Moonlight Nagara Explained

Moonlight Nagara
Type:Rapid
Status:Seasonal operation
Locale:Japan
First:16 March 1996
Last:29 March 2020 (Final operation)
Operator:JR East, JR Central
Stops:,,,,,,,,
Journeytime:6:40 westbound, 6:16 eastbound
Frequency:Seasonal
Line Used:Tokaido Main Line
Catering:None
Stock:185 series EMU
El:1,500 V DC

The was a seasonal rapid overnight train service operated by East Japan Railway Company (JR East) and Central Japan Railway Company (JR Central), which ran from to in Gifu Prefecture via the Tokaido Main Line. From 2009, the service had been offered approximately three weeks per year, corresponding to the spring, summer and year-end holiday seasons.

On 22 January 2021, both East Japan Railway Company (JR East) and Central Japan Railway Company (JR Central) announced the cessation of the Moonlight Nagara services with no replacements offered at the time, due to the increased popularity of highway buses and the ageing trains operated on the line.[1] [2] Since the train service had not operated during the summer and winter of 2020 due to the COVID-19 situation, this announcement made 29 March 2020, the last day of operations of the Nagara service. That day also marked the complete cessation of the "Moonlight"-branded services from Japan.

Rolling stock

From December 2013, Moonlight Nagara services were formed from 185 series electric multiple unit (EMU) 10-car (4+6-car) formations based at Omiya Depot.[3]

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2 !3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
AccommodationReserved Reserved Reserved Reserved Reserved ReservedReserved Reserved Reserved Reserved

Past rolling stock

From the introduction of the Moonlight Nagara service, trains normally comprised three three-car 373 series EMUs operated by JR Central and based at Shizuoka Depot.[4] Additional Moonlight Nagara 91 and 92 trains also operated during busy seasons, and these comprised ten-car 183 series EMU sets owned by JR East and based at Tamachi Depot.[4]

Station list

StationDistance (km)TimeLocationRemarks
NameJapaneseBetweenstationsFromTokyoWestbound(-> Ōgaki)[5] Eastbound(-> Tokyo)[6] Ward / CityPrefecture /Metropolis
東京-0.023:10 Departure5:05 ArrivalChiyodaTokyo
Shinagawa品川6.86.823:17 Arrival23:18 Departure4:57 Arrival

4:58 Departure

Minato
横浜22.028.823:35 Arrival

23:36 Departure

4:40 Arrival

4:41 Departure

YokohamaKanagawa
小田原55.183.90:30 Arrival

0:31 Departure

OdawaraWestbound: First stop after midnight (12am)
沼津42.3126.21:07 Arrival

1:08 Departure

3:05 Arrival

3:19 Departure

NumazuShizuoka
静岡54.0180.21:48 Arrival

1:50 Departure

1:52 Arrival

1:55 Departure

Shizuoka
浜松76.9257.12:46 Arrival

3:15 Departure

0:46 Arrival

0:55 Departure

HamamatsuWestbound: 29 minutes stopEastbound: 9 minutes stop
豊橋36.5293.60:15 Arrival

0:18 Departure

ToyohashiAichiEastbound: First stop after midnight (12am)
名古屋72.4366.05:19 Arrival

5:21 Departure

23:18 Arrival

23:20 Departure

Nagoya
Gifu岐阜30.3396.35:40 Arrival

5:41 Departure

22:58 Arrival

22:59 Departure

GifuGifu
Ōgaki大垣13.7410.05:50 Arrival22:48 DepartureŌgaki

History

The Moonlight Nagara service was introduced on 16 March 1996. The name was taken from the Nagara River in Gifu Prefecture, and was formerly used for a semi express service which ran between Tokyo and Ōgaki from 1 June 1960 until 1 October 1965.[7]

Overnight services on the Moonlight Nagara route had existed in various forms since 1899, when through services commenced between in Tokyo and Kobe, extending as far west as in the 1940s. Prior to World War II, as many as seven overnight round-trip services existed on this route. Rail services were cut dramatically in the wake of the war. The line briefly saw three to four daily overnight services in the late 1950s, but electrification of the line, coupled with the opening of the Tokaido Shinkansen high-speed line in 1964, reduced the need for overnight services.

Initially, cars 4 to 9 were designated as non-reserved seating cars west of Yokohama Station, but from the start of the March 2007 timetable revision, all cars were designated as reserved seating between Tokyo and .

The service's popularity declined in the 2000s due to competition from discounted overnight bus services. From 14 March 2009, the Moonlight Nagara stopped running on a daily basis and became a seasonal train running only during busy periods.[8]

See also

Notes and References

  1. Web site: 佐藤 . 正樹 . 「青春18」族に悲報…「大垣夜行」の歴史にピリオド 『ムーンライトながら』運行終了 . レスポンス(Response.jp) . 22 January 2021 . 22 January 2021 . ja.
  2. Web site: 春"の臨時列車の運転計画について . JR Central . 22 January 2021.
  3. ja: DJ時刻表. DJ Timetable. Tetsudō Daiya Jōhō Magazine . 43. 357. 100–101. Kōtsū Shimbun . Japan . ja. January 2014.
  4. Book: ja: JR新幹線&特急列車ファイル . JR Shinkansen & Limited Express Train File. Kotsu Shimbun . 29 August 2008 . Japan . 138. 978-4-330-00608-6.
  5. Web site: JR East Timetable (Moonlight Nagara Westbound). JR East.
  6. Web site: JR East Timetable (Moonlight Nagara Eastbound). JR East.
  7. Book: ja: 列車名鑑1995 . Train Name Directory 1995. Railway Journal. 1 August 1995 . Japan. 128.
  8. Web site: http://sankei.jp.msn.com/life/trend/081219/trd0812191556015-n1.htm. ja:東京発ブルトレ終焉「はやぶさ・富士」廃止へ. Hayabusa and Fuji Blue Trains from Tokyo to be abolished. 19 December 2008. MSN Japan. The Sankei Shimbun & Sankei Digital. Japan. ja. https://web.archive.org/web/20090201070823/http://sankei.jp.msn.com/life/trend/081219/trd0812191556015-n1.htm. 1 February 2009. 28 January 2014.