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The Mainichi
01-07-2025
- Entertainment
- The Mainichi
News in Easy English: JR East to start new night train between Tokyo and Tohoku in 2027
TOKYO -- East Japan Railway Co. (JR East) has announced a new night train that will run between Tokyo and the Tohoku area (northeast Japan). Services will start in spring 2027. JR East will use one of its older limited express trains and make it into a new night train. Inside, all the seats will be special private rooms. There will be rooms for one, two, or four passengers. Around 120 people will be able to use the train at once. The train will also have two rooms for wheelchairs and a place where people can sit together and relax. The new night train will use blue colors. These colors were also used by famous night trains called "Blue Trains," which traveled many years ago. But the new train will not have beds. Passengers will sleep by reclining (making flat) their seats. The company plans the train to leave Tokyo at night and arrive in Tohoku the next morning. During busy times, it may also travel during the daytime. JR East will give more information, such as ticket prices and train timetables, later. At a press conference on June 10, JR East President Yoichi Kise said, "We hope this will be a new type of fun night trip, not just a long-distance ride." JR East now uses another night train called "Cassiopeia," but this train will stop running in June because it is getting too old. (Japanese original by Yuhi Sugiyama, Business News Department) Vocabulary limited express: a faster train that stops at fewer stations passenger: a person who travels on a train, bus, airplane, or other vehicles private room: a room used by only one person or one group at a time wheelchair: a chair with wheels used by people who can't walk reclining: moving a seat so you can lie back comfortably long-distance: traveling a long way
The Mainichi
26-06-2025
- The Mainichi
JR East's new first-class sleeper train to link Tokyo and Tohoku in spring 2027
TOKYO -- East Japan Railway Co. (JR East) will introduce a new overnight limited express train set to run between the Tokyo metropolitan area and northeastern Japan's Tohoku region from the spring of 2027, the company has announced. The train may also run during the daytime in peak travel seasons, JR East said. The company will modify one of its 10-car E657 series limited express trains, currently used for services such as the Hitachi on the JR Joban Line. All seats will be private, cabin-style Green Car (first-class) reserved seats, with the train able to accommodate about 120 passengers in total. The private compartments will be available for single travelers and groups of two or four people. There will also be two wheelchair-accessible compartments and an open lounge area. The design will feature blue and navy tones inspired by the Blue Train sleeper services that once ran on lines such as the JR Tokaido Line. However, the new train will not include beds, instead using flat-seat configurations among other methods. The planned schedule includes nighttime departures from the greater Tokyo area and arrivals in the Tohoku region the following morning. JR East plans to announce further details including the pricing and timetable in the future. At a June 10 press conference, JR East President Yoichi Kise expressed his hopes for the service, saying, "Rather than just focusing on long-distance travel at night, we want to propose a new kind of enjoyable nighttime journey." JR East currently operates the Cassiopeia sleeper train on a limited basis for tours, but this operation will end in June due to the aging of equipment. (Japanese original by Yuhi Sugiyama, Business News Department)
