JR East names Luna Azul as new overnight limited express for fiscal 2027
The refurbished 10-car train will run overnight between Shinagawa and Aomori from spring to autumn, switching to daytime trips to Gunma in winter.
- JR East has named its new overnight limited express train "Luna Azul," with its launch scheduled for fiscal 2027.
- The train will operate seasonally, running overnight trips between Tokyo and Aomori from spring to autumn, and switching to daytime services between Tokyo and Gunma in the winter.
- Created by refurbishing an E657 series train, the Luna Azul will feature private Green Car and Premium Green Car compartments and a lounge car.
East Japan Railway Co., better known as JR East, said on Tuesday (June 9) that its new overnight limited express train, scheduled to enter service in fiscal 2027, will be named “Luna Azul”.
The Spanish name means “blue moon”.
JR East said it was chosen to suggest “luxury” and an “escape from everyday life” for passengers travelling on the new service.
From spring to autumn, Luna Azul will make two return trips a week between Shinagawa Station in Tokyo and Aomori Station in Aomori Prefecture, northeastern Japan, using the Joetsu and Uetsu lines.
Each one-way journey is expected to take about 12 and a half to 15 hours, with room for up to 125 passengers.
In winter, the train will switch to daytime operation.
JR East plans to run six return services a week between Shinagawa and Naganohara-Kusatsuguchi Station in Gunma Prefecture, eastern Japan.
The one-way trip will take roughly two and a half to three hours, and the service will be able to carry as many as 150 passengers.
The company said the daytime route is intended to let customers “enjoy a trip on Luna Azul even on a shorter route”.
Luna Azul will be created by refurbishing a 10-car E657 series limited express train currently used on the Joban Line.
It will include Green Car and Premium Green Car private compartments for one to four passengers, along with a lounge car.
JR East said the adult fare for a Green Car compartment between Shinagawa and Aomori is expected to be slightly higher than the Green Car seat fare on a Tohoku Shinkansen bullet train between Tokyo Station and Shin-Aomori Station in Aomori Prefecture.
[Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]
