The Kounotori (こうのとり, Kōnotori) is a limited express train service operated by the West Japan Railway Company (JR West) between Shin-Ōsaka and Kinosaki Onsen in Japan since 12 March 2011. It replaced the previous Kitakinki services.[1]

Kounotori
Overview
Service typeLimited express
LocaleTokaido Main Line, Fukuchiyama Line, Sanin Main Line
First service12 March 2011
Current operator(s)JR West
Route
TerminiShin-Ōsaka
Kinosaki Onsen
Technical
Rolling stock287 series/289 series EMUs
Track gauge1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in)
Electrification1,500 V DC overhead

The name means "stork", and was chosen because the stork is the prefectural bird of Hyōgo, and the city of Toyooka in particular has close involvement with stork breeding programmes.[1]

Service pattern and station stops

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Train name indicator on the side of a 287 series EMU

14 down services (Kounotori 1–27) from Shin-Osaka and 13 up services (Kounotori 2–26) to Shin-Osaka run daily, with the journey time from Shin-Osaka to Kinosaki Onsen taking approximately 2 hours 45 minutes.[2]

Kounotori services stop at the following stations. (Stations in parentheses are not served by all trains.)[2]

Shin-Ōsaka - Ōsaka - Amagasaki - Takarazuka - Sanda - (Shin-Sanda) - (Aino) - Sasayamaguchi - (Tanikawa) - Kaibara - (Kuroi) - Fukuchiyama - (Wadayama) - (Yōka) - (Ebara) - (Toyooka) - (Kinosaki Onsen)

Kounotori, Kinosaki, Hashidate, Maizuru, and Hamakaze constitute the Kitakinki Big X Network [ja; fr] of limited express services connecting the northern Kinki/Kansai (Kitakinki [ja]) region with the Keihanshin metropolitan area.

 
Kounotori (yellow), Kinosaki (purple), Hashidate (red), Maizuru (orange), and Hamakaze (brown) constitute the "Kitakinki Big-X Network" since 12 March 2011

Rolling stock

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The following rolling stock is used on Kounotori services.[3]

289 series EMUs converted from former dual-voltage 683 series trainsets were introduced on Kounotori services from 31 October 2015, replacing the remaining JNR-era 381 series trains.[4]


Former rolling stock

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  • 183 series 4/6-car EMUs (12 March 2011 – 15 March 2013)[5]
  • 381 series 4/6-car EMUs (from 12 March 2011 to 31 May 2011, and from 1 June 2012 to 30 October 2015)[6][7][8]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b "JR西日本 287系デビュー時に特急「北近畿」を「こうのとり」に改呼" [JR West to rename "Kitakinki" as "Kounotori" with debut of 287 series]. Tetsudō Daiya Jōhō Magazine. Vol. 39, no. 320. Japan: Kōtsū Shimbun. December 2010. p. 73.
  2. ^ a b JR Timetable, February 2011 issue
  3. ^ 平成23年春ダイヤ改正について [Spring 2011 timetable revision details] (PDF). JR West news release (in Japanese). West Japan Railway Company. 17 December 2010. Archived from the original (PDF) on 24 January 2011. Retrieved 13 March 2011.
  4. ^ JR西日本 289系 10月31日から運転開始 [JR West 289 series to enter service from 31 October]. Tetsudo Hobidas (in Japanese). Japan: Neko Publishing Co., Ltd. 21 August 2015. Retrieved 21 August 2015.
  5. ^ "JR西日本の183系が定期運用を終了" [JR West 183 series withdrawn from scheduled services]. Japan Railfan Magazine Online (in Japanese). Japan: Koyusha Co., Ltd. 17 March 2013. Retrieved 17 March 2013.
  6. ^ 新型車両(287 系)追加投入の詳細 [Details of further introduction of new (287 series) trains] (PDF). JR West news release (in Japanese). West Japan Railway Company. 28 April 2011. Archived from the original (PDF) on 27 September 2011. Retrieved 2 May 2011.
  7. ^ "JR西日本 381系福知山車FE編成が営業運転開始" [JR West: Fukichiyama-based 381 series FE sets enter service]. Tetsudō Daiya Jōhō Magazine. Vol. 41, no. 340. Japan: Kōtsū Shimbun. August 2012. p. 75.
  8. ^ 381系が関西地区の定期運用から離脱 [381 series removed from scheduled Kansai area services]. Japan Railfan Magazine Online (in Japanese). Japan: Koyusha Co., Ltd. 31 October 2015. Retrieved 1 November 2015.
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