The is a high-speed
Shinkansen
The , colloquially known in English as the bullet train, is a network of high-speed railway lines in Japan. Initially, it was built to connect distant Japanese regions with Tokyo, the capital, to aid economic growth and development. Beyond l ...
service operated by
East Japan Railway Company
The is a major passenger railway company in Japan and is the largest of the seven Japan Railways Group companies. The company name is officially abbreviated as JR-EAST or JR East in English, and as in Japanese. The company's headquarters ar ...
(JR East) and
Hokkaido Railway Company
The is one of the constituent companies of the Japan Railways Group (JR Group), and is often referred to using its official abbreviation of . It operates intercity and local rail services in Hokkaido, Japan. The company introduced Kitaca, a s ...
(JR Hokkaido) between Tokyo and in Japan since 26 March 2016.
The name was formerly used for 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 ...
sleeping car
The sleeping car or sleeper (often ) is a railway passenger car that can accommodate all passengers in beds of one kind or another, for the purpose of sleeping. George Pullman was the American innovator of the sleeper car.
The first such cars ...
service operated by
JR Kyushu
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 Str ...
, which ran from Tokyo to , and was discontinued in March 2009.
Service pattern
''Hayabusa'' services stop at the following stations.
*
* *
*
*
* *
* *
* *
* *
* *
* *
*
* *
* *
* *
* *
*
* *
* *
*
(*) Not served by all trains
Most ''Hayabusa'' trains are coupled to an
Akita Shinkansen ''
Komachi'' train between Tokyo and Morioka.
The fastest service from Tokyo to Shin-Hakodate-Hokuto takes approximately 3 hours 57 minutes.
Some ''Hayabusa'' services begin or end at
Shin-Aomori Station
is a railway station in the city of Aomori, Aomori Prefecture, Japan, operated by the East Japan Railway Company (JR East) and the Hokkaido Railway Company (JR Hokkaido).
Lines
Shin-Aomori Station is the northern terminus of the Ōu Main Li ...
.
Train formation
''Hayabusa'' services are normally operated by 10-car
E5 series
The and the related are Japanese Shinkansen high-speed train types built by Hitachi Rail and Kawasaki Heavy Industries.
The E5 series is operated by East Japan Railway Company (JR East); it was introduced on Tohoku Shinkansen services on 5 Ma ...
or
H5 series trainsets, with car 1 at the Tokyo end. All seats are reserved and no smoking is allowed.
''Hayabusa'' trains feature premium GranClass accommodation with 2+1 leather seating and complimentary food and drinks, including alcohol.
History
Sleeping car service (1958–2009)
The ''Hayabusa'' service commenced on 1 October 1958, operating between Tokyo and .
From 20 July 1960, the train was upgraded with 20 series sleeping cars, and extended to run to and from Nishi-Kagoshima (now ).
From 9 March 1975, the train was upgraded with 24 series sleeping cars.
Dining car service was discontinued from March 1993.
From 4 December 1999, the ''Hayabusa'' was combined with the ''Sakura'' service between Tokyo and .
From 1 March 2005, the ''Hayabusa'' was combined with the ''Fuji'' service between Tokyo and Moji, following the discontinuation of the ''Sakura'' service which previously operated in conjunction with the ''Hayabusa''.
Finally, due to declining ridership, the ''Hayabusa'', along with its counterpart service, the ''
Fuji Fuji may refer to:
Places China
* Fuji, Xiangcheng City (付集镇), town in Xiangcheng City, Henan
Japan
* Mount Fuji, the tallest mountain in Japan
* Fuji River
* Fuji, Saga, town in Saga Prefecture
* Fuji, Shizuoka, city in Shizuoka Prefec ...
'', was discontinued from the start of the revised timetable on 14 March 2009.
[
]
Shinkansen service (2011–)
From 5 March 2011, the ''Hayabusa'' name was revived for the new 300 km/h shinkansen services operated by JR East between Tokyo and using new E5 series
The and the related are Japanese Shinkansen high-speed train types built by Hitachi Rail and Kawasaki Heavy Industries.
