Kinosaki (train) (きのさき (列車))
"Kinosaki" is a limited express train operated by West Japan Railway Company (JR West) on the section between Kyoto Station and Kinosakionsen Station through the Sanin Main Line (Sagano Line).
It's one of the trains that together comprise the North Kinki Big X Network.
The train color is purple. This color is based on the color of the Sagano Line, one of the operation lines.
Summary of the operation
Number of operations
Inbound (from Kyoto to Kinosakionsen): Three trains (nos. 1, 3 and 5)
Outbound (from Kinosakionsen to Kyoto): Five trains (nos. 2, 4, 6, 8 and 10)
Food, drink and other small items are available for sale on some of the trains.
Maximum speed
Between Kyoto Station and Fukuchiyama Station: 120 km/h
Between Fukuchiyama Station and Kinosakionsen Station: 95 km/h
Rolling stock used
JNR/JR Limited Express Series 183
Formation
frame = first-class car, white frame = ordinary car (railway car), U = unreserved seat, R = reserved seat, *All cars are nonsmoking.
This formation is for "Kinosaki" numbers 2, 10, 3 and 4. The series from 1 to 4 represents the formation for "Kinosaki." The series from 5 to 7 represents the formation for "Maizuru." "Kinosaki" numbers 3 and 4 have car numbers 1 to 4 only.
This formation is for "Kinosaki" numbers 1, 5, 6 and 8. Two cars are added in certain cases.
Stops
Kyoto Station - Nijo Station - Kameoka Station - Sonobe Station - (Goma Station) - Ayabe Station - Fukuchiyama Station - Wadayama Station - Yoka Station - Ebara Station - Toyooka Station (Hyogo Prefecture) - Kinosakionsen Station
Section of the conductors in charge
Miyako train section
Fukuchiyama conductor section
History
The 'Kinosaki' train was named after Kinosakionsen Station, the terminal in old Kinosaki Town, Toyooka City, Hyogo Prefecture, as well as Kinosaki Onsen, the famous hot spring in the town. Because the name was also used for a semi-express train operated in the same section from 1962 to 1968, this section mainly describes trains that arrive at and depart from Kyoto Station and run on the Sanin Main Line.
Semi-express trains in the postwar period and later years
November 19, 1956: The 'Hakuto,' a semi-express train operated between Kyoto Station and Matsue Station, came into service.
Passengers on 'Hakuto' were to connect to limited express trains, express trains and semi-express trains running on the Tokaido Main Line at Kyoto Station.
December 1, 1957: The section on which 'Hakuto' was operated was shortened down to Yonago Station.
September 22, 1959: The service of 'Tango,' a diesel semi-express train operated between Kyoto Station and Amanohashidate Station, Higashi-Maizuru Station or Fukuchiyama Station, commenced.
October 1, 1961: With the timetable revision, which was later called "San, Roku, To (3, 6, 10)," 'Tango' was upgraded to an express train with the 'Hakuto' diesel and began connecting with trains that arrived at and departed from and Osaka Station through the Fukuchiyama Line. With this timetable revision, 'Tango' started running on the section between Kyoto Station (or Osaka Station) and Matsue Station.
March 1, 1962: Two round-trip services a day of 'Kinosaki' as a semi-express train started between Kyoto Station and Fukuchiyama Station (or Kinosaki Station).
April 20, 1963: The trains called 'Kinosaki,' which arrived at and departed from Fukuchiyama Station, had their names changed to 'Tango' and the number of round-trip services of 'Tango' increased to four a day, including a round trip in which the train arrived at and departed from Amanohashidate Station or Toyooka Station.
March 5, 1966: With the revision of the semi-express train system, both 'Kinosaki' and 'Tango' were upgraded to express trains.
October 1, 1966: 'Tango (inbound train) No. 3,' running from Fukuchiyama Station to Kyoto Station, was designated as a semi-express train.
Because the definition of a semi-express train in those days was 'an express train operated within 100 km,' two train designations--express and semi-express--were applied to a single train at the same time.
October 1, 1968: With the timetable revision, which was later called 'Yon San To (4, 3, 10),' the following changes were made:
Hakuto' stopped using the formation in which the train arrived at and departed from Osaka Station.
The name of the train that arrived at and departed from Osaka Station was changed to 'Kitakinki (train).'
Hakuto,' therefore, started running on the section between Kyoto Station and Matsue Station.
All the express trains that arrived at and departed from Kyoto Station and were operated in northern Kyoto, and that arrived at and departed from stations located in northwestern Hyogo, got the name 'Tango,' so as a result the name 'Kinosaki' was discontinued. In accordance with the name change, the services of 'Tango' increased to seven round trips. Moreover, all the semi-express trains were discontinued with this timetable revision and all 'Tango' trains were upgraded to express status.
March 1, 1970: The operation section for 'Hakuto' was extended to Izumoshi Station.
October 1, 1970: The operation section for 'Tango (outbound train) No. 1' and 'Tango (inbound train) No. 5' was extended to Kumihama Station on the Miyazu Line of the Kitakinki Tango Railway Corporation (KTR).
March 15, 1972: Another round-trip service was added to 'Tango,' resulting in eight round-trip services for 'Tango.'
Emergence of the Limited Express 'Asashio,' and development in later years
August 1972: 'Asashio,' a temporary limited express train, was operated between Kyoto Station and Tottori Station. This operation was considered to have set a precedent in regular operations.
