East Japan Railway Company (JR East) will begin operating a new overnight limited express train, the “Luna Azul,” as early as the beginning of fiscal year 2027.
The train will be a 10-car formation converted from the E657 series, with a capacity of 125 passengers. All seats will be in private compartments, and there will be five types in total: the “Luna Premium,” a premium Green private compartment for 1–2 passengers; the “Luna Premium Wide,” a premium Green private compartment for 2–4 passengers; the “Luna Comfort,” a Green private compartment for 1–2 passengers; the “Luna Comfort Wide,” a Green private compartment for 2–4 passengers; and the “Luna Comfort Grande,” a Green private compartment for 4 passengers. Car No. 5 will feature the “Luna Vista Lounge” lounge space, as well as a sales area offering drinks, snacks, and other items.
The train’s name, “Luna Azul,” means “blue moon” in Spanish. It is said to express the train’s concept of “blue,” “high quality,” “a cocoon-like sense of comfort,” and “an experience away from everyday life.”
From spring to autumn, it will operate twice weekly as an overnight limited express between Shinagawa and Aomori stations via the Joetsu Line and Uetsu Main Line in Japan. Southbound (outbound) services will depart Shinagawa Station at around 9:00 p.m. and arrive at Aomori Station at around 9:30 a.m. the following day. Northbound (inbound) services will depart Aomori Station at around 4:00 p.m. and arrive at Shinagawa Station at around 7:00 a.m. the following day.
The train will be sold as part of travel packages. For use in a Green private compartment between Shinagawa and Aomori stations, the fare is expected to be “about the same as, plus a little extra on top of, a Tohoku Shinkansen Green Car ticket.” For reference, the regular-season price for using a “Hayabusa” Green Car between Tokyo and Shin-Aomori stations is 24,180 yen.
In winter, it will also operate six round trips per week as a daytime limited express between Shinagawa and Naganoharakusatsuguchi stations, serving the popular Japanese hot spring resort area around Kusatsu Onsen. Southbound (outbound) services will depart Shinagawa Station at around 10:00 a.m. and arrive at Naganoharakusatsuguchi Station at around 12:30 p.m. Northbound (inbound) services will depart Naganoharakusatsuguchi Station at around 4:30 p.m. and arrive at Shinagawa Station at around 7:30 p.m. During daytime operation, the train will run as a 7-car formation (cars 4, 8, and 9 removed), with a capacity of 150 passengers.
JR East states that it aims “to offer travel experiences that take passengers away from their everyday lives through a new overnight train that carries on the spirit of Japan’s sleeper trains.”
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This article was generated using automatic translation by GPT-4 API. The translation may not be accurate.
