The is a high-speed

Shinkansen The , colloquially known in English as the bullet train, is a network of high-speed railway lines in Japan. Initially, it was built to connect distant Japanese regions with Tokyo, the capital, to aid economic growth and development. Beyond ...

train service operated 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 Joetsu Shinkansen in Japan. The name is taken from the Japanese name of the

crested ibis The crested ibis (''Nipponia nippon''), also known as the Japanese crested ibis, Asian crested ibis or toki, is a large (up to long), white-plumaged ibis of pine forests, native to eastern Asia. Its head is partially bare, showing red skin, and ...

, for which Niigata is famous.

Station Stops

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * (*) Not served by all trains

Rolling stock

* E2 series 10-car sets (from 26 January 2013) * E7 series 12-car sets (''Toki'') (from 3 March 2019) File:E2 J63 omiya.JPG, An E2 series set File:Series-E7-F21.jpg, An E7 series set

Former rolling stock

* E1 series 12-car sets (''Max Toki'') (until 28 September 2012) * 200 series 10-car sets "K" sets (until 15 March 2013) * E4 series 8-car sets (''Max Toki'') (until 1 October 2021) File:JR East Shinkansen E1(renewal).jpg, A refurbished E1 series set File:JNR200-K51.jpg, A refurbished 200 series set File:Series-E4-P20.jpg, A refurbished E4 series set

History

Limited express

JNR 181 series Kuha 180 Toki at Ueno Station

The name ''Toki'' was first introduced on 10 June 1962 for

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 operating between

Ueno is a district in Tokyo's Taitō Ward, best known as the home of Ueno Park. Ueno is also home to some of Tokyo's finest cultural sites, including the Tokyo National Museum, the National Museum of Western Art, and the National Museum of N ...

in Tokyo and Niigata on the Joetsu Line. This service operated until 14 November 1982, the day before the Joetsu Shinkansen opened.

Shinkansen

From the start of services on the newly opened Jōetsu Shinkansen on 15 November 1982, ''Toki'' became the name used for the all-stations shinkansen services operating initially between and Niigata, later between Ueno and Niigata, and eventually between and Niigata. The ''Toki'' name was discontinued from October 1997 following the introduction of new '' Tanigawa'' all-stations services between Tokyo and Echigo-Yuzawa. However, the name was reinstated from December 2002 to replace the name '' Asahi'' used for all Tokyo to Niigata trains. E2 series 10-car sets were re-introduced on four return ''Toki'' services daily from 26 January 2013, operating at a maximum speed of 240 km/h. The E4 series sets are being retired at the beginning of October 2021. Once withdrawn, there will be no more bi-level high-speed trains operating on Shinkansen services.

Special train services

A special service ran as ''Toki'' 395 from Omiya to Niigata on 17 November 2012 using 10-car 200 series set K47.

References

External links

200 series ''Yamabiko''/''Toki''/''Nasuno''/''Tanigawa''
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{{JR East trains Jōetsu Shinkansen Railway services introduced in 1962 Named Shinkansen trains