Japan has unveiled a new overnight train linking Tokyo and Aomori Prefecture, with capacity for up to 125 passengers when it enters service in 2027.
Operated by JR East, better known as East Japan Railway Co., the limited express train is named Luna Azul – which means ‘blue moon’ in Spanish.
The train will run from spring through autumn, for two round-trip weekly services connecting Shinagawa station in Tokyo and Aomori station in Aomori Prefecture in Japan’s northeast.
The journey via the Joetsu and Uetsu lines will take between 12 to 15 hours one way.
When winter arrives, the service switches to daytime operations, offering six round trip weekly services between Shinagawa (Tokyo) and Naganohara-Kusatsuguchi Station in Gunma Prefecture. A one-way ride takes approximately three hours and carries up to 150 passengers.
The result of a refurbishment of a 10-car E657 series limited express train currently deployed on the Joban Line, the Luna Azul will feature a lounge car, a green car and premium green car compartments seating up to four passengers.
JR East noted that fares for the green car compartment on the Luna Azul are expected to be higher, compared to the same category for the Tohoku Shinkansen Line bullet train, which connects Tokyo station and Shin-Aomori station also in Aomori Prefecture.