is the generic name given to limited-stop

commuter train Commuter rail or suburban rail is a passenger rail service that primarily operates within a metropolitan area, connecting commuters to a central city from adjacent suburbs or commuter towns. Commuter rail systems can use locomotive-hauled tr ...

services operated by railway companies in

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

, which require the purchase of a supplementary or in addition to the base fare ticket. The supplementary ticket guarantees passengers a seat on board.JR East: Information on tickets
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 The Tōhoku Main Line () is a railway line in Japan operated by the East Japan Railway Company (JR East). The line starts from Tokyo Station in Chiyoda, Tokyo and passes through such cities as Saitama, Saitama, Saitama, Utsunomiya, Tochigi, Uts ...

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 is a Cities of Japan, city in Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 188,482 and a population density of 1,700 persons per km2. The total area of the city is . Geography Odawara lies in the Ashigara Plains, in ...

Tokyo Tokyo, officially the Tokyo Metropolis, is the capital of Japan, capital and List of cities in Japan, most populous city in Japan. With a population of over 14 million in the city proper in 2023, it is List of largest cities, one of the most ...

on the

Tōkaidō Main Line The Tōkaidō Main Line () is one of the most important railway corridors in Japan, connecting the major cities of Tokyo and Kobe via Shizuoka (city), Shizuoka, Nagoya, Kyoto and Osaka. The line, with termini at Tokyo Station, Tokyo and Kōbe St ...

, and the ''Hanwa Liner'' from Wakayama to Tennōji on the Hanwa Line. JR West has since discontinued Home Liner services, replacing them with extra limited express or rapid trains.

Fares

Additional fares required to ride JR Group home liner trains are as follows: *

JR Hokkaido The is one of the constituent companies of the Japan Railways Group (JR Group), and is often referred to by its official abbreviation: . It operates intercity and local rail services in Hokkaido, Japan. The company introduced Kitaca, a smart c ...

– 310 yen (''jōsha seiriken'') *

JR East The is a major passenger railway company in Japan and the largest of the seven Japan Railways Group companies. The company name is officially abbreviated as JR-EAST or JR East in English, and as in Japanese. The company's headquarters are in ...

(

Greater Tokyo Area The Greater Tokyo Area is the most populous metropolitan area in the world, consisting of the Kantō region of Japan (including Tokyo, Tokyo Metropolis and the prefectures of Chiba Prefecture, Chiba, Gunma Prefecture, Gunma, Ibaraki Prefecture, ...

) – 500 yen (Liner Ticket) *JR East ( Niigata and Nagano areas) – 310 yen (''jōsha seiriken'') * JR Central – 320 yen (''jōsha seiriken'')(Shizuoka Area) *

JR Kyushu The , also referred to as , is one of the seven constituent companies of Japan Railways Group (JR Group). It operates intercity rail services within Kyushu, Japan. It formerly operated the Beetle hydrofoil service across the Tsushima Strait be ...

– 300 yen (''jōsha seiriken'')

List of services

JR Hokkaido The is one of the constituent companies of the Japan Railways Group (JR Group), and is often referred to by its official abbreviation: . It operates intercity and local rail services in Hokkaido, Japan. The company introduced Kitaca, a smart c ...

JR East The is a major passenger railway company in Japan and the largest of the seven Japan Railways Group companies. The company name is officially abbreviated as JR-EAST or JR East in English, and as in Japanese. The company's headquarters are in ...

JR Central

JR Kyushu The , also referred to as , is one of the seven constituent companies of Japan Railways Group (JR Group). It operates intercity rail services within Kyushu, Japan. It formerly operated the Beetle hydrofoil service across the Tsushima Strait be ...

Private railways

References

{{reflist Passenger rail transport in Japan