is 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

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 Strait ...

in Japan. It operates between Hakata 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 ...

on 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 two ...

and the

Nagasaki Main Line The , or simply Nagasaki Line, is a railway line owned by the Kyushu Railway Company (JR Kyushu) connecting Tosu Station in Saga Prefecture to Nagasaki Station in Nagasaki Prefecture, Japan. There is a separate branch of this line from Kikitsu S ...

. ''Kamome'' means

seagull Gulls, or colloquially seagulls, are seabirds of the family Laridae in the suborder Lari. They are most closely related to the terns and skimmers and only distantly related to auks, and even more distantly to waders. Until the 21st century, m ...

Japanese Japanese may refer to: * Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia * Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan * Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or culture ** Japanese diaspor ...

. As of 23 September 2022, the name was inherited by the new Shinkansen service to Nagasaki, at which point the remaining limited express services between Takeo-Onsen and Hakata were renamed ''Relay Kamome''.

History

The ''Kamome'' name (written as "鷗") was first used from 1 July 1937 on limited express trains operating between Tokyo and

Kobe Kobe ( , ; officially , ) is the capital city of Hyōgo Prefecture Japan. With a population around 1.5 million, Kobe is Japan's seventh-largest city and the third-largest port city after Tokyo and Yokohama. It is located in Kansai region, whic ...

. This service continued until February 1943. The name (written as "かもめ") was subsequently revived from 15 March 1953 for use on limited express services operating between

Kyoto Kyoto (; Japanese: , ''Kyōto'' ), officially , is the capital city of Kyoto Prefecture in Japan. Located in the Kansai region on the island of Honshu, Kyoto forms a part of the Keihanshin metropolitan area along with Osaka and Kobe. , the ci ...

and Hakata. This service was discontinued in March 1975 with the completion of the

Sanyō Shinkansen , stylized as SANYO, is a Japanese electronics company and formerly a member of the ''Fortune'' Global 500 whose headquarters was located in Moriguchi, Osaka prefecture, Japan. Sanyo had over 230 subsidiaries and affiliates, and was founded b ...

to Hakata. On 1 July 1976, with the electrification of the Nagasaki Main Line, services resumed (initially between

Kokura is an ancient castle town and the center of Kitakyushu, Japan, guarding the Straits of Shimonoseki between Honshu and Kyushu with its suburb Moji. Kokura is also the name of the penultimate station on the southbound San'yō Shinkansen lin ...

and

, later between Hakata and Nagasaki) using 485 series EMUs. The service in its current form commenced on 23 September 2022, with the opening of the Nishi-Kyushu Shinkansen which opened from Takeo-Onsen to

. With the Shinkansen now being the primary route to Nagasaki, ''Kamome'' services were reallocated to Shinkansen services on the newly-built Shinkansen line. This also resulted in Kamome services skipping Hizen-Kashima, a major station on the Nagasaki Main line but not on the Shinkansen, to be served by the newly-introduced ''Kasasagi'' limited express.

Nishi Kyushu Shinkansen

On 28 October 2020, JR Kyushu announced it would utilize a 6-car version of the N700S series for the isolated section of

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 ...

from Nagasaki, named the

Nishi Kyushu Shinkansen The is a Japanese Shinkansen high-speed rail line on the northwest part of Kyushu Island that is operated by the Kyushu Railway Company (JR Kyushu). A segment of the line that connects Nagasaki to commenced service on 23 September 2022. The ...

, with a

cross platform interchange A cross-platform interchange is a type of interchange between different lines at a metro (or other railway) station. The term originates with the London Underground; such layouts exist in other networks but are not commonly so named. In the Uni ...

to a relay service called Relay Kamome at to connect to Hakata. JR Kyushu also announced it would continue to use the name ''Kamome'', which has been in use since 1961, for the Nishi Kyushu Shinkansen service. Most of the new ''Kamome'' Shinkansen services stop at every station between Takeo-Onsen and

, with some services bypassing Ureshino-Onsen, with a few services only stopping at

Isahaya is a city located in Nagasaki Prefecture, Japan. The city was founded on September 1, 1940. As of November 1, 2022, the city has an estimated population of 132,385 and a population density of 389 persons per km². The total area is . On March 1 ...

. Between Takeo-Onsen and Hakata, the so-called ''Relay Kamome'' will continue as a non-Shinkansen train service for the foreseeable future until the Shinkansen is eventually extended to Hakata. Some ''Midori/Huis Ten Bosch'' services will also operate as an additional Relay Kamome at Takeo-Onsen styled as either ''Midori (Relay Kamome)'' or ''Huis Ten Bosch (Relay Kamome).''

Rolling stock

Current rolling stock

Relay Kamome

787 series The is an AC electric multiple unit type operated on limited express services by Kyushu Railway Company (JR Kyushu) in Japan since July 1992. Design The trains were built jointly by Hitachi and Kinki Sharyo. Formations 7-car sets (BM1–11, B ...

EMUs *

885 series The is an AC electric multiple unit (EMU) train type operated on limited express services by Kyushu Railway Company (JR Kyushu) in Japan. The type is part of Hitachi's ''A-train'' family of multiple units. Operations The 885 series is operate ...

tilting EMUs (branded ''Shiroi Kamome'' and ''Shiroi Sonic'', since 2000)

Kamome

N700S Series Shinkansen The is a Japanese Shinkansen high-speed train with tilting capability operated by JR Central and JR West on the Tokaido and San'yō Shinkansen lines since 2020, and JR Kyushu on the Nishi Kyushu Shinkansen line since 2022. History In June 201 ...

(since 2022)

Former 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 *

783 series __NOTOC__ Year 783 ( DCCLXXXIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Julian calendar. The denomination 783 for this year has been used since the early medieval period, when the Anno Domini calendar era became the prevalent method in ...

EMUs(initially branded ''Hyper Saloon'', since 1988)

Station stops

Relay Kamome

Stations in parentheses are not served by all trains. * - () - - - ( Yoshinogari-Kōen) - - () -

Kamome

Legend:

Special stops

* Balloon Saga: Some trains heading towards Nagasaki stop here during the

Saga International Balloon Fiesta The is held at the beginning of November every year in Saga Prefecture, Japan. In 2014 it took place between October 30 and November 3. The fiesta is held just outside Saga City, along the Kase River. It has grown from a gathering of 5 hot air ...

References

* JR Timetable, December 2008 * {{JR Kyushu trains Kyushu Railway Company Nagasaki Main Line Named passenger trains of Japan Railway services introduced in 1937 1937 establishments in Japan