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 ...
train operated by the
West Japan Railway Company (JR West) between and in Japan until March 2011, using portions of the
Tōkaidō Main Line,
Kosei Line, and
Hokuriku Main Line.
The characters
雷
Lei is the pinyin romanization of the Chinese surname (''Léi''). It is the 69th name on the ''Hundred Family Surnames'' poem.K. S. Tom. 989(1989). Echoes from Old China: Life, Legends and Lore of the Middle Kingdom. University of Hawaii Press. .
...
鳥 literally mean "thunder/lightning" and "bird" in Japanese, but the compound word 雷鳥 (''raichō'') is the name of ''Lagopus muta'', the
Rock ptarmigan
The rock ptarmigan (''Lagopus muta'') is a medium-sized game bird in the grouse family. It is known simply as the ptarmigan in the UK. It is the official bird for the Canadian territory of Nunavut, where it is known as the ''aqiggiq'' (ᐊᕿ ...
, not a mythological creature. The ''raichō'' bird inhabits the
Tateyama Mountain Range and is the prefectural bird of
Toyama,
Nagano, and
Gifu Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan located in the Chūbu region of Honshu. Gifu Prefecture has a population of 1,991,390 () and has a geographic area of . Gifu Prefecture borders Toyama Prefecture to the north; Ishikawa Prefecture to the northwest, F ...
s.
Station stops
Stations in parentheses were not served by all services.
- - - (: Raicho 8 only) - (: Raicho 33 only) - - - - - - - - -
Rolling stock
*
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
Formation
*Green: Green car (first class)
*White: Standard class car
*O: Observation seats
*R: Reserved seats
*NR: Non-reserved seats
*No smoking accommodation
*6 cars
*Women-only seats are available in Car 3.
History
The ''Raichō'' service was first introduced on 25 December 1964 as a limited express operating between Osaka and Toyama.
From 11 March 1989, ''Super Raichō'' services were introduced, operating between Kobe/Osaka and Toyama/Wakura Onsen.
From the start of the 20 April 1995 timetable revision, new
681 series EMUs were introduced on Osaka to Toyama services, named ''Super Raichō (Thunderbird)''.
These became simply ''
Thunderbird'' from March 1997.
JR West introduced a "women-only" section in the reserved-seating cars of ''Raichō'' and ''Thunderbird'' trains from October 2007 following the rape of a female passenger by a man in a train toilet while travelling on a ''Thunderbird'' service in August 2006.
The last remaining ''Raichō'' service was discontinued from the start of the 12 March 2011 timetable revision, with all trains subsequently using the ''Thunderbird'' name.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Raicho
Named passenger trains of Japan
Railway services introduced in 1964
Railway services discontinued in 2011