Sakura (train service)

*Sakura*
	A N700-7000 series shinkansen on the Sanyo Shinkansen
Overview
Service type	Shinkansen (Semi-express)
Locale	Japan
Predecessor	Hikari Rail Star
First service	1951 (Limited express); 2011 (Shinkansen)
Current operator(s)	JR Kyushu, JR West
Former operator(s)	JNR
Route
Termini	Shin-Osaka; Kagoshima-Chūō
Line(s) used	Kyushu Shinkansen, Sanyo Shinkansen
On-board services
Class(es)	Ordinary, Green
Seating arrangements	Unidirectional
Technical
Rolling stock	800 series/N700-7000 series/N700-8000 series
Track gauge	1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in)
Electrification	25 kV AC
Operating speed	300 km/h (185 mph)

The Sakura (さくら, Cherry Blossom) is a high-speed shinkansen service operated between Shin-Osaka and Kagoshima-Chūō in Japan since 12 March 2011.^[1]

It was formerly a limited express sleeper train service operated by JR Kyushu, which ran from Tokyo to Nagasaki and Sasebo in Kyushu, Japan. This former service was discontinued in 2005 due to revised timetables.

Service pattern

Sakura trains stop at Shin-Osaka, Shin-Kobe, Himeji*, Okayama, Fukuyama, Hiroshima, Tokuyama*, Shin-Yamaguchi*, Shin-Shimonoseki*, Kokura, Hakata, Shin-Tosu, Kurume, Chikugo-Funagoya*, Shin-Omuta*, Shin-Tamana*, Kumamoto, Shin-Yatsushiro*, Shin-Minamata*, Izumi*, Sendai, and Kagoshima-Chuo station.

(*) Not served by all trains

Formations

N700 series (8 cars)

Services are formed as shown below with car 1 at the Kagoshima-Chuo end. All cars are non-smoking since the smoking ban in March 2024.^[2] Unusually, reserved ordinary class seats are wider than unreserved seats.

Car No.	1	2	3	4	5	6		7	8
Class	Non-reserved	Non-reserved	Non-reserved	Reserved	Reserved	Reserved	Green	Reserved	Reserved
Facilities	Toilet		Smoking compartment (discontinued), toilet		Toilet			Smoking compartment (discontinued), toilet, wheelchair space

In 2021, payphones were removed from cars 3 and 8.

In 2024, smoking compartments were discontinued due to the smoking ban.

N700-7000 series Green car interior
N700-7000 series standard-class reserved car interior
N700-7000 series standard-class non-reserved car interior

800 series (6 cars)

All cars are no smoking.

Car No.	1	2	3	4	5	6
Class	Non-reserved	Non-reserved	Non-reserved	Reserved	Reserved	Reserved

History

Limited express service

The Sakura was first introduced on 1 April 1951 as a daytime Limited express service between Tokyo and Osaka. This service was discontinued in October 1958.^[3]

The Sakura sleeping car service commenced on 20 July 1959 using 20 series sleeping cars. From March 1972, the train was upgraded with 14 series sleeping cars.^[3]

From 4 December 1999, the Sakura ran coupled with the Hayabusa service between Tokyo and Tosu.^[4] The last services ran on the evening of 28 February 2005.

Shinkansen service

From 12 March 2011, the Sakura name was revived once again for the new shinkansen services operating between Shin-Osaka and Kagoshima-Chūō using new JR West N700-7000 series and JR Kyushu N700-8000 series 8-car trainsets.^[1]

Sakura trains operate once every hour between Shin-Osaka and Kagoshima-Chūō throughout the day. One morning service departs from Kumamoto to Shin-Osaka. There are also additional Sakura services between Hakata and Kagoshima-Chuo during the daytime. Some Sakura runs within the Kyushu Shinkansen are operated by 6-car 800 series trains.^[5]

As with the existing Hikari service that operates on the Tokaido & Sanyo Shinkansen lines, the Sakura is the fastest service on the Sanyo & Kyushu Shinkansen lines that can be used with the Japan Rail Pass.

Future plans

In an announcement by JR Central, JR West, and JR Kyushu made on 17 October 2023, the companies stated that all onboard smoking rooms on the Tokaido, San'yo, and Kyushu Shinkansen trains would be discontinued by Q2 2024,^[6] which took effect on 16 March 2024.^[2]

Rolling stock

In the 1990s, the train was formed of up to fourteen 14 series sleeping cars, including two cafeteria cars. The train was hauled by a JR West Class EF66 electric locomotive between Tokyo and Shimonoseki, a JR Kyushu Class EF81 electric locomotive between Shimonoseki and Moji (through the undersea Kanmon Tunnel), and by JR Kyushu Class ED76 electric locomotives from Moji to Nagasaki and Sasebo.^[3]

References

^ ^a ^b JR Kyushu: "新幹線の列車名決定!!" Archived 19 September 2009 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved on 26 February 2009. (in Japanese)
^ ^a ^b "Smokers bitter as cigarettes banned on all Shinkansen lines | The Asahi Shimbun: Breaking News, Japan News and Analysis". The Asahi Shimbun. Retrieved 17 May 2024.
^ ^a ^b ^c 列車名鑑1995 [Train Name Directory 1995]. Japan: Railway Journal. August 1995.
^ こだわりの新幹線＆特急列車ガイド [In-depth Shinkansen & Limited Express Guide]. Japan: Ikaros Publishing. August 2000. ISBN 4-87149-284-2.
^ 平成23年春ダイヤ改正 [Spring 2011 timetable revision] (Press release) (in Japanese). JR Kyushu. 17 December 2010. Archived from the original on 20 December 2010. Retrieved 19 December 2010.
^ Kinoshita, Kenji (17 October 2023). "東海道・山陽・九州新幹線の車内喫煙ルーム、2024年春にすべて廃止" [All smoking rooms on Tokaido, Sanyo, and Kyushu Shinkansen trains will be discontinued in spring 2024.]. MyNavi Corporation. Archived from the original on 18 October 2023. Retrieved 19 October 2023.