From Osaka to Aomori in 16 hours! Japan's longest daytime express train, "Shiratori"

oncefrom Osaka Station to Aomori Stationoperated by the Japanese National Railways (JNR) and later JR, which ran over 1000km along the Sea of ​​Japan coastHakuchoThere was
When it debuted in 1961, the journey from Osaka Station to Aomori Station15 hours and 45 minutestook a staggering
However, despite its long-distance journey, the Hakucho was not a sleeper train.
a daytime limited express train where passengers sat in seatsIt was
, which was the longest-distance daytime limited express trainin JapanThis time, we will introduce

The appearance of "Swan"

"express train"is a well-established term among people who use trains regularly, but"special express train."it is actually an abbreviation of
In the former Japanese National Railways (the predecessor of JR),express trains were truly special trainsthat operated only on limited lines.

The situation changed dramatically in 1958. The
between Ueno Station in Tokyo and Aomori Station in Aomori Prefecture"Hatsukari,"began operation
which ran on diesel fuelthe Kiha 81 series,calleddiesel railcarsit was changed to be operated with

We have explained the Hatsukari Express in a previous article, so please take a look

Tohoku Rokken Trivia Media NEFT

The history of the Tohoku region's first express train, "Hatsukari"

https://jp.neft.asia/archives/28372

When people living in the Tokyo metropolitan area visit the Tohoku region by public transportation, they often use bullet trains such as the Tohoku Shinkansen. However, the Tohoku Shinkansen only opened in 1982, about 40 years ago. Before then, what did people travel to the Tohoku region by? One option was the Hatsukari, the first limited express train to run through the Tohoku region. The Appearance of the Tohoku Region's First Limited Express Train: In the prewar and immediate postwar period, the limited express trains of the Japanese National Railways (the predecessor of today's JR) were truly special trains, as their official name "limited express train" suggests, and express trains were the main mode of long-distance travel.

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On October 1, 1961, the year after the KiHa 81 series debuted,the KiHa 82 series,made its debut.
The KiHa 82 seriesbecame the first express trains to operate on many lines where express trains had not previously run.
One of these linesShiratoriwas the
The name Shiratori is said to have originated from the white swans that migrate to Hyoko Lake in Niigata Prefecture.

that occurred at Nou Station in Niigata Prefecture on the first day of the Shiratori train's operationNou IncidentRegarding

"Sea of ​​Japan Swans" and "Shinetsu Swans"

When it first appeared, the Hakucho train consisted of a 6-car train running between Osaka Station and Aomori Station via the Sea of ​​Japan coast (hereafter referred to as the "Sea of ​​Japan Main Line"), and another 6-car train running between Osaka Station and Ueno Station. These two trains were coupled together and ran from Osaka Station to Naoetsu Station in Niigata Prefecture.
To distinguish between the trains originating and terminating in Aomori and the trains originating and terminating in Ueno, it seems that within Japanese National Railways (JNR), theythe "Sea of ​​Japan Hakucho" and the "Shin'etsu Hakucho,"were referred to as

When it was first introduced, the Nihonkai Shiratori had a mileage of 1,052.9 km

• It is a conventional train (not a Shinkansen)
• It is a day train (not a night train)
• It is an express train (for passengers)

Among trains that meet all of the above conditions (daytime express trains on conventional lines),no train in the history of Japanese railways has traveled a greater distance than the Shiratori.

According to a timetable from October 1964 that I have, the Shiratori train departed Osaka Station at 8:15 a.m., stopping at Kyoto, Maibara, Tsuruga, Fukui, Daishoji, Kanazawa, Takaoka, and Toyama, arriving at Naoetsu Station at 15:06 p.m.
Here, the train split into two sections: one bound for Aomori and the other for Ueno. The Aomori-bound section stopped at Nagaoka, Niitsu, Tsuruoka, Sakata, Akita, Higashi-Noshiro, Odate, and Hirosaki, arriving at its final destination, Aomori Station, at 23:47 p.m. (The Ueno-bound section stopped at Nagano, Karuizawa, Yokokawa, and Takasaki, arriving at Ueno Station at 20:20 p.m.). It was a long journey of
Osaka, Kyoto, Shiga, Fukui, Ishikawa, Toyama, Niigata, Yamagata, Akita, and Aomori15 hours and 32 minutes, passing through 2 prefectures and 8 counties:.
However, even though it was a long journey, the overnight express train "Nihonkai" that ran the same route took 22 hours, so this was a groundbreaking speed increase for its time.

From Aomori Station, it was also possible to transfer to the Seikan Ferry departing at 0:15 AM and travel to Hakodate Station in Hokkaido. This
train served not only as a link between the Kinki, Hokuriku, and Tohoku regions, but also as an access point to Hokkaido.
Incidentally, as of October 1964, both the Nihonkai Hakucho and Shin'etsu Hakucho trains had already been increased to 14 cars, with 7 cars in each formation.

The train bound for Osaka departed Aomori Station at 5:20 a.m., waiting for the arrival of the Seikan Ferry, and arrived at Osaka Station at 21:07 p.m., with a total journey time of 15 hours and 47 minutes.
In Ishikawa Prefecture, it did not stop at Daishoji Station, but instead stopped at Iburihashi Station.