October 2, 1972: With the timetable revision at this time, the following changes were made:
One outbound train and two inbound trains of 'Tango' were upgraded to limited express trains, and three new 'Asashio' services were launched.
With these new services of 'Asashio,' four round-trip services--which arrived at and departed from Kinosaki Station through the Miyazu Line, Kinosaki Station via Fukuchiyama Station, Kurayoshi Station and Yonago Station, respectively--were made available each day.
Kitakinki (train)' which arrived at and departed from Osaka Station via the Fukuchiyama Line, was connected to 'Hakuto' on the section between Fukuchiyama Station and Tottori Station, of all the operation sections of 'Hakuto.'
The services from Kurayoshi Station and to the west were designated as local train services. However, the services were provided as rapid trains on the section between Kurayoshi Station and Yonago Station.
The number of services of 'Tango' decreased to seven outbound trains and six inbound trains.
July 1, 1982: The section on which 'Hakuto' was operated was shortened down to the section between Kyoto Station and Yonago Station.
Also around this time, the JNR/JR Limited Express (diesel car) Series Kiha 181 was employed on 'Asashio.'
March 14, 1985: One of the round-trip services of 'Tango,' which arrived at and departed from Higashi-Maizuru Station, was replaced by 'Asashio.'
In accordance with this replacement, the number of services of 'Asashio' increased to five round trips, while that of 'Tango' decreased to six outbound trains and five inbound trains.
November 1, 1986: In accordance with the timetable revision of Japan National Railways (JNR) as the section between Takarazuka Station and Kinosaki Station on the Fukuchiyama Line was electrified, 'Hakuto' was upgraded to 'Asashio,' resulting in another round-trip service for 'Asashio.'
Accordingly, the services of 'Asashio' increased to six round trips.
March 11, 1989: The operation section of 'Asashio No. 6' was shortened to the section between Tottori Station and Kyoto Station.
April 1, 1990: As the Miyazu Line was transferred to Kitakinki Tango Railway Corporation (KTR), 'Tango' nos. 9 and 6, which had been operated as local trains on the line, started being operated as express trains.
December 1990: The name 'Kinosaki' came back as the name of a temporary express train with the JNR/JR Limited Express Series 183 operated between Osaka Station and Kinosaki Station.
1995: The temporary express train 'Kinosaki' was discontinued. This was because the name 'Kinosaki' was given to a limited express train that was to operate between Kyoto Station and Kinosaki Station in 1996.
Completion of the North Kinki Big X Network and development in later years
March 16, 1996: With the electrification of the section between Sonobe Station and Fukuchiyama Station and the section of KTR between Fukuchiyama Station and Amanohashidate Station via Oe Station (Kyoto Prefecture), the diesel limited express train 'Asashio' and the diesel express train 'Tango' were discontinued, and electric trains started to be used for the limited express services. At this point, all express trains that had been operated on the Sanin Line and arrived at and departed from Kyoto Station were discontinued. An idea that suggested naming trains depending on their direction from Kyoto Station was adopted.
Trains arriving at and departing from Kinosakionsen Station via Fukuchiyama Station: 'Kinosaki'
Trains arriving at and departing from Fukuchiyama Station: 'Tanba (train)'
Trains arriving at and departing from Amanohashidate Station via the KTR Miyafuku Line: 'Hashidate (train)'
Coupled with the fact that 'Hakuto'--which operated through the Chizu Express Chizu Line instead of trains used for connection to the direction of Tottori Station from Kyoto, Osaka and Kobe--was a fast train, the JNR/JR Limited Express (diesel car) Series Kiha 181, which had become available due to the discontinuation of 'Asashio,' started being used as an additional round-trip service of 'Hakuto.'
While the operating distance of 'Asashio' for the section between Kyoto Station and Tottori Station is 230.3 km, that of 'Super Hakuto' and 'Hakuto' is 253.5 km, which is just over 20 km longer, but on the contrary the travel time of the latter trains was shortened by about an hour.
Services of the limited express train 'Inaba' started between Tottori Station and Yonago Station. Additionally, the concept of a method in which 'Kunibiki' would arrive at and depart from Tottori Station was promoted. For further information refer to History of "Matsukaze (train)," the express train connecting to various cities in Tottori and Shimane.
In addition to the above-mentioned factors, 'Monju (train),' arriving at and departing from Shin-Osaka Station, which concurrently commenced operation, and 'Kitakinki,' an L-tokkyu (limited express) train on the Fukuchiyama Line, which had already started operation, came to comprise the North Kinki Big X Network.
As the JR Fukuchiyama Line Train Derailment Accident occurred in 2005, limited express trains operated between Shin-Osaka Station and Fukuchiyama Station were suspended, and therefore compensating transportation became necessary, so two outbound trains and one inbound train (81, 82 and 83) were operated temporarily between Kyoto Station and Kinosakionsen Station.
March 18, 2007: A total ban on smoking was adopted.
Origins of the train names
(In the order of the Japanese syllabary)
Asashio': It is quite abstract but is probably an image of 'red sky in the morning in Amanohashidate.'
Kinosaki': It's named after Kinosakionsen Station, the train terminal in old Kinosaki Town, Toyooka City, Hyogo Prefecture, and after Kinosaki Onsen, the famous hot spring in the town.
Tango': It's named after Tango Province, the old provincial name of the area in which this train is operated.
Hakuto': It's named after 'Inaba no shirousagi' (the hare of Inaba), a legend in Inaba Province, which is the old name of the area located in eastern Tottori where this train has its destination. Also refer to "Hakuto (train)."