Fuji (train)

The was a sleeper train that formerly operated between Tokyo and Ōita in Japan. Operated by the Kyushu Railway Company (JR Kyushu) and classified as a limited express service, it was discontinued from the start of the revised timetable on 14 March 2009.

Route

The train was coupled with the ''Hayabusa'' sleeper between Tokyo and Moji Station. The ''Hayabusa'' separated at Moji and continued to Hakata and Kumamoto.

The 1,240 km Tokyo-Ōita run took just over seventeen hours, leaving Tokyo at 18:03 and arriving in Ōita at 11:17. The return service left Ōita at 16:48 and arrived in Tokyo at 09:58."JR Timetable" August 2008 issue

History

Pre-World War II

The ''Fuji'' began as a long-distance daytime service in 1912, although the train did not receive a name until September 1929. It was one of two long-distance services on the Tōkaidō-Sanyō corridor. The other train on the route, named ''Sakura'', was aimed at middle-class travelers, while ''Fuji'' had higher-class rooms, dining cars serving Western food and a "Momoyama" observation car. ''Fuji'' and ''Sakura'' were the first named trains in Japan.

''Fuji'' services originally operated between Tokyo and Shimonoseki Station. Connecting ferries were available from Shimonoseki to Pusan, Korea, from which passengers could connect to train services bound for China, Russia, and even Europe. In November 1942, service was extended to Nagasaki, from where ferries were available to Shanghai.

''Fuji'' services were suspended in April 1944 due to Japan's deteriorating situation in World War II.

Post-World War II

The ''Fuji'' name was briefly used on a Shinjuku - Kawaguchiko service (Chūō Main Line) in 1950, but did not return to the Tokaido corridor until 1 October 1961, when the ''Fuji'' service resumed as a daytime limited express between Tokyo and Kobe using 151 series EMUs.

After the Tokaido Shinkansen opened on 1 October 1964, the ''Fuji'' became a Tokyo-Ōita sleeper service using 20 series sleeping cars. Between 1965 and 1980, the service was extended to Nishi-Kagoshima Station, becoming the longest train service in Japanese history: the Tokyo-Kagoshima run took over 24 hours (departing Tokyo at 18:00 and arriving Nishi-Kagoshima at 18:03). From 1980 to 1997, the ''Fuji'' operated between Tokyo and Miyazaki ( Miyazaki Station or Minami-Miyazaki Station).

Dining car service was discontinued from March 1993.

From 1 March 2005, the ''Fuji'' was combined with the ''Hayabusa'' service between Tokyo and Moji, following the discontinuation of the ''Sakura'' service which previously operated in conjunction with the ''Hayabusa''. Finally, the ''Fuji'' was discontinued in its entirety from the start of the revised timetable on 14 March 2009, due to declining ridership.

Rolling stock

The train was formed of 14 series sleeping cars based at JR Kyushu's Kumamoto Depot, typically consisting of six cars in the ''Hayabusa'' portion and six cars in the ''Fuji'' portion. The train was hauled by a JR West Class EF66 electric locomotive between Tokyo and Shimonoseki, a JR Kyushu Class EF81-400 electric locomotive between Shimonoseki and Moji (through the undersea Kanmon Tunnel), and by a JR Kyushu Class ED76 electric locomotive from Moji to Ōita."ＪＲ新幹線＆特急列車ファイル" (JR Shinkansen & Limited Express Train File), published 2008 by Kōtsū Shimbun

Gallery

File:Fuji Train6.jpg, Beds (March 2009)
File:Fuji Train5.jpg, Passageway (March 2009)
File:Fuji (Japanese sleeper train) B1-class Car Entrance.jpg, Entrance of a car (November 2008)
File:Fuji (Japanese sleeper train) B-class Car Washstand.jpg, Washstand (November 2008)
File:Fuji (Japanese sleeper train) B-class Car Toilet.jpg, Toilet (November 2008)

See also

* Blue Train (Japan)

References

External links

''Hayabusa'' & ''Fuji'' train information

{{JR Kyushu trains

Kyushu Railway Company
Named passenger trains of Japan
Night trains of Japan
Railway services introduced in 1929
Railway services discontinued in 2009
1929 establishments in Japan
2009 disestablishments in Japan