is a

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 ...

train service operated in Japan by

East Japan Railway Company The is a major passenger railway company in Japan and is 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 ar ...

(JR East) on the

Jōban Line The Jōban Line ( ja, 常磐線, ) is a railway line in Japan operated by the East Japan Railway Company (JR East). The line officially begins at Nippori Station in Arakawa, Tokyo before the line officially ends at Iwanuma Station in Iwanu ...

between

Shinagawa Station is a major railway station in the Takanawa and Konan districts of Minato, Tokyo, Japan, operated by East Japan Railway Company (JR East), Central Japan Railway Company (JR Central), and the private railway operator Keikyu. The Tokaido Shinkan ...

Ueno Station is a major railway station in Tokyo's Taitō ward. It is the station used to reach the Ueno district and Ueno Park—which contains Tokyo National Museum, The National Museum of Western Art, Ueno Zoo, Tokyo University of the Arts and other ...

Tokyo Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and List of cities in Japan, largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, ...

and Sendai Station in

Miyagi Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan located in the Tōhoku region of Honshu. Miyagi Prefecture has a population of 2,305,596 (1 June 2019) and has a geographic area of . Miyagi Prefecture borders Iwate Prefecture to the north, Akita Prefecture to the n ...

. The '' Tokiwa'' service follows the same route but makes additional stops.

History

The name was taken from the former

Hitachi Province was an old province of Japan in the area of Ibaraki Prefecture. Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005). "''Hitachi fudoki''" in . It was sometimes called . Hitachi Province bordered on Shimōsa (Lower Fusa), Shimotsuke, and Mutsu ( Iwase - ...

(常陸), which is now part of the

Ibaraki Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan located in the Kantō region of Honshu. Ibaraki Prefecture has a population of 2,871,199 (1 June 2019) and has a geographic area of . Ibaraki Prefecture borders Fukushima Prefecture to the north, Tochigi Prefectur ...

. The service was first introduced on 1 October 1963 for a semi-express service which operated daily between Ueno and Taira (present-day Iwaki) using

451 series __NOTOC__ Year 451 ( CDLI) 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 Marcianus and Adelfius (or, less frequently, year 1204 ''A ...

EMU stock, will all cars reserved. This service operated until 30 September 1967. The name was subsequently reintroduced on 1 October 1969 for a once-daily seasonal limited-express service operating between Ueno and Iwaki using 7-car

KiHa 81 series The KiHa 80 series was a diesel multiple unit type that operated on express services from 1960 to 2002, under Japan National Railways and later under JR Hokkaido and JR Central. Two variants were initially built: the KiHa 81 series to replac ...

diesel multiple units. This became a regular daily service the following year.

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 ...

EMUs were phased in from 2 October 1972, and were used until services were discontinued in December 1998. From 1 April 1973, one return service daily was extended to operate between Ueno and Sendai. From 1 October of the same year, the number of services to and from Sendai was increased to six return services. From 2 October 1978, this number was increased to 11 return services daily, to 12 from 15 November 1982, to 23 from 14 March 1985 with the discontinuation of the ''Tokiwa'' express, and to 26 return services daily from 1 November 1986. During the 1990s, services were operated using Katsuta-based seven-car 485 series formations with no Green car accommodation. Fourteen-car formations were sometimes used. The original ''Hitachi'' was discontinued from December 1998 with the withdrawal of the last

electric multiple units 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 numbe ...

(EMUs) on the Jōban Line, with the main daytime limited express services subsequently being named ''Super Hitachi'' and ''Fresh Hitachi''. From the start of the 14 March 2015 timetable revision, ''Super Hitachi'' services were renamed simply ''Hitachi'', and ''Fresh Hitachi'' services were renamed '' Tokiwa''. From the same date, services were extended south of Ueno via the new Ueno-Tokyo Line, with most services terminating at

Future plans

From the start of the 18 March 2023 timetable revision, all ''Hitachi'' services terminating at

will be extended to

Ticketing

A supplementary ticket has to be purchased to board the train, along with the basic fare ticket. There are two types of such supplementary tickets, namely the , and the . The Reserved Seat Ticket enables a specified seat to be reserved for the holder. The reserved status for the seat is signified by a green overhead lamp on top of the corresponding seat. The Unreserved Seat Ticket enables the holder to be seated on any unreserved seat. A red overhead lamp signifies that the seat is unreserved; while a yellow overhead lamp signifies that the seat is reserved for the later part of the journey, implying that one has to give up their seat to the passenger who has reserved the seat, when they board the train later.

