TheAsahi (あさひ) was a limited-stop train service that operated until November 2002 in Japan on theJoetsu Shinkansen high-speed line between Tokyo and Niigata.[1]
 200 series set K24 on anAsahi service in Tokyo in August 2002 | |
| Overview | |
|---|---|
| Service type | Shinkansen |
| Status | Discontinued |
| First service | 1960 (Semi-express) 1982 (Shinkansen) |
| Last service | 30 November 2002 |
| Successor | Toki |
| Current operator(s) | JR East |
| Former operator(s) | JNR JR East |
| Route | |
| Termini | Tokyo Niigata |
| Stops | Limited stop |
| Line(s) used | Joetsu Shinkansen |
| On-board services | |
| Class(es) | Standard + Green |
| Catering facilities | Trolley service |
| Technical | |
| Rolling stock | 200 series,E1 series (train),E4 series |
| Track gauge | 1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) |
| Electrification | 25 kV AC overhead |
| Operating speed | 275km/h (170mph) |
Operations
editTheAsahi shinkansen services ran approximately hourly, with twodown services (Asahi 1 and 3) permitted to operate at 275 km/h in the tunnel section betweenJōmō-Kōgen andUrasa using specially modified200 series (F90) sets, completing the journey in 1 hour 40 minutes (compared to the fastest journey time of 1 hour 37 minutes in 2008 forToki services operating at a maximum speed of 240 km/h).[2][3]
Rolling stock
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- 200 series 8/10/12-car sets (November 1982 – November 2002)
- E1 series 12-car sets, asMax Asahi (July 1994 – November 2002)
- E2 series 8-car sets (December 1998 – November 2002)
- E4 series 8-car sets, asMax Asahi (May 2001 – November 2002)
History
editThe nameAsahi, meaning "morning sun" in Japanese, dates from before World War II, when it was used for an express train operated by Japan fromRason inKorea (present-day North Korea) toXinjing inManchuria (present-day China).[4]
It was first used in Japan on 1 November 1960 for semi-express (準急,junkyū) services operating betweenNiigata andSendai. This service was renamedBenibana from 1 July 1982.[2]
From the start of services on the newly opened Joetsu Shinkansen on 15 November 1982,Asahi was the name used for the limited-stop shinkansen services operating initially betweenŌmiya and Niigata, later betweenUeno and Niigata, and eventually betweenTokyo and Niigata.[2] At the start of Joetsu Shinkansen operations in 1982, 11Asahi services operated in each direction daily. With the start of shinkansen operations from Ueno on 14 March 1985, the number ofAsahi services was increased to 34 in each direction daily. From 10 March 1990, two down services (nicknamedSuper Asahi) were timed to operate at a maximum speed of 275 km/h in the tunnel section betweenJōmō-Kōgen andUrasa. NewE1 series "Max" 12-car sets were introduced onMax Asahi services from 15 July 1994, with two workings in each direction daily between Tokyo and Niigata. The number ofMax Asahi services was increased to five in each direction daily from 3 December 1994.[5]E4 series "Max" trains built in 1997 were first assigned toMax Asahi services on 7 May 2001.[6]
TheAsahi name was discontinued from 1 December 2002 when theToki name was re-introduced for all Tokyo to Niigata trains.[1]
See also
editReferences
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- ^abJR新幹線＆特急列車ファイル [JR Shinkansen & Limited Express Train File]. Japan: Kotsu Shimbun. 2008. p. 22.ISBN 978-4-330-00608-6.
- ^abc列車名鑑1995 [Train Name Directory 1995]. Japan: Railway Journal. August 1995.
- ^JR Timetable, December 2008
- ^Imao, Keisuke; Hara, Takeshi (November 2009).日本鉄道旅行地図帳 歴史編成 朝鮮・台湾 [Japanese Railway Travel Atlas Historical Makeup – Korea and Taiwan] (in Japanese). Japan: Shinchosha. p. 3.ISBN 978-4-10-790032-6.
- ^JR特急10年の歩み [10 Years of JR Limited Express Trains] (in Japanese). Japan: Kousai Shuppansha. May 1997.ISBN 4-330-45697-4.
- ^Yamanouchi, Shūichirō (2002).東北・上越新幹線 [Tohoku & Joetsu Shinkansen]. Tokyo, Japan: JTB Can Books.ISBN 4-533-04513-8.