is the name used by Kyushu Railway Company

Kyushu Railway Company

The , also referred to as , is one of the constituent companies of Japan Railways Group . It operates intercity rail services in Kyushu, Japan and the JR Kyushu Jet Ferry Beetle hydrofoil service across the Tsushima Strait between Fukuoka and Busan, South Korea.When Japan Railways was divided in...

 (JR Kyūshū) for the 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 :...

 train service operating 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 Ōita

Oita Station

is a JR Kyushu railway station located in Ōita, Ōita Prefecture, Japan.The station opened on November 1, 1911.-Limited Express Trains:* Sonic * Nichirin * Yufuin-no-mori, Yufu...

 via 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 Beppu

Beppu Station

250px|thumb|Beppu Station is the main railway station for the city of Beppu in Ōita Prefecture, Japan, which is famous for its onsen. It is situated on the Nippō Main Line...

 along 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 Nippō Main Line

Nippo Main Line

frame|Nippō Main LineThe is a railway line in Kyūshū, in southern Japan. Part of the Kyushu Railway Company system, it follows the east coast of the island. The line originates at Kokura Station in Kokura, Kitakyushu, Fukuoka...

 in Kyūshū

Kyushu

is the third largest island of Japan and most southwesterly of its four main islands. Its alternate ancient names include , , and . The historical regional name is referred to Kyushu and its surrounding islands....

, 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 runs every 30 minutes at a speed of 130 km/h - with a journey time of approximately 2 hours.

Rolling stock

Services are operated by a fleet of eight 7-car 883 series EMUs

Electric multiple unit

An electric multiple unit or EMU is a multiple unit train consisting of self-propelled carriages, using electricity as the motive power. An EMU requires no separate locomotive, as electric traction motors are incorporated within one or a number of the carriages...

 and four 6-car 885 series White Sonic EMUs.

• 883 series EMUs (8 x 7-car) - Since 1997
• 885 series
  885 series
  The 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:...
  
  EMUs (4 x 6-car) - Since 2001

History

• 20 April 1995: New 883 series Sonic EMUs are introduced on Nichirin limited express services between Hakata and Ōita, and named Sonic Nichirin.
• 22 March 1997: Nichirin and Sonic Nichirin services are combined to become Sonic services operated entirely by 883 series EMUs.
• 3 March 2001: New 5-car 885 series White Sonic are introduced on Sonic services.
• 15 March 2003: 885 series White Sonic sets lengthened from 5 to 6 cars, allowing interchangeability with 885 series White Kamome sets.
• 18 March 2007: All cars are made no-smoking.
• 19 July 2008: The three 5-car 883 series sets are augmented to 7 cars.