Limited express
Encyclopedia
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.
In comparison with ordinary express trains, limited express trains generally use better coaches, travel faster and stop at fewer stations. Many limited-express trains include reserved seating, dining cars or food and beverage carts, and Green Cars
. Travel on limited-express trains costs the same as or more than travel on ordinary expresses. Despite its distinction from ordinary express, limited express is the most typical style of intercity trains
in Japan.
Until 1972, the Hikari on the Tōkaidō Shinkansen was officially a , that is, "beyond limited express" or "super express", and was priced higher than the Kodama, the limited express on the same line. Presently all Shinkansen
services are officially limited express, but are usually referred to as "super express" in English.
The table below summarizes the limited express on major Japanese railways (JR Group and 16 major private railway
s minus two major private railways that do not operate limited express, which are Sagami Railway
(Sōtetsu) and Tokyo Metro
).
provincial expresses, limited express services were common on highly trafficked routes. The Night Limited
was the premier express train on the North Island Main Trunk Railway between Auckland
and Wellington
from 1924 until 1971; during peak seasons, it was augmented by the Daylight Limited
. Following the Night Limited was a slower unnamed express that stopped at more stations and provided a lower level of comfort.
A different pattern was employed on the Main South Line
. The South Island Limited
express ran three days a week from Christchurch
through Dunedin
to Invercargill
, with a slower regular express operating on the other four days. Both regular and limited expresses were augmented by additional services between intermediate destinations, such as an evening railcar
between Christchurch and Dunedin operated by the 88 seater
or Vulcan
classes.
Limited expresses were rare beyond the main trunk routes and the regular provincial expresses were typically augmented with even slower mixed train
s. However, when the Rotorua Express
's schedule was accelerated in 1930 and its carriages upgraded, it was rebranded as the Rotorua Limited. Due to the Great Depression
and rising car ownership levels, it did not achieve the level of success intended, thus in 1937 it reverted to the status and service pattern of a regular express.
After the demise of the Night Limited and the South Island Limited in 1971, the term "limited express" has fallen into disuse in New Zealand and has not been applied to any subsequent trains. However, from 1971 to 1979, the Silver Star performed the role of a limited express as it operated to a faster schedule than a supplementary slower service that was known from 1975 as the Northerner
.
and its successor the Lake Shore Limited
, the Broadway Limited
, and the National Limited
.
Express train
Express trains are a form of rail service. Express trains make only a small number of stops, instead of stopping at every single station...
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
The term "limited express" is a common translation of the Japanese phrase ; literally "special express"; often abbreviated . Although some operators translate the word differently, this section is about tokubetsu kyūkō trains in Japan regardless of the translation by the operators. This term also includes terms with Limited Express in them, such as .In comparison with ordinary express trains, limited express trains generally use better coaches, travel faster and stop at fewer stations. Many limited-express trains include reserved seating, dining cars or food and beverage carts, and Green Cars
First class travel
First class is the most luxurious class of accommodation on a train, passenger ship, airplane, or other conveyance. It is usually much more expensive than business class and economy class, and offers the best amenities.-Aviation:...
. Travel on limited-express trains costs the same as or more than travel on ordinary expresses. Despite its distinction from ordinary express, limited express is the most typical style of intercity trains
Inter-city rail
Inter-city rail services are express passenger train services that cover longer distances than commuter or regional trains.There is no precise definition of inter-city rail. Its meaning may vary from country to country...
in Japan.
Until 1972, the Hikari on the Tōkaidō Shinkansen was officially a , that is, "beyond limited express" or "super express", and was priced higher than the Kodama, the limited express on the same line. Presently all Shinkansen
Shinkansen
The , also known as THE BULLET TRAIN, is a network of high-speed railway lines in Japan operated by four Japan Railways Group companies. Starting with the Tōkaidō Shinkansen in 1964, the network has expanded to currently consist of of lines with maximum speeds of , of Mini-shinkansen with a...
services are officially limited express, but are usually referred to as "super express" in English.
The table below summarizes the limited express on major Japanese railways (JR Group and 16 major private railway
Private railway
A private railroad is a railroad run by a private corporation, as opposed to a railroad run by a public sector.-Japan:In Japan, refers to a railway line owned and operated by private sector. Although Japan Railways Group companies are private entities, they are not considered private railways...
s minus two major private railways that do not operate limited express, which are Sagami Railway
Sagami Railway
The , or , is a railway company operating three lines in Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan. It ranks among the "big 15" major railways in Japan.- Overview :Sagami Railway is one of the core companies of the Sotetsu group...