The hugely popular "Swan"

The Hakucho, the first limited express train on the Japan Sea Main Line, became extremely popular, and the Japan Sea Hakucho, in particular, which also provided access to Hokkaido, became severely congested.
As a result, in the October 1965 timetable revision, the Shin'etsu Hakuchothe limited express "Hakutaka,"and the Hakucho was limited to operating only between Osaka Station and Aomori Station.
At the same time, the route was changed to include a stop at Niigata Station, which it had not previously passed through.

As it began operating independently, the train's formation became longer.
According to the October 1967 timetable, at that time it consisted of 14 cars, of which 4 cars were detached at Niigata Station, and the section between Niigata Station and Aomori Station was operated as a 10-car train.
Furthermore, according to the March 1972 timetable, at that time the formation had been reduced to 13 cars, but all cars now went all the way to Aomori Station.

"Shirotori" became an express train

Author: Gohachiyasu1214 – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0
https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=123866005,

With the electrification of the Japan Sea Main Line completed and electric trains becoming available, the rolling stock used for the Hakucho serviceto the 13-car 485 series electric train inwas changed
The 485 series electric train is a representative limited express train of the Japanese National Railways era.
The effect of electrification on speed was significant, and the travel time between Osaka Station and Aomori Station became 13 hours and 40 minutes.
In March 1975, the route within Shiga Prefecture was shortened by changing to the Kosei Line, which opened on the west side of Lake Biwa.

In November 1982, a daily round trip of the Hakucho train was also introduced between Fukui Station and Aomori Station.
However, unlike the Hakucho trains that departed from and arrived at Osaka Station, it did not have a dining car.
Then, in November 1984, the dining car was removed from the Hakucho trains that departed from and arrived at Osaka Station as well,
despite the train running for 13 hours straight.

Furthermore, the Hakucho service to and from Fukui Station was discontinued in the March 1985 timetable revision, just two years and four months after its introduction.
The trains to and from Osaka Station were also reduced by one car, becoming a 10-car train at this point, and then by another car in November 1986, becoming a 9-car train.
It's fair to say that by this time, the glory of the Hakucho service was already beginning to fade.

The Shiratori was discontinued in the early 21st century

the Shiratori aircraftfirst appeared in 1961, airfares were extremely high, and air travel was not common.
However, the 1980s were a different story.
People began to use airplanes to travel between the Kinki region and the Tohoku region or Hokkaido.

In 1987, Japanese National Railways (JNR) was privatized and divided into the various JR companies, and the Shiratori train began running across the areas of JR West and JR East.
After privatization, there were some improvements such as increased speed and upgrades to the train's facilities, but it was no match for the changing times, and the number of people using the Shiratori for the entire route from Osaka Station to Aomori Station decreased.

If there are no longer any passengers using the entire route, then there is no major problem in splitting the express train's operating section midway.
Also, trains that run excessively long distances have the disadvantage of being more likely to experience problems and delays along the way.
The Hakucho, which ran between Osaka Station and Aomori Station,the Raichoexpress train between Kanazawa Station and Niigata StationHokuetsuexpress train between Niigata Station and Aomori Stationthe Inahowas discontinued, with the role being taken over by
final run was on March 2, 2001, and many people, mainly railway enthusiasts, mourned the train's end after nearly 40 years of service.

To reiterate, the distance traveled by the Shiratori was the longest for a daytime express train on conventional lines in Japan.
And it is unlikely that this record will ever be broken.
operated by JR Kyushu"Nichirin Seagaia".
Its route is 413.1 km from Hakata Station to Miyazaki Airport Station, via Kokura Station, Oita Station, and Miyazaki Station. This
is not even half the distance traveled by the Shiratori, which covered more than 1000 km of track.

The second-generation "Shirotori" that passed through the Seikan Tunnel

In December 2002, the year after the Shiratori service was discontinued, the names "Shiratori" and"Super Shiratori"were given to express trains running from Hachinohe Station and Aomori Station through the Seikan Tunnel to Hakodate Station.
Although the names are the same as the Shiratori service between Osaka Station and Aomori Station, the operating sections are completely different (except for the stop at Aomori Station), so we will omit a detailed explanation here.
This second-generation Shiratori service was also discontinued in March 2016 with the opening of the Hokkaido Shinkansen.

Conclusion

Currently, if you travel from Osaka Station to Aomori Station by plane, the flight time is about 1.5 hours, and even including travel time to Itami Airport and from Aomori Airport,arrive in about 4 hoursyou can
Even if you travel by train, if you transfer between the Tokaido Shinkansen and the Tohoku Shinkansen,arrive in about 6.5 hoursyou can
It is understandable that there is no longer any demand for trains that travel along the Japan Sea coast for 13 hours.
However, there was a certain romance to spending half a day on a train that is absent in modern train journeys.

Please remember the Shiratori, which reigned as a famous train on the Japan Sea Main Line and had a great impact on the Tohoku region

Yuto Ono

A former railway engineer and current freelance writer who has loved trains since childhood, his dream is to make train travel his career