Sunrise Izumo

The Sunrise Izumo (サンライズ出雲, Sanraizu Izumo) is an overnight sleeping car train service in Japan operated by the East Japan Railway Company (JR East), Central Japan Railway Company (JR Central) and West Japan Railway Company (JR West) since July 1998.^[1][2]

Operations

The Sunrise Izumo runs daily between and in Shimane Prefecture, taking approximately 12 hours for the 953.6 km (592.5 mi) journey.^[2] The service operates in conjunction with the Sunrise Seto service to between Tokyo and . The combined 14-car train departs from Tokyo, and stops at , , , , , (final evening stop), (first morning stop), and arrives at , where the train splits. Between Okayama and Izumoshi, the 7-car Sunrise Izumo train stops at , , , , , , and , before arriving in Izumoshi. The return train departs from Izumoshi, and is coupled with the Sunrise Seto from Takamatsu at Okayama Station, departing together from there, and arriving at Tokyo Station in the next morning.

Station list

Sunrise Izumo trains make brief stops for several reasons, such as crew changes at JR region boundaries and also train meetings, which are very prominent when on the Hakubi Line, as the majority of the line is only single track. Passengers cannot board or get off the train when it makes such stops.

Regularly, only eastbound services will operate between Atami and Yokohama via the Tōkaidō Freight Line, where trains enter the line at Odawara and exit at Chigasaki back to the Tōkaidō Main Line.

Formation

Trains are formed of dedicated 7-car 285 series Sunrise Express electric multiple units (EMUs) owned by both JR Central and JR West.

When operating in the down (Izumoshi-bound) direction, the cars are numbered 8 to 14 (cars 1 to 7 are the Sunrise Seto), with car 14 at the Tokyo end. When operating in the up (Tokyo-bound) direction, the cars are numbered 1 to 7, with car 7 at the Tokyo end.^[1]

• Car 2/9 has a wheelchair-accessible compartment.
• Each car has toilet facilities.^[5]
• Smoking is permitted in cabins in car 6/13, and some compartments in car 4/11.

Accommodation, Ticketing and Facilities

The Sunrise Express services consist of six types of accommodation. There are five types of berths: A Single Deluxe, B Sunrise Twin (2-person use), B Single Twin (1 or 2-person use), B Single and B Solo. There is also a carpeted sleeping space called the Nobi-nobi sleeping area.

To ride the train, several fares are required. All passengers require a basic fare ticket (乗車券, Jousha ken) and a limited express ticket (特急券, Tokkyu ken) based on the distance traveled. On top of these, those wishing to travel in a private room must also pay for a berth ticket (寝台券, Shindai ken), while those traveling in the Nobi-nobi sleeping area must pay a small reservation charge (座席指定料金, zaseki shitei ryoukin) in order to reserve an individual sleeping space.

The berth and seat reservation charges are fixed, regardless of where the journey starts and ends.

Tickets are purchased up to one month before departure at a JR Midori no Madoguchi in Japan. Holders of the Japan Rail Pass can reserve a Nobi-nobi space at free, or reserve a berth by paying the limited express and berth charges.

A shower is located in cars 3 and 10. Passengers using the A Single Deluxe compartments are provided with a free shower card to use the showers on the train, while other passengers have to pay ¥330 for a shower card if they desire to use the showers. Lounges are also located in cars 3 and 10. Drink vending machines are available in cars 3, 5, 10 and 12.

History

The Sunrise Izumo services were introduced together with the Sunrise Seto on 10 July 1998.^[8] Previously, the Izumo operated as a separate "Blue train" service connecting Tokyo with the Sanin region. However, these trains were becoming less popular as equipment became outdated, and air and bus services attracted more passengers. The Sunrise Izumo was intended to attract more passengers to train transportation by introducing newly designed trains and by reducing the journey time.

Following the introduction of the Sunrise Izumo, the original Izumo locomotive-hauled "Blue train" service was reduced from two return workings daily to one return working, serving the Sanin Main Line between and Tottori Prefecture, most of which was not electrified and thus inaccessible by the electric Sunrise Express trains.^[8] The Izumo was ultimately discontinued on 13 March 2006 due to continuing decline in ridership, leaving the Sunrise Izumo as the only overnight train service between the Sanin region and Tokyo.

Ridership on overnight trains in Japan continues to decline, and from March 2009, the Sunrise Izumo and Sunrise Seto became the only overnight sleeping car trains to operate west of Tokyo via the Tokaido Line.^[9]

From the start of the revised timetable on 12 March 2021, the departure time of the Sunrise Izumo and Sunrise Seto from Tokyo was changed from 10:00 PM to 9:50 PM.^[10] It is the first time that the departure time was changed since the services' introduction in 1998. The change cleared the 10:00 PM departure slot for one of the new Shōnan limited express services to Odawara.

See also

• Sunrise Seto
• Izumo (train), the blue train predecessor to the Sunrise Izumo
• List of named passenger trains of Japan

References

1. ^ ＪＲ新幹線＆特急列車ファイル [JR Shinkansen & Limited Express Train File]. Japan: Kōtsū Shimbun. 2008. p. 124. ISBN 978-4-330-00608-6.
2. ^ Haraguchi, Takayuki (2009). Encyclopedia of JR's Railway Cars: ＪＲ全車輌. Japan: Sekai Bunka. p. 34. ISBN 978-4-418-09905-4.
3. ^ "時刻表 停車駅一覧：JR東日本" (in Japanese). jreast-timetable.jp. East Japan Railway Company. Retrieved 13 March 2021.
4. ^ "時刻表 停車駅一覧：JR東日本" (in Japanese). jreast-timetable.jp. East Japan Railway Company. Retrieved 13 March 2021.
5. ^ JR電車編成表 2013夏 [JR EMU Formations – Summer 2013]. Japan: JRR. May 2013. p. 122. ISBN 978-4-330-37313-3.
6. ^ "寝台券" [Berth ticket] (in Japanese). jr-odekake.net. West Japan Railway Company. Retrieved 5 May 2020.
7. ^ "指定席券" [Reserved Seat Ticket] (in Japanese). jr-odekake.net. West Japan Railway Company. Retrieved 5 May 2020.
8. ^ こだわりの新幹線＆特急列車ガイド [In-depth Shinkansen & Limited Express Guide]. Japan: Ikaros Publishing. August 2000. pp. 194–195. ISBN 4-87149-284-2.
9. ^ Ogano, Minoru (March 2011). 新幹線・特急大図鑑2011 [Shinkansen & Limited Express Directory 2011]. Japan: JTB Publishing. p. 112. ISBN 978-4-533-08193-4.
10. ^ "春の臨時列車運転のお知らせ" (in Japanese). 四国旅客鉄道. 2021-01-22. p. 2. Archived 2021-01-22 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2021-01-22.

External links

• JR West Sunrise Izumo / Sunrise Seto (in Japanese)