Nozomi (train)

Nozomi (のぞみ, "Wish" or "Hope") is the fastest train service running on the Tōkaidō/San'yō Shinkansen lines in Japan. The service stops at only the largest stations, and along the stretch between Shin-Ōsaka and Hakata, Nozomi services using N700 series equipment reach speeds of 300 km/h (186 mph). The trip between Tokyo and Osaka, a distance of 515 kilometres (320 mi), takes 2 hours 21 minutes on the fastest Nozomi service.[1]

Nozomi

N700 Series Nozomi, April 2009
Overview
Service type	Shinkansen
First service	1934 (Express) 1992 (Shinkansen)
Current operator(s)	JR Central, JR West
Route
Start	Tokyo
End	Hakata
Line(s) used	Tōkaidō Shinkansen San'yō Shinkansen
On-board services
Class(es)	Green/standard
Catering facilities	Trolley service
Technical
Rolling stock	N700 series
Track gauge	1,435 mm (4 ft 8 ^1⁄2 in) standard gauge
Electrification	25 kV AC overhead
Operating speed	300 km/h (185 mph)

The trains stop at fewer stations than the Hikari and Kodama trains. On the Tōkaidō Shinkansen between Tokyo and Shin-Ōsaka, Nozomi trains stop only at Shinagawa, Shin-Yokohama, Nagoya and Kyōto.[1] On the Sanyō Shinkansen between Shin-Ōsaka and Hakata, all Nozomi trains stop at Shin-Kobe, Okayama, Hiroshima and Kokura, with certain trains also stopping at additional stations. The Nozomi service is not valid for foreign tourists travelling with a Japan Rail Pass.[2]

Stopping patterns (as of May 2019)

Key

● All trains stop
○ Some trains stop
△ Few trains stop
¹ Some trains begin/terminate at Nishi-Akashi, Himeji, Okayama or Hiroshima.
² Some trains begin/terminate at Nagoya.

Note: Basic Nozomi stopping patterns are shown. Additional Nozomi trains with differing stopping patterns are added during holiday and high-peak travel periods, and are not included in this table.

Station	Distance (km) (from Tokyo)	Tokyo - Hakata^1	Tokyo- Shin-Osaka^2	Nagoya - Hakata
Tokyo	0.0	●	●
Shinagawa	6.8	●	●
Shin-Yokohama	25.5	●	●
Nagoya	342.0	●	●	●
Kyoto	476.3	●	●	●
Shin-Ōsaka	515.4	●	●	●
Shin-Kobe	548.0	●		●
Nishi-Akashi	570.2	△		-
Himeji	601.3	○		-
Okayama	676.3	●		●
Fukuyama	733.1	○		○
Hiroshima	821.2	●		●
Tokuyama	903.5	○		-
Shin-Yamaguchi	944.6	○		○
Kokura	1013.2	●		●
Hakata	1069.1	●		●

Rolling stock

Current rolling stock

• N700 series (July 2007 – )

• 
  N700 series, June 2008

Former rolling stock

• 300 series (March 1992 – March 2012)
• 500 series (March 1997 – February 2010)
• 700 series (March 1999 – March 2020)

• 
  300 series, February 2011
• 
  500 series, February 2010
• 
  700 series, October 2008

Formations

Trains are formed as shown below, with car 1 at the Hakata end, and car 16 at the Tokyo end.[3][4]

N700 series

Car No.	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16
Class	Standard Non-reserved	Standard Non-reserved	Standard Non-reserved	Standard Reserved	Standard Reserved	Standard Reserved	Standard Reserved	Green Reserved	Green Reserved	Green Reserved	Standard Reserved	Standard Reserved	Standard Reserved	Standard Reserved	Standard Reserved	Standard Reserved
Facilities	WC		WC / smoking compartment	Cardphone	WC	Vending machine	WC / smoking compartment		WC / cardphone	Smoking compartment	Vending machine / WC / wheelchair space	Cardphone	WC		Smoking compartment / WC / cardphone

(All cars are no-smoking, except for smoking compartments located in cars 3, 7, 10, and 15)

• 
  N700 series Green car interior
• 
  N700 series standard-class car interior
• 
  An internationally recognizable "No Smoking sign"

700 series

Car No.	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16
Class	Standard Non-reserved	Standard Non-reserved	Standard Non-reserved	Standard Reserved	Standard Reserved	Standard Reserved	Standard Reserved	Green Reserved	Green Reserved	Green Reserved	Standard Reserved	Standard Reserved	Standard Reserved	Standard Reserved	Standard Reserved	Standard Reserved
Facilities	WC	Cardphone	WC / vending machine		WC	Cardphone	WC		WC		Vending machine / WC / wheelchair space	Cardphone	WC		Vending machine / WC / cardphone
Smoking	No-smoking	No-smoking	No-smoking	No-smoking	No-smoking	No-smoking	No-smoking	No-smoking	No-smoking	Smoking	No-smoking	No-smoking	No-smoking	No-smoking	Smoking	Smoking

History

Wartime steam services

The Nozomi name was first used for long-distance express services operated between Busan in Japanese-occupied Korea and Mukden (now Shenyang) in the former Manchukuo (now China) from 1934.[5] From 1938, the services were extended to run between Busan and Hsinking (now Changchun) in Manchukuo. The 1,530 km journey from Busan to Hsinking took over 29 hours, with an average speed of 52 km/h (32 mph). The services were run down between 1943 and 1944.[5]

Shinkansen services

Nozomi shinkansen services commenced on March 14, 1992 using new 300 series trainsets with a top speed of 270 km/h. From March 1997, 500 series trainsets were introduced on Tokyo - Hakata Nozomi services, running at a maximum speed of 300 km/h and covering the section between Shin-Osaka and Hakata in 2 hours 17 minutes.

700 series trains were introduced on Nozomi services in 1999, and N700 series trains were introduced from July 1, 2007, initially with four daily round-trip runs. All regularly scheduled through Nozomi services to the San'yō Shinkansen (Tokyo–Hakata) were operated by N700 series sets from 13 March 2010. From the start of the revised timetable on 17 March 2012, all regularly scheduled Nozomi services, including runs limited to the Tokaido Shinkansen, were operated by N700 series sets.

See also

• List of named passenger trains of Japan

References

• JR新幹線＆特急列車ファイル [JR Shinkansen & Limited Express Train File]. Japan: Kōtsū Shimbun. 2008. ISBN 978-4-330-00608-6.
• JR Timetable, March 2008 issue

1. Hyperdia: Shin-Osaka–Tokyo timetable for 2009-06-11
2. "About Japan Rail Pass". Japan: Japan Railways Group. Archived from the original on 19 June 2017. Retrieved 29 March 2015.
3. JR Timetable, August 2011, p.997
4. 新幹線　車両大全 [Shinkansen Cars Encyclopedia]. Tokyo, Japan: Ikaros Publications Ltd. November 2011. pp. 60–135. ISBN 978-4-86320-526-0.
5. JR急行・快速列車 [JR Express & Rapid Trains]. Tokyo, Japan: Railway Journal. 2 November 1991. p. 127.