The was a train service operated by

Japanese National Railways The abbreviated JNR or , was the business entity that operated Japan's national railway network from 1949 to 1987. Network Railways As of June 1, 1949, the date of establishment of JNR, it operated of narrow gauge () railways in all 46 pref ...

(JNR) in Japan between 1982 and 1985. When the Tohoku Shinkansen was opened in June 1982, the planned section between in Tokyo and was not complete, with shinkansen services starting and terminating at Ōmiya Station. The ''Shinkansen Relay'' was therefore provided to shuttle passengers between Ueno and Ōmiya via the

narrow gauge A narrow-gauge railway (narrow-gauge railroad in the US) is a railway with a track gauge narrower than standard . Most narrow-gauge railways are between and . Since narrow-gauge railways are usually built with tighter curves, smaller struc ...

Tohoku Main Line. Initially, 13

down Down most often refers to: * Down, the relative direction opposed to up * Down (gridiron football), in American/Canadian football, a period when one play takes place * Down feather, a soft bird feather used in bedding and clothing * Downland, a ty ...

and 14 up services operated daily, taking 26 minutes for the non-stop journey. From November 1982, the frequency was increased to 28 down and 29 up services daily, running at 30-minute intervals during the daytime off-peak. Services consisted of pairs of 7-car 185-200 series EMUs, providing a total seating capacity of 848. One ''Shinkansen Relay'' service served a pair of Tohoku Shinkansen and Joetsu Shinkansen services. Express

455 series The is a Japanese dual-voltage (1,500 V DC and 20 kV AC 50 Hz) electric multiple unit (EMU) train type introduced by Japanese National Railways (JNR) on express services in 1965 and later operated by East Japan Railway Company (JR East), ...

and suburban

115 series The is a DC electric multiple unit (EMU) train type developed by Japanese National Railways (JNR) and now operated by West Japan Railway Company (JR-West), and the Shinano Railway. Operations JR East JR East operated their last 115 series t ...

EMUs were also used on some trains. The ''Shinkansen Relay'' service ended on 13 March 1985, the day before the Tohoku Shinkansen opened between Ueno and Ōmiya. The 185-200 series EMUs were reassigned for use on other

Limited express A limited express is a type of express train service. It refers to an express service that stops at a limited number of stops in comparison to other express services on the same or similar routes. Japan The term "limited express" is a commo ...

services such as the '' Kusatsu''.

Rapid ''Shinkansen Relay'' (1998–2001)

201 165 Shinkansen Relay Hachioji 20010801

The ''Shinkansen Relay'' name was reintroduced between 1998 and 2001 for morning and evening limited-stop services between and via the

Musashino Line The is a railway line operated by the East Japan Railway Company (JR East). It links Tsurumi Station in Yokohama with Nishi-Funabashi Station in Chiba Prefecture, forming a 100.6 km unclosed loop around central Tokyo. Passenger operations ...

to provide connections to northbound shinkansen services for passengers originating from the

Chūō Line (Rapid) The is the name given to rapid services on the eastern section of the Chūō Main Line operated by the East Japan Railway Company (JR East) between and stations. The official map shows services travel as far as Otsuki. Basic data *Operator ...

area. Services were introduced in 1997 as the ''Komachi Relay'' before becoming the ''Shinkansen Relay'', and were formed of 6-car

165 Year 165 ( CLXV) was a common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Orfitus and Pudens (or, less frequently, year 918 ''Ab urbe condita'' ...

and

169 series The was an express electric multiple unit (EMU) train type introduced in 1969 by Japanese National Railways (JNR), and later operated by East Japan Railway Company (JR East) until 1996 and by Shinano Railway in Nagano Prefecture until 2013. Th ...

EMU formations. The services were renamed '' Musashino'' from 2001.

Rapid ''Shinkansen Relay'' (April 2011)

The ''Shinkansen Relay'' name was again used for a short period from 12 to 24 April 2011 for limited-stop "Rapid" services operated between and via the Tohoku Main Line as a substitute for the Tohoku Shinkansen, which was closed over this section following the 11 March

2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami The occurred at 14:46 JST (05:46 UTC) on 11 March. The magnitude 9.0–9.1 (M) undersea megathrust earthquake had an epicenter in the Pacific Ocean, east of the Oshika Peninsula of the Tōhoku region, and lasted approximately six m ...

. Trains were operated using

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

583 series The were limited express electric multiple unit (EMU) train types introduced in 1967 by Japanese National Railways and later operated by East Japan Railway Company (JR East) and West Japan Railway Company (JR West) on the through services ...

, and

E721 series The is an AC electric multiple unit (EMU) train type operated by East Japan Railway Company (JR East) on services in the Sendai area of Japan since February 2007. Variants * E721-0 series 2-car sets, since February 2007 * E721-500 series 2-c ...

EMUs, with all seats non-reserved.

References

{{Authority control Shinkansen East Japan Railway Company Named passenger trains of Japan Railway services introduced in 1982