The was an overnight express sleeper train operating on the Tōkaidō Main Line

Tokaido Main Line

The is the busiest trunk line of the Japan Railways Group , connecting Tōkyō and Kōbe stations. It is long, not counting its many freight feeder lines around the major cities...

 between Tokyo

Tokyo

, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...

 and Osaka

Osaka

is a city in the Kansai region of Japan's main island of Honshu, a designated city under the Local Autonomy Law, the capital city of Osaka Prefecture and also the biggest part of Keihanshin area, which is represented by three major cities of Japan, Kyoto, Osaka and Kobe...

, Japan

Japan

Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...

. It was operated by Japanese National Railways

Japanese National Railways

, abbreviated or "JNR", was the national railway network of Japan from 1949 to 1987.-History:The term Kokuyū Tetsudō "state-owned railway" originally referred to a network of railway lines operated by nationalized companies under the control of the Railway Institute following the nationalization...

 and, after its privatization in 1987, by West Japan Railway Company

West Japan Railway Company

, also referred to as , is one of the Japan Railways Group companies and operates in western Honshū. It has its headquarters in Kita-ku, Osaka.-History:...

 (JR West).

The Ginga followed a similar route to the much faster Tōkaidō Shinkansen high-speed line, and filled the overnight gap in the Shinkansen's timetable. While the last Osaka-Tokyo Shinkansen trains departed at 21:20 (in either direction, as of 2008), Ginga departed Osaka at 22:30 and Tokyo at 23:00, and arrives over an hour before the first Shinkansen arrival the next morning. This made it somewhat popular among business travelers who needed a later departure or earlier arrival than the Shinkansen could provide.

However, the numerous overnight buses on the Tokyo-Osaka route largely captured the budget traveler market, while late evening and early morning flights to Kansai Airport

Kansai International Airport

is an international airport located on an artificial island in the middle of Osaka Bay, southwest of Ōsaka Station, located within three municipalities, including Izumisano , Sennan , and Tajiri , in Osaka Prefecture, Japan. The airport is off the Honshu shore. The airport serves as an...

 (which opened in 1994 and does not have the noise restrictions facing Osaka Airport

Osaka International Airport

or Osaka-Itami International Airport is the primary domestic airport for the Kansai region of Japan, including the major cities of Osaka, Kyoto, and Kobe. It is classified as a first class airport....

) were now used by many business travelers who would otherwise have used Ginga. As a result, Gingas ridership had fallen dramatically in recent years and finally the train was discontinued upon the March 15, 2008 timetable revision.

Rolling stock

Ginga trains in 2008 consisted of an EF65-1000 electric locomotive

JNR Class EF65

The EF65 is a 6-axle electric locomotive designed for freight used by Japanese National Railways and currently operated by its descendents JR West, JR East, and JR Freight....

, one "A-class" (first class) sleeper car, and seven "B-class" (second-class) sleeper cars. Type 24 sleeping cars were used on this train.

Stations

The westbound Ginga (train No. 101) stopped at Tokyo

Tokyo Station

is a train station located in the Marunouchi business district of Chiyoda, Tokyo, Japan, near the Imperial Palace grounds and the Ginza commercial district....

, Shinagawa

Shinagawa Station

is the first major station south ofTokyo Station and is a major interchange for trains operated by JR East, JR Central, and Keikyu. The Tōkaidō Shinkansen and other trains to the Miura Peninsula, Izu Peninsula and the Tōkai region pass through here...

, Yokohama

Yokohama Station

is a main interchange station located in Nishi-ku, Yokohama, Japan. It is the busiest station in Kanagawa Prefecture and the 5th busiest in Japan as of 2004, serving 2.05 million passengers daily.-Lines:Yokohama Station is served by the following lines:...

, Ōfuna

Ofuna Station

is a railway station in Kamakura, Kanagawa, Japan, operated by East Japan Railway Company .-Lines:Ōfuna Station is served by the Tōkaidō Main Line, Shōnan-Shinjuku Line, Negishi Line , Yokosuka Line as well as the Shonan Monorail....

, Odawara

Odawara Station

) is a railway station in Odawara, Kanagawa, Japan.- Lines :This station is served by following lines.*East Japan Railway Company**Tōkaidō Line**Shōnan-Shinjuku Line*Central Japan Railway Company**Tōkaidō Shinkansen*Odakyu Electric Railway...

, Atami

Atami Station

is an interchange railway station of Central Japan Railway Company in Atami, Shizuoka, Japan.- Lines :Atami Station is served by the Tōkaidō Main Line, Tōkaidō Shinkansen, and Itō Line. The station is 104.6 rail kilometers from Tokyo Station....

, Shizuoka

Shizuoka Station

is a major railway station on the Tōkaidō Main Line of Central Japan Railway Company in Shizuoka, Japan, on the Tōkaidō Shinkansen and Tōkaidō Main Line. The station is 180.2 rail kilometers from Tokyo.-History:...

, Gifu

Gifu Station

is a train station operated by Central Japan Railway Company and is located in the heart of Gifu, Gifu Prefecture, Japan. Along with Meitetsu Gifu Station, it is one of the two main rail stations in Gifu City.-History:...

, Maibara

Maibara Station

is a train station in Maibara, Shiga Prefecture, Japan. It is the southern terminus of the West Japan Railway Company Hokuriku Main Line, and the boundary of control between JR West and JR Central over the Tōkaidō Main Line....

, Ōtsu

Otsu Station

is a railway station of West Japan Railway Company on its Tōkaidō Main Line in Kasuga-cho, Ōtsu, Shiga Prefecture, Japan.- Station layout :...

