-8092 observation seat counter table File:Hayato-no-kaze interior1.jpg, 2+2 seating File:Hayatono-Kaze Outside Window.jpg, Enlarged observation window

History

The ''Hayato no Kaze'' service was introduced on 13 March 2004, coinciding with the opening of the

Kyushu Shinkansen The is a Japanese Shinkansen high-speed railway network. It is an extension of the San'yō Shinkansen from Honshu connecting the city of Fukuoka (Hakata Station) in the north of Japan's Kyushu Island to the city of Kagoshima ( Kagoshima-Chuo St ...

. The train made its final run on 21 March 2022, and thereafter the cars will be refurbished into a new limited express service, the '' Two Stars 4047''. The new ''Two Stars 4047'' service is scheduled to begin in Fall 2022 and will run between Takeo Onsen and

Nagasaki is the capital and the largest city of Nagasaki Prefecture on the island of Kyushu in Japan. It became the sole port used for trade with the Portuguese and Dutch during the 16th through 19th centuries. The Hidden Christian Sites in the ...

References