Sunrise Seto

The is an overnight sleeping car train service in Japan operated jointly by Central Japan Railway Company (JR Central) and West Japan Railway Company (JR West) since July 1998.

Operations

The ''Sunrise Seto'' runs daily between and in Kagawa Prefecture on the island of Shikoku, taking about 9 hours 30 minutes for the journey. The service operates in conjunction with the ''Sunrise Izumo'' service to between Tokyo and . The combined 14-car train departs from Tokyo, and stops at , , , , , (final midnight stop), (first morning stop), and arrives at , where the train splits, with the ''Sunrise Izumo'' half of the train heading to . Between Okayama and Takamatsu, the 7-car ''Sunrise Seto'' train stops at and , before arriving in Takamatsu. The return train departs from Takamatsu, and is coupled with the ''Sunrise Izumo'' from Izumoshi at Okayama Station, departing together from there, and arriving at Tokyo Station in the next morning.

There are seasonal extended services which ''Sunrise Seto'' trains from Tokyo run beyond Takamatsu, to on the Dosan Line. These extended service trains run during particular seasons (Differs each year), and during the holidays.

Sunrise Izumo and Sunrise Seto pass through stations in Nagoya and Kyoto without stopping due to the fact that they arrive at these stations around midnight and are unable to play the announcements.

File:JRW series285 Sanyo.JPG, A ''Sunrise Seto'' & ''Sunrise Izumo'' combined formation on the Sanyo Main Line, May 2012
File:Jr 285 undocking Okayama 20130331.jpg, ''Sunrise Izumo'' and ''Sunrise Seto'' units being uncoupled at Okayama Station, March 2013
File:Sunrise seto10.jpg, Destination indicator for a Tokyo-bound service

Station list

* Trains make brief stops for several reasons, here being crew changes at JR region boundaries. Passengers cannot board or get off the train when it makes such stops.
* Regularly, only eastbound services will operate between Atami and Yokohama via the Tōkaidō Freight Line, where trains enter the line at Odawara and exit at Chigasaki back to the Tōkaidō Main Line.

Formation

Trains are formed of dedicated 7-car 285 series ''Sunrise Express'' electric multiple units (EMUs) owned by both JR Central and JR West. They are formed as shown below, with cars numbered 8 to 14 in the down (westbound) direction, with car 14 at the Tokyo end, and 1 to 7 in the up (Tokyo-bound) direction, with car 7 at the Tokyo end.

* Car 2/9 has a wheelchair-accessible compartment
* Each car has toilet facilities at one end.
* Smoking is permitted in car 6/13, and some compartments in car 4/11.

Accommodation, Ticketing and Facilities

The ''Sunrise Express'' services consist of six types of accommodation. There are five types of berths: A Single Deluxe, B Sunrise Twin (2-person use), B Single Twin (1 or 2-person use), B Single and B Solo. There is also a carpeted sleeping space called the ''Nobinobi'' sleeping area.

To ride the train, several fares are required. All passengers require a and a based on the distance traveled. On top of these, those wishing to travel in a private room must also pay for a , while those traveling in the ''Nobinobi'' sleeping area must pay a small in order to reserve an individual sleeping space.

The berth and seat reservation charges are fixed, regardless of where the journey starts and ends.

Tickets can be purchased up to one month before departure at a JR ''Midori no Madoguchi'' in Japan, or online through the JR West Seat Reservation website. Holders of the Japan Rail Pass can reserve a ''Nobinobi'' space for free, or reserve a berth by paying the limited express and berth charges.

A shower is located in cars 3 and 10. Passengers using the A Single Deluxe compartments are provided with a free shower card to use the showers on the train, while other passengers have to pay ¥330 for a shower card if they desire to use the showers. Lounges are also located in cars 3 and 10. Drink vending machines are available in cars 3, 5, 10 and 12.

File:Sunrise seto19.jpg, "Single Deluxe" compartment
File:Sunrise seto14.jpg, Car 4/11 corridor
File:Jr285 single.jpg, Single berth
File:JRW series285 Single Twin.JPG, Single-twin berth
File:JRW series285 'Nobinobi Seat' (Upper section).JPG, ''Nobinobi'' open-plan sleeping area (car 5/12, upper floor)
File:JRW series285 'Nobinobi Seat' (Lower berth).JPG, ''Nobinobi'' open-plan sleeping area (car 5/12, lower floor)
File:285系特急型電車 シャワー室.jpg, Shower cubicle (car 3/10)
File:JRW series285 Lounge.JPG, Mini lounge area (car 3/10)

History

The ''Sunrise Seto'' services were introduced together with the ''Sunrise Izumo'' on 10 July 1998. Previously, the ''Seto'' operated as a separate " Blue train" service connecting Tokyo with Takamatsu. The ''Sunrise Izumo'' was intended to attract more passengers to train transportation by introducing newly designed trains and by reducing the journey time.

Ridership on overnight trains in Japan continues to decline, and from March 2009, the ''Sunrise Izumo'' and ''Sunrise Seto'' became the only overnight sleeping car trains to operate west of Tokyo via the Tokaido Line.

From the start of the revised timetable on 12 March 2021, the departure time of the ''Sunrise Izumo'' and ''Sunrise Seto'' from Tokyo was changed from 10:00 PM to 9:50 PM. It is the first time that the departure time was changed since the services' introduction in 1998. The change cleared the 10:00 PM departure slot for one of the new ''Shōnan'' limited express services to Odawara.

See also

* Sunrise Izumo
*Seto (train), the blue train predecessor to the ''Sunrise Seto''
* List of named passenger trains of Japan

References

External links

JR West ''Sunrise Izumo / Sunrise Seto''

{{JR West trains

West Japan Railway Company
Named passenger trains of Japan
Night trains of Japan
Railway services introduced in 1998