The E5 series is operated by East Japan Railway Company (JR East); it was introduced on Tohoku Shinkansen services on 5 Ma ...
trainsets, and extended to Shin-Hakodate-Hokuto Station
is a railway station on the Hakodate Main Line in Hokuto, Hokkaido, Japan, operated by the Hokkaido Railway Company (JR Hokkaido). The station – rebuilt and very extensively enlarged to serve from March 2016 as the northern terminal of the new ...
on 26 March 2016.
Rolling stock
Sleeping car service
In its final days, the limited express train was formed of 14 series sleeping cars based at JR Kyushu's Kumamoto Depot, typically consisting of six cars in the ''Hayabusa'' portion and six cars in the ''Fuji'' portion. The train was hauled by a JR West EF66 electric locomotive between Tokyo and , a JR Kyushu EF81-400 electric locomotive between Shimonoseki and Moji (through the undersea Kanmon Tunnel), and by a JR Kyushu ED76 electric locomotive from Moji to Kumamoto.
File:ED76 66 Hayabusa Komorie 20100320.jpg, ED76 on a ''Hayabusa'' service, March 2010
File:Hayabusa Komorie 20100320.jpg, 14 series coach at rear of ''Hayabusa'' service, March 2010
Locomotive types used
* EF60-500 (Tokyo - Shimonoseki, from 29 December 1963)
* EF65-500 (Tokyo - Shimonoseki, from 1 October 1965)
* EF65-1000 (Tokyo - Shimonoseki, from July 1978)
* EF66 (Tokyo - Shimonoseki, from 14 March 1985)
Shinkansen service
The new shinkansen ''Hayabusa'' services use 10-car E5 series
The and the related are Japanese Shinkansen high-speed train types built by Hitachi Rail and Kawasaki Heavy Industries.
The E5 series is operated by East Japan Railway Company (JR East); it was introduced on Tohoku Shinkansen services on 5 Ma ...
sets, which initially operated at a maximum speed of 300 km/h between Utsunomiya and Morioka. The maximum speed was raised to 320 km/h from the start of the revised timetable on 16 March 2013. From the same date, some services run coupled to E6 series '' Super Komachi'' services between Tokyo and Morioka. These services were limited to a maximum speed of 300 km/h. Since 15 March 2014, the name of ''Super Komachi'' services was returned simply to ''Komachi'', and the maximum speed has been raised to 320 km/h; from the same date, some ''Hayabusa'' services are operated by 10-car E5 series sets coupled to 7-car E6 series sets. At Morioka, the E5 series and E6 series sets decouple, with the E5 series set continuing along the Tohoku Shinkansen as the ''Hayabusa'' and the E6 series set turning onto the Akita Shinkansen as the ''Komachi''.
From 26 March 2016, with 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 ...
from Shin-Aomori to Shin-Hakodate-Hokuto, the ''Hayabusa'' name was used for services operating between Tokyo, Sendai, and Shin-Hakodate-Hokuto. From the start of the 26 March 2016 timetable revision, ten return services operate daily between Tokyo and Shin-Hakodate-Hokuto, and one return service daily operates between Sendai and Shin-Hakodate-Hokuto.
See also
* Blue Train (Japan)
in Japan were long-distance sleeper trains, nicknamed as such for the color of the train cars. They consisted of 20-, 14- or 24-series sleeper cars, and connected major destinations within Japan across long distances. For a time, other routes w ...
* High-speed rail
High-speed rail (HSR) is a type of rail system that runs significantly faster than traditional rail, using an integrated system of specialised rolling stock and dedicated tracks. While there is no single standard that applies worldwide, lines ...
* List of named passenger trains of Japan
This article contains lists of named passenger trains in Japan.
Shinkansen (bullet trains)
Daytime trains Limited express (partial list)
Express
Rapid
Night trains Limited express
Express
Rapid
See also
* Rail tran ...
References
External links
Official JR East site for E5 series ''Hayabusa''
{{Shinkansen
Kyushu Railway Company
East Japan Railway Company
Night trains of Japan
Railway services introduced in 1958
Railway services discontinued in 2009
Railway services introduced in 2011
Tōhoku Shinkansen
Hokkaido Shinkansen
Passenger trains running at least at 300 km/h in commercial operations
Named Shinkansen trains