The is a limited express

Limited express

A limited express is a type of express train service. It refers to an express service that stops at a limited number of stops in comparison to other express services on the same or similar routes.- Japan :...

 sleeper train service operated by East Japan Railway Company

East Japan Railway Company

is the largest passenger railway company in the world and one of the seven Japan Railways Group companies. The company name is officially abbreviated as JR East in English, and as in Japanese. The company's headquarters are in Yoyogi, Shibuya, Tokyo....

 (JR East), which runs from Ueno Station

Ueno Station

is a major railway station inTokyo's Taitō ward. It is the station used to reach the Ueno district and Ueno Park -- which contains Tokyo National Museum, The National Museum of Western Art, Ueno Zoo, Tokyo National University of Fine Arts and Music and other famous cultural facilities...

 in Tokyo to Aomori

Aomori Station

is a railway station located in Aomori, Aomori, Japan. The station opened on 1 September 1891.-Lines:Aomori Station is served by the following lines.*Ōu Main Line *Tsugaru-Kaikyō Line *Aoimori Railway Line...

, via the Jōetsu Line

Joetsu Line

The is a major rail line in Japan. Part of the JR East system, it runs from Takasaki Station in Takasaki, Gunma Prefecture, to Miyauchi Station in Nagaoka, Niigata Prefecture, linking the northwestern Kantō region and the Sea of Japan coast of the Chūbu region...

 and Uetsu Main Line

Uetsu Main Line

The is a railway in the Tōhoku and Chūbu regions of Japan. Part of the East Japan Railway Company system, it connects Niitsu Station in the city of Niigata and Akita Station in Akita...

. The journey takes approximately 12 hours.

Rolling stock

The train is formed of 24 series sleeping cars based at JR East's Aomori Depot, typically consisting of 13 cars including a KaNi24 generator car at the Aomori end. The train is hauled by a JR East Nagaoka-based EF64-1000

JNR Class EF64

-History:The class was designed to replace the ageing EF16 class locomotives used on the steeply-graded Ōu and Chūō mainlines in the early 1960s.Two prototype locomotives, EF64 1 and 2, were delivered in 1964, built by Tōshiba and Kawasaki Sharyō respectively. The basic body design was based on...

 DC electric locomotive between Ueno and Nagaoka, and by an EF81 between Nagaoka and Aomori.

History

The Akebono was introduced in October 1970, initially operating via the Tohoku Main Line. The train was hauled by an EF65-1000 DC electric locomotive between Ueno and Kuroiso

Kuroiso Station

Kuroiso Station is a JR East railway station located in Nasushiobara, Tochigi Prefecture, Japan. This station serves as the terminal station for two subsections of the JR East Tōhoku Main Line, connecting the Utsunomiya Line to the south and the Southern Tōhoku Main Line to the north.This...

, and by an ED75 AC electric locomotive north of Kuroiso. The train was later hauled by a JR East Aomori-based EF81

JNR Class EF81

The EF81 class of electric locomotives are Bo-Bo-Bo wheel arrangement multi-voltage AC/DC electric locomotives operated on passenger and freight services in Japan.-EF81-300:...

dual-voltage electric locomotive throughout, until 13 March 2009.

External links

• JR East Akebono train information