(Sōtetsu) and Tokyo Metro
Tokyo Metro
is one of two rapid transit systems making up the Tokyo subway system, the other being Toei. It is the most used subway system in the world in terms of annual passenger rides.-Organization:...
).
| Railway | Train type | Surcharge | Picture (example) |
Note | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| English | Japanese | ||||
| JR Group | Limited Express | Tokkyū | Yes | ||
| Tobu Railway Tobu Railway is a Japanese commuter railway company in the Greater Tokyo Area as well as an intercity and regional operator in the Kantō region. It operates in Tokyo, Saitama, Chiba, Tochigi, and Gunma Prefectures... Main Line |
Limited Express | Tokkyū | Yes |  |
Limited express (free of charge) on Tōbu Tōjō Line was discontinued on 13 June 2008. |
| Seibu Railway Seibu Railway is a conglomerate based in Tokorozawa, Japan, with principal business areas in railways, tourism and real estate. Seibu Railway's operations are concentrated in northwest Tokyo and Saitama Prefecture; the name "Seibu" is an abbreviation of "west Musashi," referring to the historic name for this area... |
Limited Express | Tokkyū | Yes |  |
|
| Keisei Electric Railway Keisei Electric Railway The is a major private railway in Chiba and Tokyo, Japan. The name Keisei is the combination of the kanji 京 from and 成 from , which the railways main line connects. The combination uses different readings than the ones used in the city names. The railway's main line runs from Tokyo to Narita and... |
Limited Express | Kaisoku Tokkyū, Tokkyū |
No |  |
Skyliner Skyliner is a limited-express airport train service between Tokyo and Narita Airport. It is operated by Keisei Electric Railway and runs on the Narita Sky Access route.-Service:... and City Liner City Liner The is a limited express airport train operated by Keisei Electric Railway between Tokyo and Narita Airport via the Keisei Main Line. The City Liner service was introduced from 17 July 2010, replacing the former Skyliner services, which were transferred to the new Narita Sky Access route from that... services are classed higher than limited express and are charged. |
| Access Express | Akusesu Tokkyū | ||||
| Commuter Express | Tsūkin Tokkyū | ||||
| Keiō Corporation | Special Express | Tokkyū | No |  |
|
| Semi Special Express | Juntokkyū | ||||
| Odakyu Electric Railway Odakyu Electric Railway , or OER, is a major railway company based in Tokyo, Japan best known for its Romancecar series of limited express trains from Tokyo to Odawara, Enoshima, Tama New Town, and Hakone.... |
Limited Express | Tokkyū | Yes |  |
Some Romancecar Romancecar The is Odakyu Electric Railway's name for its limited express luxury tourist services south-west of Tokyo, to mountain resorts such as Gotenba and Hakone, and beaches such as Numazu and Enoshima. Service started in 1957 with the 3000 series SE trainset, it broke the world speed record for a... limited express services operate on the Tokyo Metro Tokyo Metro is one of two rapid transit systems making up the Tokyo subway system, the other being Toei. It is the most used subway system in the world in terms of annual passenger rides.-Organization:... network (one of the two operators of the 16 major private railways that do not offer limited express services at all). |
| Tokyu Corporation | Limited Express | Tokkyū | No |  |
|
| Commuter Limited Express (also called Commuter Express) |
Tsūkin Tokkyū | ||||
| Keihin Electric Express Railway Keihin Electric Express Railway , also known as or, more recently, , is a private railroad that connects inner Tokyo to Kawasaki, Yokohama, Yokosuka and other points on the Miura Peninsula in Kanagawa Prefecture. It also provides rail access to Haneda Airport in Tokyo. means the Tokyo - Yokohama area. The company's railway... |
Limited Express | Kaitoku, Tokkyū |
No |  |
Keikyū Wing service is classed higher than limited express and is charged. |
| Nagoya Railroad Nagoya Railroad , often abbreviated as , is a railroad company operating around Aichi Prefecture and Gifu Prefecture of Japan.Some of the more famous trains operated by Nagoya Railroad include the Panorama Car and the Panorama Car Super, both of which offer views through their wide front windows... |
Rapid Limited Express | Kaisoku Tokkyū | Some trains |  |
Some trains consist of special cars (charged) only. |
| Limited Express | Tokkyū | ||||
| Kintetsu Corporation | Limited Express | Tokkyū | Yes |  |
|
| Nankai Electric Railway Nankai Electric Railway is a private railway in Japan. IC cards are accepted.Nankai Railway Company was founded on June 16, 1884, then became one of the companies that merge to form Kinki Nippon Railway Co., Ltd. in 1944. However Kin-nichi transferred the former Nankai Railway Company Lines to present Nankai Electric... |
