The was a "Rapid" limited-stop train service in Japan operated by the
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 are ...
(JR East) between and on the
Shinetsu Main Line
The Shinetsu Main Line ( ja, 信越本線, ) is a railway line, consisting of three geographically separated sections, operated by the East Japan Railway Company (JR East) in Japan. It was originally one continuous line connecting and via . S ...
in Niigata Prefecture from 2002 until March 2015.
Service pattern
Services consisted of three trains in each direction daily.
[JR Timetable, August 2011 issue, pp. 570–579]
Rolling stock
Services were formed of 6-car
485 series
The (and the earlier 481 and 483 series variants) is a Japanese limited express electric multiple unit (EMU) type introduced in 1964 by Japanese National Railways (JNR), and subsequently operated by the East Japan Railway Company (JR East), ...
EMUs, which included Green car (first class) accommodation. Niigata-based sets T16 and T17 were normally allocated to ''Kubikino'' duties, as these two sets did not receive the Green car seat refurbishment applied to other 485 sets used on ''
Inaho
The is a limited express train service in Japan operated by East Japan Railway Company (JR East), which runs from to and .JR Timetable, March 2012 issue, p.101/1003 The train runs along the Uetsu Main Line with views on the coast and Dewa R ...
'' limited express services in 2007.
JNR
The abbreviated JNR or , was the business entity that operated Japan's national railway network from 1949 to 1987.
Network Railways
As of June 1, 1949, the date of establishment of JNR, it operated of narrow gauge () railways in all 46 pref ...
-liveried set K-2 on a ''Kubikino'' service, May 2012
Formation
Trains were formed as shown below, with car 1 at the Arai end.
History
The ''Kubikino'' services commenced from the start of the revised timetable on 1 December 2002, replacing the previous ''
Minori'' limited express services.
4-car 485 series were initially used on these services, but 6-car ''Inaho'' 485 series sets were used from 20 May 2006 to relieve overcrowding.
A predecessor to the ''Kubikino'' rapid service, the , operated as a semi-express between and from 1 October 1963, and as an express service from 5 March 1966, before being absorbed into semi-express services operating between and Niigata from 30 September 1968.
''Kubikino'' services were discontinued from the start of the revised timetable on 14 March 2015, coinciding with the opening of the
Hokuriku Shinkansen
The is a high-speed Shinkansen railway line jointly operated by East Japan Railway Company (JR East) and West Japan Railway Company (JR West), connecting Tokyo with in the Hokuriku region of Japan. The first section, between and in Nagano Pr ...
extension from Nagano to Kanazawa. Services were replaced by new ''
Shirayuki''
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 ...
services operating between Niigata and Arai.
See also
*
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 transp ...
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kubikino
Named passenger trains of Japan
East Japan Railway Company
Railway services introduced in 2002
2002 establishments in Japan
Railway services discontinued in 2015
2015 disestablishments in Japan
Rail transport in Niigata Prefecture