.jpg) A N700-7000 series shinkansen on the Sanyo Shinkansen | |
| Overview | |
|---|---|
| Service type | Shinkansen (Semi-express) |
| Locale | Japan |
| Predecessor | Hikari Rail Star |
| First service | 1951 (Limited express) 2011 (Shinkansen) |
| Current operators | JR Kyushu,JR West |
| Former operator | JNR |
| Route | |
| Termini | Shin-Osaka Kagoshima-Chūō |
| Lines used | Kyushu Shinkansen,Sanyo Shinkansen |
| On-board services | |
| Classes | Ordinary, Green |
| Seating arrangements | Unidirectional |
| Technical | |
| Rolling stock | 800 series/N700-7000 series/N700-8000 series |
| Track gauge | 1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) |
| Electrification | 25 kV AC |
| Operating speed | 300 km/h (185 mph) |
TheSakura (さくら;Cherry Blossom) is a high-speedshinkansen service operated betweenShin-Osaka andKagoshima-Chūō in Japan since 12 March 2011.[1]
It was formerly alimited express sleeper train service operated byJR Kyushu, which ran fromTokyo toNagasaki andSasebo inKyushu, Japan. This former service was discontinued in 2005 due to revised timetables.
Sakura trains stop atShin-Osaka,Shin-Kobe,Himeji*,Okayama,Fukuyama,Hiroshima,Tokuyama*,Shin-Yamaguchi*,Shin-Shimonoseki*,Kokura,Hakata,Shin-Tosu,Kurume,Chikugo-Funagoya*,Shin-Omuta*,Shin-Tamana*,Kumamoto,Shin-Yatsushiro*,Shin-Minamata*,Izumi*,Sendai, andKagoshima-Chuo station.
(*) Not served by all trains
Services are formed as shown below with car 1 at the Kagoshima-Chuo end. All cars are non-smoking since the smoking ban in March 2024.[2] Unusually, reserved ordinary class seats are wider than unreserved seats.
| Car No. | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Class | Non-reserved | Non-reserved | Non-reserved | Reserved | Reserved | Reserved | Green | Reserved | Reserved |
| Facilities | Toilet | Smoking compartment (discontinued), toilet | Toilet | Smoking compartment (discontinued), toilet, wheelchair space | |||||
In 2021, payphones were removed from cars 3 and 8.
In 2024, smoking compartments were discontinued due to the smoking ban.
All cars are no smoking.
| Car No. | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Class | Non-reserved | Non-reserved | Non-reserved | Reserved | Reserved | Reserved | |
TheSakura was first introduced on 1 April 1951 as a daytime Limited express service between Tokyo and Osaka. This service was discontinued in October 1958.[3]
TheSakura sleeping car service commenced on 20 July 1959 using 20 series sleeping cars. From March 1972, the train was upgraded with 14 series sleeping cars.[3]
From 4 December 1999, theSakura ran coupled with theHayabusa service between Tokyo andTosu.[4] The last services ran on the evening of 28 February 2005.
From 12 March 2011, theSakura name was revived once again for the new shinkansen services operating betweenShin-Osaka andKagoshima-Chūō using new JR WestN700-7000 series and JR KyushuN700-8000 series 8-car trainsets.[1]
Sakura trains operate once every hour between Shin-Osaka and Kagoshima-Chūō throughout the day. One morning service departs from Kumamoto to Shin-Osaka. There are also additionalSakura services betweenHakata and Kagoshima-Chuo during the daytime. SomeSakura runs within the Kyushu Shinkansen are operated by 6-car800 series trains.[5]
As with the existingHikari service that operates on the Tokaido & Sanyo Shinkansen lines, theSakura is the fastest service on the Sanyo & Kyushu Shinkansen lines that can be used with the Japan Rail Pass.
In an announcement by JR Central, JR West, and JR Kyushu made on 17 October 2023, the companies stated that all onboard smoking rooms on the Tokaido, San'yo, and Kyushu Shinkansen trains would be discontinued by Q2 2024,[6] which took effect on 16 March 2024.[2]
In the 1990s, the train was formed of up to fourteen 14 series sleeping cars, including two cafeteria cars. The train was hauled by a JR WestClass EF66 electric locomotive between Tokyo andShimonoseki, a JR KyushuClass EF81 electric locomotive between Shimonoseki and Moji (through the underseaKanmon Tunnel), and by JR KyushuClass ED76 electric locomotives from Moji to Nagasaki and Sasebo.[3]
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Named trains ofKyushu Railway Company | ||
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| Shinkansen | .svg){kind=logo} | |
| Limited express | ||
| Excursion trains | ||
| Rapid trains | ||
| Discontinued | ||
Named trains ofWest Japan Railway Company | ||
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| Shinkansen | .svg){kind=logo} | |
| Limited express (daytime) | ||
| Limited express (overnight) | ||
| Limited express (commuter) | ||
| Rapid | ||
| Other | ||
| Discontinued | ||
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