The , branded is a hybrid electric/diesel deluxe sleeping-car

excursion train An excursion train is a chartered train run for a special event or purpose. Examples are trains to major sporting event, trains run for railfans or tourists, and special trains operated by the railway company for employees and prominent customer ...

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) since 1 May 2017. The Train Suite Shiki-shima is one of the world's most exclusive and expensive trains.

Design

The train uses a new "EDC" electric/diesel hybrid propulsion system, enabling the train to operate as an electric multiple unit under overhead electric wires or use two diesel generators in the end cars to power the train's traction motors on non-electrified routes. Cars 1 to 4 and 8 to 10 were built by

Kawasaki Heavy Industries (or simply Kawasaki) is a Japanese Public company, public multinational corporation manufacturer of motorcycles, engines, Heavy equipment (construction), heavy equipment, aerospace and Military, defense equipment, rolling stock and ships, headq ...

in Kobe, while the three bilevel cars 5 to 7 were built by

J-TREC is a manufacturer of heavy rail cars in Japan, formerly known as . The company is based in Kanazawa-ku, Yokohama, and a member of East Japan Railway Company (JR East) group. J-TREC manufactures rail vehicles not only for JR East and Tokyu Corp ...

in Yokohama. The Kawasaki-built cars have aluminium bodies, while the three J-TREC-built cars have stainless steel bodies. The train styling and interior decoration of the train was overseen by industrial designer

Ken Okuyama Ken Okuyama (born 1959) is a Japanese industrial designer. He is the owner of the Ken Okuyama Design company. Okuyama formerly worked for Pininfarina, designing and supervising projects such as the Enzo Ferrari and Ferrari P4/5. His given name is ...

, and is advertised as using only the best quality materials and exemplifying traditional Japanese craftsmanship. Its overall design is reminiscent of the

251 series The 251 series ( ja, 251系) was a DC electric multiple unit (EMU) train type operated by East Japan Railway Company (JR East) on Tokaido Main Line '' Super View Odoriko'' limited express services in Japan between April 1990 and March 2020. O ...

, also used by JR East.

Train formation

The ten-coach train consists of six

sleeping car The sleeping car or sleeper (often ) is a railway passenger car (rail), 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. ...

s, a

lounge car A lounge car (sometimes referred to as a buffet lounge, buffet car, club car or grill car) is a type of passenger car on a train, in which riders can purchase food and drinks. The car may feature large windows and comfortable seating to create a re ...

, a

dining car A dining car (American English) or a restaurant car (British English), also a diner, is a railroad passenger car that serves meals in the manner of a full-service, sit-down restaurant. It is distinct from other railroad food service cars that ...

, and

observation car An observation car/carriage/coach (in US English, often abbreviated to simply observation or obs) is a type of railroad passenger car, generally operated in a passenger train as the rearmost carriage, with windows or a platform on the rear of th ...

s at either end of the train. Five of the sleeping cars each have three private suite rooms, while one car (car 7) has two deluxe suites - a split-level "

maisonette An apartment (American English), or flat (British English, Indian English, South African English), is a self-contained housing unit (a type of residential real estate) that occupies part of a building, generally on a single story. There are man ...

" type and a single-level "flat" type. The train formation is as shown below, formed of six motored ("M") cars and four non-powered trailer ("T") cars, and car 1 at the southern end. All suites have a shower and toilet. The two deluxe suites also each have a bathtub. One suite in car 4 is

universal access Apple Universal Access is a component of the macOS operating system that provides computing abilities to people with visual impairment, hearing impairment, or physical disability. Components Universal Access is a preference pane of the Sys ...

. The entire train accommodates only 34 passengers. * Cars 2, 3, 8 and 9 are each fitted with a single-arm

pantograph A pantograph (, from their original use for copying writing) is a mechanical linkage connected in a manner based on parallelograms so that the movement of one pen, in tracing an image, produces identical movements in a second pen. If a line dr ...

. File:E001-3 Shin-Tsurumi 20160907.jpg, E001-3 in September 2016 File:E001-4 Shin-Tsurumi 20160907.jpg, E001-4 in September 2016 File:E001-8 Shin-Tsurumi 20160907.jpg, E001-8 in September 2016 File:E001-9 Shin-Tsurumi 20160907.jpg, E001-9 in September 2016 File:E001-10 Shin-Tsurumi 20160907 (2).jpg, E001-10 in September 2016

Planned itineraries

The train operates on two-day and four-day circular tours from spring to autumn, and on three-day tours during the winter period, as shown below. Tickets cost between $2,860 to around $10,000. The Train Suite Shiki-shima operates itineraries that are crafted based on the season of travel to ensure guests experience the best of each location visited.

2-day itinerary (spring - autumn)

;Day 1: → → (overnight onboard train) ;Day 2: → Ueno

4-day itinerary (spring - autumn)

;Day 1: → (overnight onboard train) ;Day 2: → → (overnight at hotel accommodation) ;Day 3: → → → → (overnight onboard train) ;Day 4: → → → → Ueno

3-day itinerary (winter)

;Day 1: → → (overnight onboard train) ;Day 2: → (overnight onboard train) ;Day 3: → Ueno

History

JR East first announced its plans to build a new luxury cruising train in June 2013, designed by Ken Okuyama, and provisionally scheduled to enter service some time after spring 2016. A year later, in June 2014, JR East published more detailed plans for the new train, with a revised exterior design and service entry date scheduled for spring 2017. The train's name and logo design were officially announced in October 2014. Details of the planned itineraries were published in December 2015. The first seven cars (1 to 4 and 8 to 10) of the ten-car trainset were delivered from the

factory in

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 ...

in September 2016. Main line test running commenced on 14 September 2016 on the Joban Line as a seven-car formation. Cars 5 to 7 were delivered from the

factory in Yokohama on 27 September 2016. The service was launched formally on 1 May 2017. It attracted great interest, with tickets for the inaugural journey made available via a lottery that was reported to have been oversubscribed by a factor of 76. By the time of the launch, tickets were sold out until March 2018. File:E001 Shin-Tsurumi 20160907.jpg, The first seven cars on delivery from Kawasaki Heavy Industries in September 2016 File:JRE E001 Train Suite Shikishima test run Tokohuku Main Line 2017-01-14.webm, The full 10-car set on a test run on the Tohoku Main Line in January 2017

References

External links

*
Shiki-Shima photos

JR East June 2014 news release
{{JR East EMU Named passenger trains of Japan Hybrid multiple units of Japan East Japan Railway Company Train-related introductions in 2017 Kawasaki multiple units J-TREC multiple units