Past services

In the past, there were 2 limited express services that also bear the name ''Hitachi''.

''Super Hitachi''

The was introduced on 11 March 1989, operating between Ueno and Iwaki or Sendai, using new

651 series The is an AC/ DC dual-voltage electric multiple unit (EMU) type operated by East Japan Railway Company (JR East) in Japan since March 1989. Trains originally operated as 7+4-car formations on '' Super Hitachi'' limited express services betw ...

EMUs. It operated at a maximum speed of 130 km/h. Services are generally formed of 7-car or 7+4-car formations, with only the 4-car sets continuing north of Iwaki.JR Timetable, December 2008 issue It served as the faster limited express compared to the ''Fresh Hitachi'' (see below). Trains operating between Iwaki and Sendai had discontinued, due to the

2011 Tohoku earthquake and tsunami Eleven or 11 may refer to: * 11 (number), the natural number following 10 and preceding 12 * one of the years 11 BC, AD 11, 1911, 2011, or any year ending in 11 Literature * ''Eleven'' (novel), a 2006 novel by British author David Llewellyn * ...

, which caused severe damages at parts of the section. From that point on, ''Super Hitachi'' services only operated between Ueno and Iwaki. From the start of the revised timetable on 17 March 2012, new E657 series EMUs were phased in on some ''Super Hitachi'' services, and entirely replaced the 651 series trains by the start of the revised timetable on 16 March 2013. By the start of another timetable revision on 14 March 2015, ''Super Hitachi'' services have been renamed as the ''Hitachi'', ending the ''Super Hitachis 26-year service.

''Fresh Hitachi''

The was introduced on 1 October 1997 between Ueno and Iwaki, using new

E653 series The is an AC/ DC dual-voltage electric multiple unit (EMU) train type operated by East Japan Railway Company (JR East) in Japan on limited express services since 1997. Originally used on Joban Line '' Fresh Hitachi'' limited express service ...

EMUs. It operated at a maximum speed of 130 km/h. Services were initially formed of 7-car, 7+4-car, or 7+7-car E653 EMUs, as well as 7-car or 7+4-car 651 series EMUs. It served as the slower limited express compared to the ''Super Hitachi''. From the start of the revised timetable on 17 March 2012, new 10-car E657 series EMUs were introduced on ''Fresh Hitachi'' services, operating alongside existing 651 series and E653 series sets, and as of 16 March 2013, all services are operated using E657 series EMUs. During the period between 1 October 2013 and around March 2015, however, one up and one down ''Fresh Hitachi'' service daily will be operated by an 11-car 651 series formation covering while the E657 series fleet undergoes modification work to add LED seat reservation status indicators above each seat. By the start of another timetable revision on 14 March 2015, ''Fresh Hitachi'' services have been renamed as the '' Tokiwa'', ending the ''Fresh Hitachi'''s 18-year service.

Rolling stock

As of 16 March 2013, all services are operated by E657 series 10-car EMUs, first introduced from March 2012, although 11-car

formations will be substituted on some services between 1 October 2013 and March 2015.

Past rolling stock

EMUs (''Hitachi'', October 1963 - 30 September 1967) *

DMUs (''Hitachi'', October 1963 - ?) *

EMUs (''Hitachi'', 2 October 1972 - December 1998) *

4/7/11-car EMUs (''Super Hitachi'', ''Fresh Hitachi'' 11 March 1989 - 15 March 2013) *

7/11/14-car EMUs (''Fresh Hitachi'' since 1 October 1997 - 15 March 2013) File:JNR kumoha451-7.jpg, JNR 451 series File:JNR-485-Hitachi.jpg, "Bonnet-style" 485 series on a ''Hitachi'' service, August 1998 File:Jreast 651super.jpg, 651 series on a ''Super Hitachi'' service, July 2005 File:Jreast 653.jpg, E653 series on a ''Fresh Hitachi'' service, April 2003

Formations

Trains are formed as shown below, with car 1 at the Ueno end. All cars are no smoking.JR Timetable, March 2013 issue, P.996

''Hitachi''

All seats are reserved.

Past formations

''Super Hitachi'' (Prior to 13 March 2015)

''Fresh Hitachi'' (Prior to 13 March 2015)

References

External links

JR East ''Hitachi and Tokiwa''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hitachi (Japanese Train) Named passenger trains of Japan East Japan Railway Company Jōban Line Railway services introduced in 1963 1963 establishments in Japan