Sunrise Seto
 285 series EMU on a Sunrise Seto service, 2019 | |
| Overview | |
|---|---|
| Service type | Limited express |
| Status | Operational |
| Locale | Japan |
| Predecessor | Seto |
| First service | 10 July 1998 |
| Current operator(s) | JR Central, JR West |
| Route | |
| Start | Tokyo |
| End | Takamatsu |
| Distance travelled | 804.7 km (500.0 mi) |
| Average journey time | approx. 9 hours 30 minutes |
| Service frequency | 1 return working daily |
| Train number(s) | Westbound: 5031M Eastbound: 5032M |
| Line(s) used | JR East: JT Tōkaidō Main Line, Tōkaidō Freight Line JR Central: |
| On-board services | |
| Seating arrangements | None |
| Sleeping arrangements | Private compartments/open-plan sleeping areas |
| Catering facilities | None |
| Technical | |
| Rolling stock | 285 series EMUs |
| Track gauge | 1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in) |
| Electrification | 1,500 V DC |
| Operating speed | 130 km/h (80 mph) |
Tōkaidō Main LineThe Sunrise Seto (サンライズ瀬戸, Sanraizu Seto) 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.[1][2]
Operations[]
The Sunrise Seto runs daily between Tokyo and Takamatsu in Kagawa Prefecture on the island of Shikoku, taking about 9 hours 30 minutes for the 804.7 km (500.0 mi) journey.[2] The service operates in conjunction with the Sunrise Izumo service to Izumoshi between Tokyo and Okayama. The combined 14-car train departs from Tokyo, and stops at Yokohama, Atami, Numazu, Fuji, Shizuoka, Hamamatsu (final midnight stop), Himeji (first morning stop), and arrives at Okayama, where the train splits, with the Sunrise Izumo half of the train heading to Izumoshi.[3] Between Okayama and Takamatsu, the 7-car Sunrise Seto train stops at Kojima and Sakaide, 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 Kotohira on the Dosan Line. These extended service trains run during particular seasons (Differs each year), and during the holidays.
There are some reasons that Sunrise Izumo and Sunrise Seto does not stop at major stations like Nagoya, Kyoto, ... because when they arrived at the stations, it is midnight so they cannot play the announcements.
A Sunrise Seto & Sunrise Izumo combined formation on the Sanyo Main Line, May 2012
Sunrise Izumo and Sunrise Seto units being uncoupled at Okayama Station, March 2013
Destination indicator for a Tokyo-bound service
Station list[]
| Line | Station | Distance (km) | Time[4][5] | Location | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Name | Japanese | Between
stations |
From
Tokyo |
Westbound
(-> Takamatsu) |
Eastbound
(-> Tokyo) |
Ward / City | Prefecture /
Metropolis | |
| Tōkaidō Main Line | Tokyo | 東京 | - | 0.0 | 21:50 Departure | 07:08 Arrival | Chiyoda | Tokyo |
| Yokohama | 横浜 | 28.8 | 28.8 | 22:14 Arrival
22:15 Departure |
06:44 Arrival
06:45 Departure |
Yokohama | Kanagawa | |
| Atami | 熱海 | 75.8 | 104.6 | 23:21 Arrival
23:23 Departure |
05:43 Arrival
05:45 Departure |
Atami | Shizuoka | |
| Numazu | 沼津 | 21.6 | 126.2 | 23:38 Arrival
23:39 Departure |
05:26 Arrival
05:27 Departure |
Numazu | ||
| Fuji | 富士 | 20.0 | 146.2 | 23:52 Arrival
23:53 Departure |
05:09 Arrival
05:10 Departure |
Fuji | ||
| Shizuoka | 静岡 | 34.0 | 180.2 | 00:18 Arrival
00:20 Departure |
04:38 Arrival
04:40 Departure |
Shizuoka | ||
| Hamamatsu | 浜松 | 76.9 | 257.1 | 01:11 Arrival
01:12 Departure |
↑
(Brief stop) |
Hamamatsu | ||
| Toyohashi | 豊橋 | 36.5 | 293.6 | (Brief stop) | Toyohashi | Aichi | ||
| Nagoya | 名古屋 | 72.4 | 366.0 | ↓ | ↑
(Brief stop) |
Nagoya | ||
| Gifu | 岐阜 | 30.3 | 396.3 | ↓
(Brief stop) |
↑ | Gifu | Gifu | |
| Maibara | 米原 | 49.6 | 445.9 | (Brief stop) | Maibara | Shiga | ||
| Ōsaka | 大阪 | 110.5 | 556.4 | ↓
(Brief stop) |
00:31 Arrival
00:33 Departure |
Osaka | Osaka | |
| Sannomiya | 三ノ宮 | 30.6 | 587.0 | ↓ | 00:10 Arrival
00:11 Departure |
Kobe | Hyogo | |
| San'yō Main Line | Himeji | 姫路 | 57.3 | 644.3 | 05:25 Arrival
05:26 Departure |
23:32 Arrival
23:33 Departure |
Himeji | |
| Okayama | 岡山 | 88.6 | 732.9 | 06:27 Arrival
(Decouple and separate from Sunrise Izumo) 06:31 Departure |
22:23 Arrival
(Couple with Sunrise Izumo) 22:34 Departure |
Okayama | Okayama | |
| Uno Line, Honshi-Bisan Line | ||||||||
| Kojima | 児島 | 27.8 | 760.7 | 06:52 Arrival
06:53 Departure |
22:00 Arrival
22:01 Departure |
Kurashiki | ||
| Yosan Line | Sakaide | 坂出 | 22.7 | 783.4 | 07:09 Arrival
07:10 Departure |
21:43 Arrival
21:44 Departure |
Sakaide | Kagawa |
| Takamatsu | 高松 | 21.3 | 804.7 | 07:27 Arrival | 21:26 Departure | Takamatsu | ||
| Seasonal extended services (from Tokyo) to Kotohira | ||||||||
