Tsubame

800 Series ShinkansenTsubame at Shin-Minamata Station in November 2004
Overview
Service type	Shinkansen (Local)
Status	Operational
Locale	Kyushu Shinkansen
First service	1 October 1930 (Limited express) 13 March 2004 (Shinkansen)
Current operator	JR Kyushu
Former operator	JNR
Route
Termini	Hakata KumamotoorKagoshima-Chūō
On-board services
Class	Ordinary class + Green class
Catering facilities	Trolley refreshment service
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, 60 Hz
Operating speed	260 km/h (160 mph)[1]

TheTsubame (つばめ) is a train service operated byKyushu Railway Company (JR Kyushu) on theKyushu Shinkansen in Japan since 2004.^[1]

The wordtsubame (燕) in Japanese means "swallow", and has been used on a succession oflimited express trains on theTokaido andSanyo Main Line in Japan since 1930.^[2]

TheTsubame name (originally written as "燕") was first used from 1 October 1930 for limited express services operating betweenTokyo andKobe, hauled byJNR Class C51 andJNR Class C53 steam locomotives. These services operated until 30 September 1943.^[2]

AJNR Class C62 hauling the Tsubame service nearKyoto

Series 151 EMUs, which were used for the Tsubame service after 1958

The name was revived (this time written as "つばめ") from 1 January 1950 for limited express services operating between Tokyo andOsaka, hauled byJNR Class C62 steam andJNR Class EF58 electric locomotives, and later by151 serieselectric multiple unit (EMU) trains. From 1 October 1964, following the opening of theTōkaidō Shinkansen, the name was reassigned to limited express trains operating betweenShin-Osaka andHakata. From 1 October 1965, services were extended to operate betweenNagoya and Hakata, operated by481 and583 series EMUs. These services continued until 9 March 1975 (when theSan'yō Shinkansen was fully in operation).^[2]

TheTsubame name was once again revived byJR Kyushu from 15 July 1992 for limited express services operating on theKagoshima Main Line betweenMojiko/Hakata and Nishi-Kagoshima (nowKagoshima-Chūō Station), operated using new787 series EMUs in 6-, 7-, or 11-car formations.^[2][3]These services operated until 12 March 2004, the day before the newKyushu Shinkansen opened.

With the start of services on theKyushu Shinkansen betweenShin-Yatsushiro andKagoshima-Chūō from 13 March 2004, newRelay Tsubame services commenced on theKagoshima Main Line betweenHakata andShin-Yatsushiro using 787 series EMUs in 7-, 8-, and 11-car formations.^[1] The operation of theRelay Tsubame service was unique, as it was the only station in Japan where normal trains stopped at platforms adjacent to the shinkansen platforms. This was to facilitate transfer of passengers from shinkansen toRelay Tsubame and vice versa. Normally, shinkansen platforms are physically separated from normal train platforms with fare gates and may be at a different level (usually above the normal train platforms).

When the remainder of the Kyushu Shinkansen was opened on 12 March 2011, theTsubame became an all-stations service (similar to theKodama on the Tokaido and Sanyo Shinkansen), operating primarily as shuttle services between Hakata andKumamoto. Services operate twice per hour in each direction during the morning and evening, and once per hour during the middle of the day. SomeTsubame services also run to/from Kagoshima-Chūō.^[4] One morning roundtrip, Tsubame 302, operates toKokura andShin-Shimonoseki, and returns to Kumamoto as Tsubame 321.^[5][6]

Shinkansen train services are formed of eight-carN700 series (JR West N700-7000 series and JR Kyushu N700-8000 series) trains or six-car JR Kyushu800 series trains.

• 
  A JR Kyushu 800 series train set in January 2022
• 
  A JR West N700-7000 series trainset
• 
  A JR Kyushu N700-8000 series trainset

Eight-carN700 series services are formed as follows, with car 1 at the Kagoshima-Chūō (southern) end. Cars 1 to 3 are ordinary-class cars with 2+3 seating, and cars 4 to 8 are ordinary-class cars with 2+2 seating. Half of car 6 has "Green car" (first class) 2+2 seating. All cars are non-smoking since the smoking ban in March 2024.^[7]

On some train services, cars 4 and 5 are also non-reserved.^[8]

• 
  N700-7000 series Green car interior
• 
  N700-7000 series standard-class reserved car interior
• 
  N700-7000 series standard-class non-reserved car interior

Six-car800 series services are formed as follows, with car 1 at the Kagoshima-Chūō (southern) end. All accommodation is ordinary class with 2+2 seating. All cars are non-smoking.^[8]

On some train services, car 4 is also non-reserved.^[8]

• 
  Interior of an 800 series car

Wikimedia Commons has media related toTsubame (train).

• JR KyushuTsubame information

• Railway services introduced in 1930
• Railway services introduced in 2004
• Named Shinkansen trains

• CS1 uses Japanese-language script (ja)
• CS1 Japanese-language sources (ja)
• Articles with short description
• Short description is different from Wikidata
• Use dmy dates from February 2020
• Articles containing Japanese-language text
• Commons category link is on Wikidata