Limited Express | Tokkyū | Some trains |  |
Some trains consist of reserved seat cars (charged) only. |
| Keihan Electric Railway Keihan Electric Railway is a Japanese railway operator in Osaka, Kyoto, and Shiga Prefectures. It is known as , or .-History:Keihan started its operation between Osaka and Kyoto in 1910. It was the first electric railway to connect these two cities, and the first line on the left bank of Yodo River... |
Rapid Limited Express | Kaisoku Tokkyū | No |  |
|
| Limited Express | Tokkyū | ||||
| Hankyu Corporation | Limited Express | Tokkyū, Tsūkin Tokkyū |
No |  |
|
| Hanshin Electric Railway Hanshin Electric Railway is a Japanese private railway company of Hankyu Hanshin Toho Group that links Osaka and Kobe. It also owns the Hanshin Tigers baseball team.The second character for Osaka and the first character for Kobe combine to form the company name, 阪神, which can be read Han-shin.IC cards are accepted when... |
Limited Express | Tokkyū, Chokutsū Tokkyū, Kukan Tokkyū, |
No |  |
|
| Nishi-Nippon Railroad Nishi-Nippon Railroad The , also called or NNR, is one of Japan's "Big 16" private railroad companies. With headquarters in Fukuoka, it operates local and highway buses, supermarkets, real-estate and travel agencies, as well as railways in Fukuoka Prefecture. In addition, from 1950 to 1972, the company owned the Lions... |
Limited Express | Tokkyū | No |
New Zealand
In the era of steam-hauledSteam locomotive
A steam locomotive is a railway locomotive that produces its power through a steam engine. These locomotives are fueled by burning some combustible material, usually coal, wood or oil, to produce steam in a boiler, which drives the steam engine...
provincial expresses, limited express services were common on highly trafficked routes. The Night Limited
Night Limited
The Night Limited was an express passenger train that operated in New Zealand between Wellington and Auckland, utilising the entire length of the North Island Main Trunk...
was the premier express train on the North Island Main Trunk Railway between Auckland
Auckland
The Auckland metropolitan area , in the North Island of New Zealand, is the largest and most populous urban area in the country with residents, percent of the country's population. Auckland also has the largest Polynesian population of any city in the world...
and Wellington
Wellington
Wellington is the capital city and third most populous urban area of New Zealand, although it is likely to have surpassed Christchurch due to the exodus following the Canterbury Earthquake. It is at the southwestern tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Rimutaka Range...
from 1924 until 1971; during peak seasons, it was augmented by the Daylight Limited
Daylight Limited
The Daylight Limited was an express passenger train between Auckland and Wellington, New Zealand along the North Island Main Trunk. It commenced in 1925 and was replaced by the Scenic Daylight in 1963.- Introduction :...
. Following the Night Limited was a slower unnamed express that stopped at more stations and provided a lower level of comfort.
A different pattern was employed on the Main South Line
Main South Line
The Main South Line, sometimes referred to as part of the South Island Main Trunk Railway, is a railroad line that runs north and south from Lyttelton in New Zealand through Christchurch and along the east coast of the South Island to Invercargill via Dunedin...
. The South Island Limited
South Island Limited
The South Island Limited was a passenger express train operated by the New Zealand Railways Department between 1949 and 1970. It operated between Christchurch and Invercargill via Dunedin, and in its heyday, it was New Zealand's premier express....
express ran three days a week from Christchurch
Christchurch
Christchurch is the largest city in the South Island of New Zealand, and the country's second-largest urban area after Auckland. It lies one third of the way down the South Island's east coast, just north of Banks Peninsula which itself, since 2006, lies within the formal limits of...
through Dunedin
Dunedin
Dunedin is the second-largest city in the South Island of New Zealand, and the principal city of the Otago Region. It is considered to be one of the four main urban centres of New Zealand for historic, cultural, and geographic reasons. Dunedin was the largest city by territorial land area until...
to Invercargill
Invercargill
Invercargill is the southernmost and westernmost city in New Zealand, and one of the southernmost cities in the world. It is the commercial centre of the Southland region. It lies in the heart of the wide expanse of the Southland Plains on the Oreti or New River some 18 km north of Bluff,...
