Sunrise Seto

The is an overnight sleeping car train service in Japan operated by the East Japan Railway Company (JR East), Central Japan Railway Company (JR Central), West Japan Railway Company (JR West), and Shikoku Railway Company (JR Shikoku) since July 1998.

Operations The Sunrise Seto runs daily between and in Kagawa Prefecture on the island of Shikoku, taking 9 hours and 42 minutes eastbound and 10 hours 1 minute westbound across the journey. Between Tokyo and , the service operates in conjunction with the Sunrise Izumo service to . The combined 14-car train departs from Tokyo, and stops at , , , , , (final midnight stop), (first morning stop), and arrives at , where the train splits, with the Sunrise Izumo half of the train heading to . Between Okayama and Takamatsu, the 7-car Sunrise Seto train stops at and , before arriving in Takamatsu. The return train departs from Takamatsu, and is coupled with the Sunrise Izumo from Izumoshi at Okayama Station, departing together from there, and arriving at Tokyo Station in the next morning.

There are seasonal extended services which Sunrise Seto trains from Tokyo run beyond Takamatsu, to on the Dosan Line. These extended service trains run during particular seasons (Differs each year), and during the holidays.

Sunrise Izumo and Sunrise Seto pass through stations in Nagoya and Kyoto without stopping due to the fact that they arrive at these stations around midnight and are unable to play the announcements.

Station list Sunrise Seto trains also make brief stops at other stations for operational reasons, including crew changes at JR regional boundaries and meets with other trains. Passengers cannot board or alight from the train during these stops.

Regularly, eastbound services will operate between Atami and Yokohama via the Tōkaidō Freight Line, where trains enter the line at Odawara and exit at Chigasaki back to the Tōkaidō Main Line.

LineStationDistancein kmDeparture timeLocationWestbound(to Izumoshi)Eastbound(to Tokyo)Tōkaidō0.021:2607:08 arrivalChiyodaTokyo28.821:5206:44YokohamaKanagawa104.622:5705:43AtamiShizuoka126.223:1605:25Numazu146.223:3205:09Fuji180.223:5904:38Shizuoka257.100:54↑Hamamatsu556.4↓00:33OsakaOsaka587.0↓00:11KobeHyogoSan'yō644.305:2523:33 Himeji732.906:27 arrivalDecouple fromSunrise Izumo06:31 departure22:23 arrivalCouple withSunrise Izumo22:34 departureOkayamaOkayamaUno /Honshi–Bisan760.706:5222:01KurashikiYosan783.407:0921:44SakaideKagawa804.707:27 arrival21:26TakamatsuSeasonal extended serviceYosan837.408:25 rowspan="4" TadotsuKagawaDosan843.408:32Zentsuji848.708:39 arrivalKotohira

Formation Trains are formed of dedicated 7-car 285 series Sunrise Express electric multiple units (EMUs) owned by both JR Central and JR West.

When operating in the up (Tokyo-bound) direction, the cars are numbered 8 to 14 (cars 1 to 7 are the Sunrise Izumo), with car 14 at the Tokyo end. When operating in the down (Takamatsu-bound) direction, the cars are numbered 1 to 7, with car 7 at the Tokyo end.

Car No. 1/8 2/9 3/10 4/11 5/12 6/13 7/14 Numbering KuHaNe 285 SaHaNe 285 MoHaNe 285 SaRoHaNe 285 MoHaNe 285 SaHaNe 285 KuHaNe 285 Upper-level accommodations B single B single B solo A single deluxe B single / Nobi-nobi area B single B single Lower-level accommodations B single / B single twin B single / B single twin B sunrise twin B single / B single twin B single / B single twin Facilities Lounge, vending machine, shower Vending machine

Car 2/9 has a wheelchair-accessible compartment. Each car has toilet facilities. Smoking is permitted in cabins in car 6/13, and some compartments in car 4/11.

Accommodation, ticketing and facilities The Sunrise Express services consist of six types of accommodation. There are five types of berths: A single deluxe, B sunrise twin (2-person use), B single twin (1- or 2-person use), B single and B solo. There is also a carpeted sleeping space called the Nobi-nobi sleeping area.

The train has a maximum capacity of 158 people across 146 cabins (assuming all berths are booked), as follows: +Accommodation Capacity of the Sunrise SetoAccommodationCabinsMax. OccupancyTotal PassengersB sunrise twin42 people8B single twin82 people16A single deluxe61 person6B single801 person80B solo201 person20Nobi-nobi sleeping area281 person28 Several fares are required to travel on the train. All passengers must pay a and a which is based on the distance traveled and varies seasonally.

Passengers using a private room must also pay a , while those using the Nobi-nobi sleeping area must pay a to reserve an individual sleeping space.

Berth and seat reservation charges are fixed regardless of the distance traveled. "B sunrise twin" cabins are sold as a unit and require payment of the full berth fee and two limited express surcharges, even when occupied by only a single passenger.

Tickets can be purchased up to one month before departure at a Midori no Madoguchi. Holders of the Japan Rail Pass can reserve a Nobi-nobi space without an additional charge. +Accommodation Price TableAccommodationPriceB sunrise twin¥15,400 for two peopleB single twinA single deluxe¥13,980 for one personB single¥7,700 for one personB solo¥6,600 for one personNobi-nobi sleeping area¥530 for one person

A shower is located in car 3/10. Passengers using the single deluxe compartments receive a free shower card, while other passengers can purchase a six-minute shower card. The cards are not assigned to specific time slots, but only a limited quantity are available. Mini-lounge areas in car 3/10 has a bench and table with four seats on each side of the train. Drink vending machines are available in cars 3/10 and 5/12.

History

The Sunrise Seto services were introduced together with the Sunrise Izumo on 10 July 1998. Previously, the Seto operated as a separate "Blue train" service connecting Tokyo with Takamatsu. The Sunrise Izumo was intended to attract more passengers to train transportation by introducing newly designed trains and by reducing the journey time.

Ridership on overnight trains in Japan continues to decline, and from March 2009, the Sunrise Izumo and Sunrise Seto became the only overnight sleeping car trains to operate west of Tokyo via the Tokaido Line.

From the start of the revised timetable on 12 March 2021, the departure time of the Sunrise Izumo and Sunrise Seto from Tokyo was changed from 10:00 PM to 9:50 PM. It is the first time that the departure time was changed since the services' introduction in 1998. The change cleared the 10:00 PM departure slot for one of the new Shōnan limited express services to Odawara.

Sunrise Seto

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