, Kyoto

Kyoto Station

is the most important transportation hub in Kyoto, Japan. It has Japan's second-largest train station building and is one of the country's largest buildings, incorporating a shopping mall, hotel, movie theater, Isetan department store, and several local government facilities under one 15-story roof...

, Shin-Ōsaka

Shin-Osaka Station

is a train station in Yodogawa-ku, Osaka, Japan. It is the western terminus of the Tōkaidō Shinkansen, and the eastern terminus of the Sanyō Shinkansen. The lines are physically joined, and many trains offer through service....

 and Osaka

Osaka Station

is a station on the West Japan Railway Company located in the Umeda district in Kita-ku, Osaka, Japan. It is the city's main rail terminal in the north....

.

The eastbound Ginga (train No. 102) stopped at Osaka, Shin-Osaka, Kyoto, Ōtsu, Maibara, Nagoya

Nagoya Station

is a train station in Nakamura-ku, Nagoya, Japan. It is one of the world's largest train stations by floor area , and houses the headquarters of the Central Japan Railway Company . Much of this space is located in the "JR Central Towers" atop the station, as well as in underground concourses. The...

, Fuji

Fuji Station

is an interchange railway station in Fuji, Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan. The station is 146.2 rail kilometers from Tokyo Station. Fuji is on the Tōkaidō Main Line and the Minobu Line of Central Japan Railway Company and is a freight terminal of the Japan Freight Railway Company.-History:In 1889,...

, Numazu

Numazu Station

is an interchange railway station on the Tōkaidō Main Line of Central Japan Railway Company in Numazu, Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan. The station is 126.2 rail kilometers from Tokyo Station.- Station history:...

, Atami, Odawara, Ōfuna, Yokohama, Shinagawa, and Tokyo.

History

The name "Ginga" was first carried from the start of the 15 September 1949 timetable revision by the overnight sleeper train departing from Tokyo at 20:30 to Osaka (arriving at 07:54) and the opposite working from Osaka (21:00) to Tokyo (07:30). Other overnight trains between Tokyo and Osaka were named Myōjō and Ryūsei. Initially formed of first and second class cars only, third class seating cars were added to the Ginga formation from 24 September the same year.

11 November 1953 timetable revision

With the completion of electrification to Inazawa, overnight trains between Tokyo and Osaka were increased to four return workings nightly: Myōjō, Ginga, Suisei, and Gekkō. From this date, the Ginga operated from Tokyo (20:30) to Kobe (08:25), with the opposite working from Kobe (20:10) to Tokyo (07:53).
From 20 March 1956, third-class sleeping cars were included in the train formations.

19 November 1956 timetable revision

With the completion of electrification on the Tōkaidō Mainline, journey times were reduced, and the Ginga timings became Tokyo (21:00) to Kobe (08:20), with the opposite working from Kobe (21:10) to Tokyo (09:03).

1 October 1957 timetable revision

This timetable revision saw the emergence of the Akatsuki limited express night train, and the Ginga timings became Tokyo (21:00) to Kobe (07:57), with the opposite working from Kobe (20:50) to Tokyo (08:02).
Train formation was MaNi + MaRoNe40 + MaRoNe41 + SuRo54 x3 + NaHaNe10 x4 + SuHa x4 + OHaFu.

1 October 1961 timetable revision

With an increase in daytime limited express trains between Tokyo and Osaka, the Ginga became all sleeping car accommodation from this timetable revision.
Timings became Tokyo (20:40) to Kobe (07:45), with the opposite working from Kobe (20:40) to Tokyo (07:40).

1 October 1968 timetable revision

This major timetable revision known as yon-san-tō saw the Ginga and Myōjō services combined to become Ginga 1 and Ginga 2.
Timings for Ginga 1 were Tokyo (21:45) to Osaka (07:17), with the opposite working from Osaka (21:30) to Tokyo (07:05).
Timings for Ginga 2 were Tokyo (22:40) to Himeji (09:29), with the opposite working from Himeji (21:05) to Tokyo (09:39).

10 March 1975 timetable revision

With the completion of the Sanyo Shinkansen

Sanyō Shinkansen

The is a line of the Japanese Shinkansen high-speed rail network, connecting Shin-Ōsaka in Osaka with Hakata Station in Fukuoka, the two largest cities in western Japan...

, the Ginga 1 and Ginga 2.
services were cut back to one return working between Tokyo and Osaka. Timings were Tokyo (22:45) to Osaka (08:00), with the opposite working from Osaka (23:10) to Tokyo (09:36).

Rolling stock upgrades

From 20 February 1976, the ageing rolling stock was replaced by more modern 20 series "Blue Train" sleeping cars cascaded from the Tsurugi service between Osaka and Niigata, which had been upgraded to 24 series sleeping cars. Haulage was by JNR Class EF58

JNR Class EF58

The EF58 is a class of Japanese 2-C+C-2 wheel arrangement electric locomotives. 172 locomotives were built between 1946 and 1958.-The later years:In 1984, 64 out of 172 EF58 locos built were still in service or temporary storage...

 electric locomotives until September 1980, when these were replaced by JNR Class EF65

JNR Class EF65

The EF65 is a 6-axle electric locomotive designed for freight used by Japanese National Railways and currently operated by its descendents JR West, JR East, and JR Freight....

locomotives.
From 14 March 1985, the Ginga 20 series rolling stock was replaced by 14 series sleeping cars displaced by the use of 583 series EMUs on Kitaguni services. The following year, from the 1 November 1986 timetable revision, the 14 series rolling stock was replaced by 24/25 series sleeping cars.