The is a rapid train service in Japan operated by West Japan Railway Company (JR West) and Shikoku Railway Company (JR Shikoku) since April 1988. The Marine Liner links Okayama, the capital city of Okayama Prefecture and a major station on the Sanyō Shinkansen, with Takamatsu, the capital city of Kagawa Prefecture on the island of Shikoku, via the Great Seto Bridge. Operating at a top speed of , the journey takes approximately 55 minutes.
Overview Since 1 October 2003, the Marine Liner has been operated by JR West 223-5000 series EMU trainsets. The car at the Takamatsu end of all trains (except some early morning/late night trains) is a JR Shikoku 5000 series bi-level (double-deck) cab car with reserved seating. Previously, 213 series EMUs were used.
From Okayama to Takamatsu, all Marine Liner trains stop at , and . Most trains also stop at either or , or both. Some early morning and late evening trains make additional stops at intermittent stations on the Seto-Ohashi and Yosan lines.
Unlike the other express trains between Okayama and Shikoku which are Limited Express services (Shiokaze to Matsuyama and Nanpu to Kōchi), the Marine Liner is classified as a service with only a standard fare required. Passengers may upgrade to reserved seating in the bi-level (double-deck) car, in both standard seats (lower deck) or Green Car seats (upper deck and 4 observation seats behind the driver's cab) for an additional fee.
A crew change for the train driver and conductor occurs at Kojima, the boundary station between the two operating railways.
Route
The Marine Liner runs over two sections known collectively as the Seto-Ohashi Line. The Okayama-Kojima section is operated by JR West1, and the Kojima-Takamatsu section is operated by JR Shikoku2.
1Portions run over the JR Uno Line 2Portions run over the JR Yosan Line
Stations Key (as of December 2006) ●All trains stop▲Most trains stop♦Few trains stop|Pass/No trains stop
Station Service ● ♦ ♦ ▲ | ▲ | ● ♦ ♦ ♦ ●Great Seto Bridge ● | ♦ | ♦ ♦ ♦ | ●
Formations Services are formed as 2-, 3-, 5-, or 7-car formations as shown below with car 1 at the Takamatsu end. All cars are no smoking. Most of the trains use 5-car formations. Green: Green class (first class) White: Standard class G (green class), R (standard class): Reserved seats NR (standard class only): Non-reserved seats
12223-5000 seriesNRNR
1235000 seriesGNRNRR
123455000 series223-5000 seriesGNRNRNRNRR
12345675000 series223-5000 series223-5000 seriesGNRNRNRNRNRNRR
History The Marine Liner service was introduced in April 1988, using 3-car 213 series EMUs formed as three-car, six-car, or nine-car formations.
References
External links
JR West Marine Liner information JR Shikoku Marine Liner information