Blue Train (Japan)

Fuji sleeper train, June 2004

Blue Trains (ブルートレイン burū torein) in Japan are long-distance sleeper trains, nicknamed as such for the color of the train cars. They consist of 20-, 14- or 24-series sleeper cars, and currently run on six routes connecting major destinations within Japan across long distances, other routes being served by a fleet of newer limited-express sleeper trains which are not blue.

Five Blue Train services were eliminated in 2008 and 2009. The Japan Railways Group (JR) is expected, according to the Asahi Shimbun, to begin phasing out most of the other sleeper services as well.

History

The first Blue Train was known as the Asakaze. It ran between Hakata and Tokyo beginning in 1956; air-conditioned cars were added two years later. As was the case with sleeper train services in other parts of the world, the Blue Trains acquired a romantic aspect and, at the peak of their popularity in the late 1970s, appeared in many novels. They were often described as "hotels on the move".

The final Hayabusa and Fuji sleeping car service after arriving at Tokyo Station, 14 March 2009

More recently, however, as the Shinkansen (bullet train), buses, and airplanes have become faster, more popular, and sometimes cheaper, the Blue Trains have seen a severe decline in ridership and therefore revenues. The 2005 ridership on sleeper trains traveling west from Tokyo was calculated as one-fifth of that in 1987. For this and other reasons, such as aging equipment and a shortage of overnight staff, JR made plans to eliminate the majority of the overnight services.[1]

The Asakaze service connecting Hakata and Tokyo was eliminated in 2005, its average occupancy below 30 percent. The Hayabusa and Fuji were eliminated in March 2009. The daily Hokuriku train from Tokyo to Kanazawa was discontinued on 13 March 2010 along with its former Blue Train counterpart, the Noto.

Services like the Twilight Express and Cassiopeia, however, retain their popularity in the tourist market, due to their more luxurious status and the absence of a Shinkansen line to Hokkaido.

Services

Current services

Discontinued services

Limited express sleeper trains

Express sleeper trains

Notes

  1. ↑ Although not technically a blue train, the Cassiopeia is included here as it is a luxury overnight service similar to the Twilight Express.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Although the Sunrise Izumo and Sunrise Seto are night trains, they are not considered blue trains and are therefore not included on this list.

References

  1. ↑ Furuya, Masanobu. "JR putting Blue Trains to bed as passengers find faster ways to travel". Asahi Shimbun - English Edition. 11 December 2007. Accessed 12 December 2007.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Saito, Masatoshi (7 November 2013). ブルートレイン:廃止へ…ＪＲ３社、北海道新幹線開業で [Blue Trains to be scrapped by 3 JR companies - with opening of Hokkaido Shinkansen]. Mainichi.jp (in Japanese). Japan: The Mainichi Newspapers. Retrieved 7 November 2013.

Further reading

External links

Media related to Blue Trains (Japan) at Wikimedia Commons