The was a seasonal ''rapid'' overnight train service operated by

East Japan Railway Company 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 East), which runs from to in

Niigata Prefecture is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture in the Chūbu region of Honshu of Japan. Niigata Prefecture has a population of 2,131,009 (1 July 2023) and is the List of Japanese prefectures by area, fifth-largest prefecture of Japan by geographic area ...

via the

Takasaki Line The Takasaki Line () is a Japanese railway line which connects Ōmiya Station in Saitama, Saitama Prefecture and Takasaki Station in Takasaki, Gunma Prefecture. It is owned and operated by the East Japan Railway Company (JR East). All service ...

, the Joetsu Line, and the

Shinetsu Main Line The is a railway line, consisting of three geographically separated sections, operated by the East Japan Railway Company (JR East) in Japan. It was originally one continuous line connecting and via . Since the opening and later extension of ...

. The name is taken from the

Echigo Province was an old provinces of Japan, old province in north-central Japan, on the shores of the Sea of Japan. It bordered on Uzen Province, Uzen, Iwashiro Province, Iwashiro, Kōzuke Province, Kōzuke, Shinano Province, Shinano, and Etchū Province, ...

, the old name of

. Service was reduced to run on a seasonal basis in 2009 and, while JR East has not formally announced its discontinuation, no services have operated since May 2014.

Rolling stock

''Moonlight Echigo'' services are formed of 6-car

485 series The (and the earlier 481 and 483 series variants) was a Japanese limited express electric multiple unit (EMU) type introduced in 1964 by Japanese National Railways (JNR), and later operated by the East Japan Railway Company (JR East), West Jap ...

electric multiple unit An electric multiple unit or EMU is a multiple-unit train consisting of self-propelled carriages using electricity as the motive power. An EMU requires no separate locomotive, as electric traction motors are incorporated within one or a number o ...

(EMU) sets K1 and K2 based at Niigata Depot.

Past rolling stock

* 14 series coaches (June 1986 to September 1987) *

165 series The was an express electric multiple unit (EMU) train type introduced in 1963 by Japanese National Railways (JNR). History During the early 1960s, the Chūō Main Line and Shinetsu Line were electrified, requiring new EMUs for the express se ...

3-car EMUs (from September 1987) *

183 series The was a Japanese limited express electric multiple unit (EMU) train type introduced in 1972 by Japanese National Railways (JNR). Following the privatization of JNR, the 183 series was operated by East Japan Railway Company (JR East) and We ...

EMUs (March 2010 to March 2012) File:183-ML-echigo.JPG, 183 series, April 2010

History

The service was first introduced on 30 June 1986, as a seasonal train named simply , to directly compete with overnight bus services between Tokyo and Niigata introduced the previous year. The locomotive-hauled rolling stock was replaced by EMUs from September 1987. The service became a regular daily service from March 1988. From March 14, 2009, the daily ''Moonlight Echigo'' was discontinued and became a seasonal train running only during Japanese holidays. The last Moonlight Echigo service operated in May 2014, with the service excluded entirely from the subsequent summer schedule in 2014 and 2015.

References

{{JR East trains Named passenger trains of Japan East Japan Railway Company Night trains of Japan Railway services introduced in 1986 Railway services discontinued in 2014 1986 establishments in Japan 2014 disestablishments in Japan

Rolling stock

Past rolling stock

History

See also

References