The was a

limited express A limited express is a type of express train or express bus service that stops at fewer locations compared to other express services on the same or similar routes. Japan The term "limited express" is a common translation of the Japanese ...

train service operated by

West Japan Railway Company , also referred to as , is one of the Japan Railways Group (JR Group) companies and operates in western Honshu. It has its headquarters in Kita-ku, Osaka. It is listed in the Tokyo Stock Exchange, is a constituent of the TOPIX Large70 index, ...

(JR West) in Japan. It operated from 1960 to 2011 between and via the

San'in Main Line The is a railway line in western Japan, which connects Kyoto and Shimonoseki, Yamaguchi, operated by West Japan Railway Company (JR West). It is the major railway line of the San'in region, approximately paralleling the Japan Sea, crossing Kyot ...

, and was one of the services that make up JR West's "" in northern

Kansai The or the lies in the southern-central region of Japan's main island Honshū. The region includes the prefectures of Nara, Wakayama, Kyoto, Osaka, Hyōgo and Shiga, often also Mie, sometimes Fukui, Tokushima and Tottori. The metropoli ...

. The color associated with the service was blue.

Station stops

– – – – () – () – () – – Stations in parentheses were not served by all trains.JR Timetable, December 2010 issue, p.124-125

Rolling stock

This service was operated with 4-car 183 series

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 ...

trains based at Fukuchiyama Depot. Some trains operated coupled with 3-car ''

Maizuru is a city in Kyoto Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 78,644 in 34,817 households and a population density of 230 persons per km2. The total area of the city is . Geography Maizuru is located in northern Kyoto Prefectu ...

'' sets between Kyoto and Ayabe. Some services had an entire Green (first class) car as car 1, while some services had only half of car 1 providing Green car accommodation.

History

The service was first introduced on 1 June 1960 as a "semi express" service operating between and Kinosaki (now ). It was upgraded to become an "express" service from 5 March 1966. It was however discontinued from 1 November 1986. The name ''Tamba'' comes from the feudal-era

Tanba Province was a province of Japan in the area of central Kyoto and east-central Hyōgo Prefectures. Tanba bordered on Harima, Ōmi, Settsu, Tajima. Tango, Wakasa, and Yamashiro provinces. Its abbreviated form name was . In terms of the Gokishichid ...

, which was situated in what is now northern

Kyoto Prefecture is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located in the Kansai region of Honshu. Kyoto Prefecture has a population of 2,561,358 () and has a geographic area of . Kyoto Prefecture borders Fukui Prefecture to the northeast, Shiga Prefecture ...

and northeastern

Hyōgo Prefecture is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located in the Kansai region of Honshu. Hyōgo Prefecture has a population of 5,469,762 () and a geographic area of . Hyōgo Prefecture borders Kyoto Prefecture to the east, Osaka Prefecture to th ...

. From 16 March 1996, the ''Tamba'' name was revived for new limited express services operating between Kyoto and Fukuchiyama following the electrification of the Sanin Main Line. From 18 March 2007, all cars were made non-smoking. From the start of the 12 March 2011 timetable revision, ''Tamba'' services were absorbed into '' Kinosaki'' services.

References

External links

JR West ''Tamba'' 183 series train information
{{JR West trains Named passenger trains of Japan West Japan Railway Company Railway services introduced in 1960 Railway services discontinued in 2011 ja:たんば (列車)