Kodama (train)

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Kodama
Shinkansen 0 Series Kodama at Fukuyama Station, April 2002.
Service type	Super Express
Operator	JR Central, JR West
Line used	Tōkaidō Shinkansen, Sanyō Shinkansen
Started	1964
Rolling stock	0/100/300/700/N700 series

Kodama (こだま) is one of the three train services running on the Tōkaidō/Sanyō Shinkansen. Kodama trains stop at all stations, making Kodama the slowest Shinkansen service for trips between major cities such as Tokyo and Osaka. The Kodama trains are used primarily for travel to and from smaller cities such as Atami. Travelers between major cities generally take the Nozomi or Hikari services, which make fewer stops.

The Japanese word kodama means "echo". It was originally a name of limited express trains on the conventional Tōkaidō Main Line, which was discontinued by the inauguration of the Shinkansen in 1964.

[edit] Shinkansen Kodama

Kodama trains generally run over shorter distances than Nozomi and Hikari trains. Typical Kodama runs include Tokyo - Nagoya, Tokyo - Shin-Osaka, Shizuoka - Shin-Osaka, Shin-Osaka - Okayama, Shin-Osaka - Hiroshima, Okayama - Hakata and Hiroshima - Hakata, as well as some shorter late-night runs.

The trainsets used for Kodama service are the same 300 Series and 700 Series trains used for the Hikari and Nozomi services. Older 0 Series and 100 Series trains are also used for Kodama services on the Sanyō Shinkansen.

Most Kodama trains have both reserved and non-reserved cars; however, some morning Kodama trains to Tokyo and evening trains departing Tokyo have non-reserved cars only to accommodate commuters living in Kanagawa and Shizuoka.

The newest shikansen trainset, the N700, is currently used on some early morning and late night Kodama runs between Kokura and Hakata stations in Kyūshū. All standard-class cars are non-reserved, and, as with all other N700 services, there is no smoking on these trains except in designated on-board smoking rooms.

At most intermediate stations, Kodama trains wait for faster trains, such as the Nozomi, Hikari and Hikari Rail Star, to pass through before resuming their journeys.

[edit] Pre-Shinkansen Kodama

Kodama debuted as a limited express service on the Tōkaidō Main Line on November 1, 1958. This was the first EMU train service of the Japanese National Railways classified as a limited express, the highest (fastest) of train types on the national railway system. The train travelled between Tokyo Station and Osaka Station in 6 hours and 50 minutes and first enabled passengers to go and return between the two cities in one day. This is why the train was named Kodama, or echo.

The conventional Kodama train ran until September 30, 1964, the day before Kodama debuted on the Shinkansen.