Home Liner
Home Liner (ホームライナー) is the generic name given to limited-stop commuter train services operated by railway companies in Japan, which require the purchase of a supplementary jōsha seiriken (乗車整理券) or raināken (ライナー券) in addition to the base fare ticket. The supplementary ticket guarantees passengers a seat on board.[1] This article describes all commuter services in Japan fitting this definition, regardless of whether their names actually include the title "Home Liner".
These services generally use express or limited-express train rolling stock, and the early morning inbound and late evening outbound movements often form an effective way to move rolling stock being to or from depots in preparation for the next day's operations.
History
The name "Home Liner" was first coined in June 1984 by JNR when an empty stock working for an Asama 189 series EMU was used to carry passengers from Ueno to Ōmiya on the Tōhoku Main Line in the evening for a supplementary fare of 300 yen. Initially, only four of the twelve cars in the train were made available to passengers, but the popularity of the service resulted in three evening Home Liner trains being introduced from Ueno to Ōmiya from September 1984. The first morning Liner service appeared in November 1986 with the introduction of the Shōnan Liner from Odawara to Tokyo on the Tōkaidō Main Line, and the Hanwa Liner from Wakayama to Tennōji on the Hanwa Line.[2]
Fares
Additional fares required to ride JR Group home liner trains are as follows:[1]
- JR Hokkaido – 310 yen (jōsha seiriken)
- JR East (Greater Tokyo Area) – 500 yen (raināken)
- JR East (Niigata and Nagano areas) – 300 yen (jōsha seiriken)
- JR Central – 310 yen (jōsha seiriken)
- JR West – 310 yen (jōsha seiriken)
- JR Kyushu – 300 yen (jōsha seiriken)
List of services
JR Hokkaido
| Name | Line | Section | Rolling stock | Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home Liner | Hakodate Main Line | Otaru → Sapporo Teine ↔ Sapporo |
785 series 789-1000 series KiHa 261 series KiHa 281 series KiHa 283 series |
Weekdays only. Supplementary fare is 100 yen to/from Teine. |
JR East
JR Central
| Name | Line | Section | Rolling stock | Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nagoya | ||||
| Home Liner Toyohashi | Tōkaidō Main Line | Ōgaki/Nagoya → Toyohashi | 373 series | Weekdays only. |
| Home Liner Ōgaki | Tōkaidō Main Line | Ōgaki → Nagoya Toyohashi → Ōgaki |
683 series 373 series |
|
| Home Liner Sekigahara | Tōkaidō Main Line | Nagoya → Sekigahara | 683 series | Weekday evenings only. |
| Home Liner Nakatsugawa | Chūō Main Line | Nagoya → Nakatsugawa | 383 series 313-8000 series |
Weekday evenings only. |
| Home Liner Tajimi | Chūō Main Line - | Tajimi → Nagoya | 383 series | Weekday mornings only. |
| Home Liner Mizunami | Chūō Main Line | Mizunami → Nagoya | 383 series | Weekday mornings only. |
| Home Liner Taita | Chūō Main Line - Taita Line | Nagoya - Mino-Ōta | KiHa 85 series | Weekday and Saturday mornings only. |
| Home Liner Yokkaichi | Kansai Main Line | Yokkaichi → Nagoya | KiHa 85 series | Weekday mornings only. |
| Shizuoka | ||||
| Home Liner Numazu | Tōkaidō Main Line | Shizuoka → Numazu | 371 series 373 series |
|
| Home Liner Hamamatsu | Tōkaidō Main Line | Numazu/Shizuoka → Hamamatsu | 371 series 373 series |
Weekday evenings only. |
| Home Liner Shizuoka | Tōkaidō Main Line | Numazu/Hamamatsu → Shizuoka | 371 series 373 series |
|
JR West
| Name | Line | Section | Rolling stock | Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hanwa Liner | Hanwa Line | Tennōji → Wakayama | 381 series | Weekdays only. |
| Yamatoji Liner | Osaka Loop Line - Yamatoji Line (Kansai Main Line) | Kizu → JR Namba, Osaka → Kamo | 381 series | Weekdays only. |
JR Kyushu
| Name | Line | Section | Rolling stock | Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sawayaka Liner | Kagoshima Main Line | Sendai → Kagoshima-Chūō | 485 series | |
| Sawayaka Liner | Nippō Main Line - Nichinan Line - Miyazaki Kūkō Line | Nobeoka → Miyazaki-Kūkō, Miyakonojō → Miyazaki | 783 series, 485 series | |
| Home Liner | Kagoshima Main Line | Kagoshima-Chūō → Sendai | 485 series | |
| Home Liner | Nippō Main Line - Nichinan Line - Miyazaki Kūkō Line | Miyazaki-Kūkō → Nobeoka, Miyazaki → Miyakonojō | 485 series |
Private railways
| Name | Line | Section | Rolling stock | Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Keikyu | ||||
| Keikyu Wing | Keikyū Main Line | Shinagawa → Keikyū Kurihama/Misakiguchi | 2100 series | Weekdays only. Supplementary fare is 200 yen from Shinagawa only.[3] |
| Keisei Electric Railway | ||||
| Morning Liner Evening Liner |
Keisei Main Line | Keisei Ueno ↔ Narita Airport | AE100 series | Supplementary fare is 400 yen.[4] |
| Tobu Railway | ||||
| TJ Liner | Tōbu Tōjō Line | Ikebukuro → Shinrinkōen/Ogawamachi | 50090 series | Supplementary fare is 300 yen from Ikebukuro only.[5] |
| Shinano Railway | ||||
| Shinano Sunrise Shinano Sunset |
Shinano Railway Line | Komoro → Nagano, Nagano → Ueda | 169 series | Supplementary fare is 200 yen.[6] |
References
- 1 2 JR East: Information on tickets (Japanese)
- ↑ "朝の"ライナー列車"総覧 (Overview of Morning "Liner" Trains)". Tetsudō Daiya Jōhō Magazine. Vol. 39 no. 314 (Japan: Kōtsū Shimbun). June 2010. pp. 23–29.
- ↑ "京急ウイング号" Keikyū Wing information. Retrieved on 18 September 2008. (Japanese)
- ↑ "スカイライナー キップの買い方" Keisei Skyliner ticket information. Retrieved on 18 September 2008. (Japanese)
- ↑ Tobu News, 21 November 2007. (Japanese)
- ↑ "しなの鉄道営業案内" Shinano Railway ticket information. Retrieved on 5 October 2009. (Japanese)