 N700S-8000 seriesKamome | |
| Overview | |
|---|---|
| Service type | Shinkansen (Kamome) (Local), Limited express (Relay Kamome /Kasasagi) |
| First service | 1937, 2022 (Shinkansen) |
| Current operator(s) |  JR Kyushu |
| Route | |
| Termini | Hakata Nagasaki |
| Line(s) used |
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Kamome (かもめ) is alimited express train service operated byJR Kyushu in Japan. It operates betweenHakata andNagasaki on theKagoshima Main Line and theNagasaki Main Line.Kamome meansseagull inJapanese.
As of 23 September 2022, the name was inherited by the new Shinkansen service to Nagasaki, at which point the remaining limited express services betweenTakeo-Onsen and Hakata were renamedRelay Kamome.
TheKamome name (written as "鷗") was first used from 1 July 1937 on limited express trains operating between Tokyo andKobe. This service continued until February 1943.[1]
The name (written as "かもめ") was subsequently revived from 15 March 1953 for use on limited express services operating betweenKyoto andHakata. This service was discontinued in March 1975 with the completion of theSanyō Shinkansen to Hakata.[1]
On 1 July 1976, with the electrification of the Nagasaki Main Line, services resumed (initially betweenKokura andNagasaki, later between Hakata and Nagasaki) using 485 series EMUs.[1]
The service in its current form commenced on 23 September 2022, with the opening of theNishi-Kyushu Shinkansen section betweenTakeo-Onsen andNagasaki. With the Shinkansen now being the primary route to Nagasaki,Kamome services were reallocated to Shinkansen services on the newly-built Shinkansen line. This also resulted inKamome services bypassingHizen-Kashima, a major station on the Nagasaki Main Line but not on the Shinkansen, to be served by the newly-introducedKasasagi limited express departing from either Hizen-Kashima orSaga.[2]Kasasagi is named after theEurasian magpie, which is the prefectural bird of Saga.[2]
On 28 October 2020, JR Kyushu announced it would utilize a 6-car version of theN700S series for the isolated section ofShinkansen from Nagasaki, named theNishi Kyushu Shinkansen, with across platform interchange to a relay service calledRelay Kamome atTakeo-Onsen to connect to Hakata.[3][4][5] JR Kyushu also announced it would continue to use the nameKamome, which has been in use since 1961, for the Nishi Kyushu Shinkansen service.[4] Most of the newKamome Shinkansen services stop at every station betweenTakeo-Onsen andNagasaki, with some services bypassingUreshino-Onsen, with a few services only stopping atIsahaya. Between Takeo-Onsen and Hakata, the so-calledRelay Kamome will continue as a non-Shinkansen train service for the foreseeable future until the Shinkansen is eventually extended to Hakata. SomeMidori andHuis Ten Bosch services will also operate as an additional Relay Kamome at Takeo-Onsen styled as eitherMidori (Relay Kamome) orHuis Ten Bosch (Relay Kamome).[6]
Stations in parentheses are not served by all trains. Some trains depart fromMojikō orKokura in the city ofKitakyushu.[7]
Legend:
| ● | All trains stop |
|---|---|
| ▲ | Some trains stop |
| Station | Japanese | Distance from Takeo-Onsen (km) | Kamome (from 23 September 2022)[8] |
|---|---|---|---|
| Takeo-Onsen | 武雄温泉 | 0.0 | ● |
| Ureshino-Onsen | 嬉野温泉 | 10.9 | ▲ |
| Shin-Ōmura | 新大村 | 32.2 | ▲ |
| Isahaya | 諫早 | 44.8 | ● |
| Nagasaki | 長崎 | 66.0 | ● |
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