Quiet, eco-friendly hybrid

The hybrid train Koumi reduces emissions along the track. It runs on the Koumi Line in Nagano and Yamanashi prefectures, and climbs to the highest elevation of any track in JR’s extensive network.

Koumi is the world’s first hybrid train to carry passengers on regular runs. JR East began operating it in July 2007 on the Koumi Line in the highlands of Nagano Prefecture. Its diesel engine generates electricity, which charges the batteries, which power the motor. The engine is quiet and the train is easy to control and maintain, but best of all it uses less energy. When the brakes are applied the engine stops working, and the braking energy is converted into electricity to give the batteries an extra charge. Compared to a conventional train with the same configuration, the energy savings are theoretically 20%, in practice 10%. The hybrid also emits far fewer noxious pollutants. JR East plans to take eco-friendly rail transport a step further, by developing a vehicle powered by fuel cells using hydrogen, which emit no pollution at all when used.

The bullet train Nozomi from Tokyo to Shin-Osaka takes just 2 hours and 25 minutes, ideal if it is speed you are looking for. The all-sleeper Cassiopeia from Tokyo’s Ueno Station to Sapporo takes about 17 hours, and is for travelers who want to experience the golden age of rail again.
Cassiopeia’s distinctive silver cars, decorated with rainbow lines, glide to a stop at Platform 13 in Ueno. The time: 3:35 p.m., 45 minutes before scheduled departure. Cameras flash. The people on the platform have obviously been waiting for this moment. Some stand beside the train to get their picture taken. Others scramble on board to photograph the interior. Not all of them are passengers—some are railway buffs, thinking about that day in the future when they, too, will take Cassiopeia to the north country.