, with a slower regular express operating on the other four days. Both regular and limited expresses were augmented by additional services between intermediate destinations, such as an evening railcar
Railcar
A railcar, in British English and Australian English, is a self-propelled railway vehicle designed to transport passengers. The term "railcar" is usually used in reference to a train consisting of a single coach , with a driver's cab at one or both ends. Some railways, e.g., the Great Western...
between Christchurch and Dunedin operated by the 88 seater
NZR RM class (88 seater)
The NZR RM class 88-seaters were a class of railcar used in New Zealand, known unofficially as 'articulateds', 'twinsets', 'Drewrys' and 'Fiats'. They were purchased to replace steam-hauled provincial passenger trains and mixed trains...
or Vulcan
NZR RM class (Vulcan)
The NZR RM class Vulcan railcars were operated by the New Zealand Railways Department in the South Island of New Zealand. All New Zealand railcars were classified as RM, and these were known as Vulcan railcars, from the name of the manufacturer, Vulcan Foundry of Britain. - Background :On 9 May...
classes.
Limited expresses were rare beyond the main trunk routes and the regular provincial expresses were typically augmented with even slower mixed train
Mixed train
A mixed train is a train that hauls both passenger and freight cars or wagons. In the early days of railways they were quite common, but by the 20th century they were largely confined to branch lines with little traffic. As the trains provided passengers with very slow service, mixed trains have...
s. However, when the Rotorua Express
Rotorua Express
The Rotorua Express was a passenger express train operated by the New Zealand Railways Department between Auckland and Rotorua. It operated from 1894 until 1959 and was known as the Rotorua Limited between 1930 and 1937....
's schedule was accelerated in 1930 and its carriages upgraded, it was rebranded as the Rotorua Limited. Due to the Great Depression
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
and rising car ownership levels, it did not achieve the level of success intended, thus in 1937 it reverted to the status and service pattern of a regular express.
After the demise of the Night Limited and the South Island Limited in 1971, the term "limited express" has fallen into disuse in New Zealand and has not been applied to any subsequent trains. However, from 1971 to 1979, the Silver Star performed the role of a limited express as it operated to a faster schedule than a supplementary slower service that was known from 1975 as the Northerner
Northerner (train)
The Northerner was an overnight passenger train between Wellington and Auckland in New Zealand. Originally numbered 227 southbound and 626 northbound, it replaced the unnamed and less revered ordinary express trains supplementing the luxurious Silver Star , which had replaced the Night Limited in...
.
United States
Some of the most elite trains in the United States in the twentieth century were called "limited", a name that typically graced overnight trains that made very few stops. (However, the fastest train between New York and Washington, DC, a day train, in the Pennsylvania Railroad era was called the "Congressional Limited Express", and it had few stops, like the longer distance "Limiteds".) Famous limiteds of America have included the 20th Century Limited20th Century Limited
The 20th Century Limited was an express passenger train operated by the New York Central Railroad from 1902 to 1967, during which time it would become known as a "National Institution" and the "Most Famous Train in the World". In the year of its last run, The New York Times said that it "...was...
and its successor the Lake Shore Limited
Lake Shore Limited
The Lake Shore Limited is a daily passenger train route operated by Amtrak in the Northeastern and Midwestern United States. The train runs between Chicago and Albany, NY, where it divides into two sections that provide thru-service to New York and Boston...
, the Broadway Limited
Broadway Limited
The Broadway Limited was the Pennsylvania Railroad's premier named passenger train, operating daily in each direction between New York City and Chicago, via North Philadelphia. It replaced its predecessors, the Pennsylvania Limited and the Pennsylvania Special...
, and the National Limited
National Limited
The National Limited was the premier train of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad on its route between New York City and St. Louis, Missouri, with major station stops in Washington, D.C., and Cincinnati, Ohio. The all-Pullman version of the National Limited was introduced by the B&O on April 26,...
.
See also
- Rail transport in Japan
- Limited-stopLimited-stopIn public transport, a limited-stop bus, tram or train service is a service that operates along the same route as a local bus service, but omits certain stops in order to offer a faster trip between the places served. The term is normally used on routes with a mixture of fast and slow services...
- Broadway LimitedBroadway LimitedThe Broadway Limited was the Pennsylvania Railroad's premier named passenger train, operating daily in each direction between New York City and Chicago, via North Philadelphia. It replaced its predecessors, the Pennsylvania Limited and the Pennsylvania Special...
- Twentieth Century Limited
- Lake Shore LimitedLake Shore LimitedThe Lake Shore Limited is a daily passenger train route operated by Amtrak in the Northeastern and Midwestern United States. The train runs between Chicago and Albany, NY, where it divides into two sections that provide thru-service to New York and Boston...
- Cardinal (National LimitedNational LimitedThe National Limited was the premier train of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad on its route between New York City and St. Louis, Missouri, with major station stops in Washington, D.C., and Cincinnati, Ohio. The all-Pullman version of the National Limited was introduced by the B&O on April 26,...
) - Metroliner