JR West to Regularize the ‘Mahoroba’ Limited Express from March, With Renovated Trains to Be Introduced After April

JR West will start operating the limited express ‘Mahoroba’ as a regular train from March 15, 2025.

The train will run on Saturdays, Sundays, and holidays after that date. The train bound for Nara will depart from Osaka Station at 9:58 a.m. and arrive at Nara Station, its final destination, at 10:57 a.m. The train bound for Osaka will leave Nara Station at 4:21 p.m. and reach its final destination, Osaka Station, at 5:15 p.m. The train will make stops at Shin-Osaka and Horyuji stations, departing and arriving from the underground platform at Osaka Station. It will operate as a three-car formation, with all seats being reserved ordinary cars.

From April 2025 onwards, two renovated train sets will be introduced. The first set, ‘An’ (Tranquility), will start operating on April 5, 2025, and the second set, ‘Yukyu’ (Eternity), is expected to begin operations around autumn of the same year. The interiors will be equipped with Wi-Fi, a power outlet for every seat, and luggage space. The design was supervised by GK Design Soken Hiroshima, with the cooperation of Koichi Matsumoto from the Nara Historical Art and Culture Village.