The is a 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 operated by the 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) between and in Japan, using portions of 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...

, Kosei Line

Kosei Line

The is one of commuter rail lines and services in Osaka-Kobe-Kyoto Metropolitan Area, operated by West Japan Railway Company. The line was completed in 1974 by the former Japanese National Railways to provide faster access from the Kansai region to the Hokuriku region...

, Hokuriku Main Line

Hokuriku Main Line

The is a 358.3 kilometer line of the West Japan Railway Company from Maibara Station in Maibara, Shiga to Naoetsu Station in Jōetsu, Niigata. It serves the Hokuriku region on the northern central coast of Honshū, the largest island of Japan, as well as offering connections to the regions of...

, and Nanao Line.

Thunderbird

Osaka – Toyama: Osaka - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Kanazawa – Wakuraonsen: Kanazawa - - - - - - -

• Only certain trains to and from Kanazawa and Wakuraonsen stop at Matto Station, and no trains to and from Toyama stop there.

Business Thunderbird

(an extra train which runs from Osaka to Kanazawa in the morning on weekdays after holidays)

Osaka → Shin-Osaka → Kyoto → Tsuruga → Takefu → Fukui → Awaraonsen → Komatsu → Kanazawa

Universal Express

(an extra train which mainly runs in summer and winter, one train per day in both direction, not going to Osaka Station)

- Shin-Osaka - Kyoto - Tsuruga - Takefu - Fukui - Kagaonsen - Komatsu - Kanazawa - Takaoka - Toyama

Rolling stock

• 681 series
  681 series
  The is an electric multiple unit type operated by West Japan Railway Company and Hokuetsu Express on limited express services in Japan.-681-0 series:...
  
   EMUs (since April 1995)
• 683 series
  683 series
  The is a dual-voltage electric multiple unit type operated by West Japan Railway Company and Hokuetsu Express on limited express services in Japan.-Variants:* 683-0 series * 683-1000 series...
  
   EMUs (since March 2001)

Formation

• Green: Green car (first class)
• White: Standard class car
• O: Observation seats
• R: Reserved seats
• NR: Non-reserved seats
• No smoking accommodation

Thunderbird

← Osaka Toyama, Uozu/Wakuraonsen →
1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9
R	R	R	R	NR	NR	NR	R	R

← Osaka Toyama, Uozu/Wakuraonsen →
normal formation						additional formation			additional formation
1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12
R	R	R	R	NR	NR	NR	R	R	R	R	R

• Women-only seats are available in Car 3.

Business Thunderbird

→ Osaka Kanazawa →
1	2	3
NR	R	R

Universal Express

← Universal City Toyama →
1	2	3	4	5	6
R	R	R	R	NR	NR

• Women-only seats available in Car 3.

History

From the start of the 20 April 1995 timetable revision, new 681 series

681 series

The is an electric multiple unit type operated by West Japan Railway Company and Hokuetsu Express on limited express services in Japan.-681-0 series:...

 EMUs were introduced on Osaka to Toyama services, named Super Raichō (Thunderbird). These became simply Thunderbird from March 1997.

The last remaining Raichō

Raicho

The was a limited express train operated by the West Japan Railway Company between and in Japan until March 2011, using portions of the Tōkaidō Main Line, Kosei Line, and Hokuriku Main Line....

service was discontinued from the start of the 12 March 2011 timetable revision, with all trains subsequently using the Thunderbird name.

Rape incident

On 3 August 2006, a woman was raped by a man in a train toilet while travelling on the Thunderbird 50 service (just after Fukui Station), despite the car being occupied by approximately 40 other passengers. As a result, JR West introduced a "women-only" section in the reserved-seating cars of Raichō and Thunderbird trains from October 2007, and JR East added prominent "SOS" stickers inside all of its trains in June 2007. On 17 January 2008, district court in Otsu

Otsu, Shiga

is the capital city of Shiga, Japan. The city was founded on October 1, 1898. As of October 1, 2010, the city has an estimated population of 338,629 with an average age of 40.7 years and a population density of 905.28 persons per km²...

 sentenced him to 18 years in prison.

See also

• Shirasagi: Limited-express service between 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...
  
  and the Hokuriku region, using identical rolling stock with slightly different livery

External links

• West Japan Railway Company