Kamome
Encyclopedia
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 :...
train operated by JR Kyushu in 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 operates between Hakata
Hakata Station
Hakata Station , located in Hakata-ku, is the main railway terminal of the city of Fukuoka, Japan. It is the largest and busiest station on Kyūshū, and is a gateway to other cities in Kyūshū for travellers from Honshū. The Sanyō Shinkansen from Osaka ends at this station...
and Nagasaki
Nagasaki Station (Nagasaki)
is a railway station in Nagasaki, Nagasaki Prefecture, Japan, operated by Kyushu Railway Company . It forms the terminus of the Nagasaki Main Line....
on the Kagoshima Main Line
Kagoshima Main Line
The is a major railway line operated by the Kyushu Railway Company between Mojikō in Kitakyūshū, and Kagoshima Station in Kagoshima City, at the southern end of Kyushu...
and the Nagasaki Main Line. Kamome means seagull in Japanese
Japanese language
is a language spoken by over 130 million people in Japan and in Japanese emigrant communities. It is a member of the Japonic language family, which has a number of proposed relationships with other languages, none of which has gained wide acceptance among historical linguists .Japanese is an...
.
History
The Kamome name (written as "鷗") was first used from 1 July 1937 on limited express trains operating between Tokyo and KobeKobe Station
is a station located in Chūō-ku, Kobe, Japan. Although Kobe Station is the namesake of its city and the closest station to Kobe City Hall, the commercial center of Kobe is closer to Sannomiya Station....
. This service continued until February 1943.
The name (written as "かもめ") was subsequently revived from 15 March 1953 for use on limited express services operating between 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...
and Hakata
Hakata Station
Hakata Station , located in Hakata-ku, is the main railway terminal of the city of Fukuoka, Japan. It is the largest and busiest station on Kyūshū, and is a gateway to other cities in Kyūshū for travellers from Honshū. The Sanyō Shinkansen from Osaka ends at this station...
. This service was discontinued in March 1975 with the completion of the Sanyō 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...
to Hakata.
The service in its current form commenced on 1 July 1976, coinciding with electrification of the Nagasaki Main Line (initially operating between Kokura
Kokura Station
in Kokura Kita ward is the main railway station in Kitakyushu, Japan. It is part of the JR Kyushu network and the Sanyo Shinkansen stops here. It is the second largest station in Kyūshū with 120,000 users daily...
and Nagasaki
Nagasaki Station (Nagasaki)
is a railway station in Nagasaki, Nagasaki Prefecture, Japan, operated by Kyushu Railway Company . It forms the terminus of the Nagasaki Main Line....
, later between Hakata and Nagasaki) using 485 series EMUs.
Rolling stock currently used
- 783 series783 seriesThe is an AC electric multiple unit train type operated on limited express services by Kyushu Railway Company in Japan since March 1988.-5-car Kamome sets :The 5-car sets used on Kamome services are formed as follows....
EMUs (initially branded Hyper Saloon, since 1989) - 885 series885 seriesThe is an AC electric multiple unit type operated on limited express services by Kyushu Railway Company in Japan. The type is part of Hitachi's A-train family of multiple units.-Operations:...
tilting EMUs (branded Shiroi Kamome and Shiroi Sonic, since 2000)
Rolling stock used in the past
- 485 series485 seriesThe is a limited express electric multiple unit type introduced in 1964 by Japanese National Railways , and currently operated by East Japan Railway Company , and formerly also operated by West Japan Railway Company and Kyushu Railway Company in Japan.-481 series:Introduced in 1964, the 481...
EMUs - 787 series787 seriesThe is an AC electric multiple unit type operated on limited express services by Kyushu Railway Company in Japan since July 1992.-7-car sets :The 7-car sets are formed as follows....
EMUs
Station stops
Stations in parentheses are not served by all trains.- - - - - - - - -
Special stops
- Balloon SagaBalloon Saga Stationis a railway station in Saga, Saga Prefecture, Japan. It is operated by JR Kyushu and is on the Nagasaki Main Line. It is a seasonal station and is only operational during the Saga International Balloon Fiesta ....
: During the Saga International Balloon FiestaSaga International Balloon FiestaThe is held at the beginning of November every year in Saga Prefecture, Japan. In 2009 it will take place between October 30 and November 3.The fiesta is held just outside of Saga City, along the Kase River...
some trains heading towards Nagasaki stop here. - TaraTara Stationis a train station in Tara, Fujitsu District, Saga Prefecture, Japan. It is operated by JR Kyushu and is on the Nagasaki Main Line. The limited express Kamome makes occasional special stops here during the Gatalympics. According to a 2005 estimate, the daily usage average is 297 people per...
: During the crabCrabTrue crabs are decapod crustaceans of the infraorder Brachyura, which typically have a very short projecting "tail" , or where the reduced abdomen is entirely hidden under the thorax...
season (generally December to February) some trains stop here.