Kintetsu Shimakaze sight seeing limited express

[miyakoji]

Kintetsu will have two new 6-car sets in operation from March 21st for service between Osaka Namba, Kashikojima, and Kintetsu Nagoya.  They're calling these Shimakaze, and as you can see at the link below, they look very unique.  In addition to the standard fare ticket and limited express ticket, passengers will need a special ticket (price based on distance) just for this train.  Optionally, on top of that, this train has Western and Japanese style rooms that will cost another 1000 yen.  Looks cool, some of that interior seems influenced by JR East's Gran Class.

 

Hobidas link: http://rail.hobidas.com/news/info/article/133939.html

 

Kintetsu pdf (images of on-board food; fare chart; route map): http://www.kintetsu.co.jp/all_news/news_info/20120928shimakaze.pdf

 

Ompuchaneru thread, no photos right now: http://rail-uploader.khz-net.com/index.php?id=1055077

[Sacto1985]

I'd like to know how can Kintetsu compete against the "Hikari" and "Nozomi" Shinkansen trains between Osaka and Nagoya with the new "Shimakaze" service. Especially since on the Shinkansen the only stops are Shin-Osaka-Kyoto-Nagoya (Nozomi) or Shin-Osaka-Kyoto-Maibara-Nagoya (Hikari) service on trains that can top 260 km/h on much of the route.

 

That is unless Kintetsu is aiming for a totally different type of customer more interesting in on-board amenities than outright speed.

[westfalen]

According to Hyperdia a standard class seat on an Hikari service between Shin Osaka and Nagoya costs Y5760 whereas a standard seat on a Kintetsu Ltd Express from Osaka Namba to Nagoya cost Y4150, admittedly the Hikari only takes 51 min versus Kintetsu's 2hr 13min but that extra Y1610 in your pocket might be an incentive for some people.

 

Another consideration is if your starting point in Osaka is close to Namba, crossing town to get to Shin Osaka can cut into the time advantage.

 

Still, it always amazes me the amount of on board amenities the Japanese, especially the private companies, pack into a train for such a short run.

[Davo Dentetsu]

It appears to resemble a greenhouse at the front.  :P

[disturbman]

I was thinking about an insect but well... I really like the nose/front design.

[miyakoji]

Tetsudou Fan news has covered it, en route from Kinki Sharyo near JR West's Tokuan Station to Kintetsu's Takayasu Station and depot.  Kintetsu's Osaka Line, Nagoya Line, and Yamada Line are 1435mm gauge, JR West's conventional lines are 1067mm, so this was over-the-road transport.  Not sure if there would be any decent opportunities for connections between JR and Kintetsu if it weren't for the gauge difference.  Eh, it doesn't look like it.

 

http://railf.jp/news/2012/10/01/113000.html

 

map using google route to show relative locations of stations: http://goo.gl/maps/XqNuW

[Sacto1985]

Another consideration is if your starting point in Osaka is close to Namba, crossing town to get to Shin Osaka can cut into the time advantage.

 

If you're in the Namba area, wouldn't it be a lot more convenient to ride the Midōsuji Line subway all the way to Shin-Osaka Station and then take the Hikari Shinkansen to Nagoya? The Shimakaze train is nice but riding the train for nearly 2.25 hours--just only a tad less than the time needed to ride the Nozomi Shinkansen from Shin-Osaka to Tokyo!--doesn't sound that appealing at first; no wonder why the Shimakaze train has such high-end amenities.

[bikkuri bahn]

Once upon a time, both before the shinkansen and during the early years of it, when riding the super express was the realm of the well-heeled and business suit and hat crowd, Kintetsu started the nonstop "Meihan" ltd. expresses Nagoya to Osaka in competition with JNR's service between said metro areas. Later on I suppose the terminal in Uehonmachi/Nanba still appealed to those with business in southern Osaka, as well as the convenient connection with the Osaka Loop Line at Tsuruhashi.  Now, the shinkansen is the choice of most, with the 1067mm service between Tokai and Kansai existing for local users and the seishun 18 crowd.  A reflection of this is Kintetsu's decision to end the nonstop Urban Liner runs, with an intermediate stop at Tsu, to serve Mie Pref. area customers better.

[disturbman]

If you're in the Namba area, wouldn't it be a lot more convenient to ride the Midōsuji Line subway all the way to Shin-Osaka Station and then take the Hikari Shinkansen to Nagoya? The Shimakaze train is nice but riding the train for nearly 2.25 hours--just only a tad less than the time needed to ride the Nozomi Shinkansen from Shin-Osaka to Tokyo!--doesn't sound that appealing at first; no wonder why the Shimakaze train has such high-end amenities.

 

If you are on a leisure trip, 2.25 hours is nothing. I would rather actually spent that time in a nice comfortable train, looking out than trap in a Shinkansen with no view, even more if I can spare some money at the same time. The service can be succesful, it just need to be advertised correctly.

 

Night coaches works really well in Japan and they are neither comfortable nor fast, they are simply cheap.

[Sacto1985]

Night coaches works really well in Japan and they are neither comfortable nor fast, they are simply cheap.

 

Care to explain what you do mean by "night coaches"? Are you talking a overnight train like the Sunrise Seto/Sunrise Izumo service from Tokyo to either Izumo in Shimane Prefecture or Takamatsu on Shikoku island? Or are you referring to longer-distance limited expresses like Yakumo between Okayama and Izumo, Thunderbird between Osaka and Toyama, Super Azusa between Tokyo (Shinjuku) and Matsumoto, and Tsugaru between Akita and Aomori? 

[miyakoji]

I think he means the blue trains.

[bikkuri bahn]

night coaches= overnight buses?  They certainly are plentiful and cheap. Some are pretty dodgy though, safetywise.

[miyakoji]

long distance buses.  Totally out of the question, didn't even come to mind.  In fact I'm still thinking of blue trains.

[Sacto1985]

night coaches= overnight buses?  They certainly are plentiful and cheap. Some are pretty dodgy though, safetywise.

 

If that's the case, the various JR rail companies runs their own overnight bus service--though they're being seriously challenged by Willer Express, which has introduced a number of buses with better quality accommodations, including a couple of buses on the overnight Tokyo-Osaka route with seating not much different than the Gran Class seating on the E6 Shinkansen, except for being tad narrower (so they could accommodate twelve seats on the bus). Here's a picture of what the Willer Express Cocoon seating looks like:

 

[Mudkip Orange]

It appears to resemble a greenhouse at the front.  :P

 

I say it looks a bit like the cockpit of the Millenium Falcon, at least from the inside.

 

[bikkuri bahn]

A couple of weeks ago on a whim I decided to reserve a ticket on the Shimakaze, but no such luck- all booked up- holiday season and all.  But the fare is pretty reasonable for such nice accomodations- I think it was just a 1000 yen premium on top of the limited express fare, for a regular seat.

[Mudkip Orange]

Are there actually through services between Osaka and Nagoya? Everything I've read suggests this train's sole destination is Ugata/Kashikojima

[bikkuri bahn]

Are there actually through services between Osaka and Nagoya? Everything I've read suggests this train's sole destination is Ugata/Kashikojima

There are two r/t services to Kashikojima- one from Osaka and one from Nagoya.