| Yosan Line | Takamatsu | 高松 | - | 804.7 | 07:54 Departure | / | Takamatsu | Kagawa |
| Tadotsu | 多度津 | 32.7 | 837.4 | 08:33 Arrival
08:35 Departure |
Tadotsu | |||
| Dosan Line | ||||||||
| Zentsūji | 善通寺 | 6.0 | 843.4 | 08:43 Arrival
08:45 Departure |
Zentsuji | |||
| Kotohira | 琴平 | 5.3 | 848.7 | 08:52 Arrival | Kotohira | |||
- 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.[1]
| Car No. | 1/8 | 2/9 | 3/10 | 4/11 | 5/12 | 6/13 | 7/14 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Numbering | KuHaNe 285 | SaHaNe 285 | MoHaNe 285 | SaRoHaNe 285 | MoHaNe 285 | SaHaNe 285 | KuHaNe 285 |
| Accommodation | B single berths | B single berths | B solo berths | Single DX berths | B single berths Nobinobi floor space |
B single berths | B single berths |
| B single/ single-twin berths | B single/ single-twin berths | Sunrise twin berths | B single/ single-twin berths | B single/ single-twin berths | |||
| Facilities | Mini saloon area, vending machine, shower | Vending machine |
- Car 2/9 has a wheelchair-accessible compartment
- Each car has toilet facilities at one end.[6]
- 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 basic fare ticket (乗車券, Jousha ken) and a limited express ticket (特急券, Tokkyu ken) based on the distance traveled. On top of these, those wishing to travel in a private room must also pay for a berth ticket (寝台券, Shindai ken), while those traveling in the Nobinobi sleeping area must pay a small seat reservation charge (座席指定料金, zaseki shitei ryoukin) in order to reserve an individual sleeping space.
The berth and seat reservation charges are fixed, regardless of where the journey starts and ends.
| Person | Accommodation | Price |
|---|---|---|
| 1-person use berth | A Single Deluxe | ¥13980 |
| B Single Twin | ¥9600 | |
| B Single | ¥7700 | |
| B Solo | ¥6600 | |
| 2-people use berths | B Sunrise Twin | ¥15400 for two people |
| B Single Twin | ¥15000 for two people | |
| 1-person use seating | Nobinobi sleeping area | ¥530 seat reservation charge
(+200 for peak seasons) (-200 for off seasons) |
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.
"Single Deluxe" compartment
Car 4/11 corridor
Single berth
Single-twin berth
Nobinobi open-plan sleeping area (car 5/12, upper floor)
Nobinobi open-plan sleeping area (car 5/12, lower floor)
Shower cubicle (car 3/10)
Mini lounge area (car 3/10)
History[]
The Sunrise Seto services were introduced together with the Sunrise Izumo on 10 July 1998.[9] Previously, the Seto operated as a separate "Blue train" service connecting Tokyo with Takamatsu.[10] 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.[11]
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.[12] 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[]
- ^ Jump up to: a b ＪＲ新幹線＆特急列車ファイル [JR Shinkansen & Limited Express Train File]. Japan: Kōtsū Shimbun. 2008. p. 124. ISBN 978-4-330-00608-6.
- ^ Jump up to: a b Haraguchi, Takayuki (2009). Encyclopedia of JR's Railway Cars: ＪＲ全車輌. Japan: Sekai Bunka. p. 34. ISBN 978-4-418-09905-4.
- ^ JR時刻表 [JR Timetable]. Japan: Kotsu Shimbunsha. March 2013. p. 144. EAN 4910053110334.
- ^ "時刻表 停車駅一覧：JR東日本". www.jreast-timetable.jp (in Japanese). East Japan Railway Company. Retrieved 13 March 2021.
- ^ "時刻表 停車駅一覧：JR東日本". www.jreast-timetable.jp (in Japanese). East Japan Railway Company. Retrieved 13 March 2021.
- ^ JR電車編成表 2013夏 [JR EMU Formations - Summer 2013]. Japan: JRR. May 2013. p. 122. ISBN 978-4-330-37313-3.
- ^ "寝台券" [Berth ticket]. jr-odekake.net (in Japanese). West Japan Railway Company. Retrieved 5 May 2020.
- ^ "指定席券" [Reserved Seat Ticket]. jr-odekake.net (in Japanese). West Japan Railway Company. Retrieved 5 May 2020.
- ^ こだわりの新幹線＆特急列車ガイド [In-depth Shinkansen & Limited Express Guide]. Japan: Ikaros Publishing. August 2000. pp. 194–195. ISBN 4-87149-284-2.
- ^ 最新特急大カタログ [Modern Limited Express Catalogue]. Japan: JTB. November 1992. p. 110.
- ^ Ogano, Minoru (March 2011). 新幹線・特急大図鑑2011 [Shinkansen & Limited Express Directory 2011]. Japan: JTB Publishing. p. 112. ISBN 978-4-533-08193-4.
- ^ "春の臨時列車運転のお知らせ" (PDF) (Press release) (in Japanese). 四国旅客鉄道. 22 January 2021. p. 2. Archived from the original (pdf) on 22 January 2021. Retrieved 22 January 2021.
External links[]
 |
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Sunrise Seto. |
- JR West Sunrise Izumo / Sunrise Seto (in Japanese)
| show Named trains of Central Japan Railway Company |
|---|
| show Named trains of West Japan Railway Company |
|---|
- Central Japan Railway Company
- West Japan Railway Company
- Named passenger trains of Japan
- Night trains of Japan
- Railway services introduced in 1998