Airport (train)

Airport
A 733-3000 series set on a Special Rapid Airport service in August 2024
Overview
Service type
  • Special Rapid
  • Rapid
  • Semi-Rapid
LocaleHokkaido
First service1 July 1992 (Rapid)
14 March 2020 (Special Rapid)
16 March 2024 (Semi-Rapid)
Current operatorThe logo of Hokkaido Railway Company (JR Hokkaido). JR Hokkaido
Route
TerminiNew Chitose Airport
Otaru/Sapporo
Lines usedChitose Line, Hakodate Main Line
On-board services
ClassStandard class only
Technical
Rolling stock721 series and 733 series EMUs
Track gauge1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in)
Electrification20 kV AC overhead
Operating speed120 km/h (75 mph)[1]

The Airport (エアポート) is a series of rapid train services operated by Hokkaido Railway Company (JR Hokkaido), which run from New Chitose Airport to Sapporo and Otaru on the Chitose Line and Hakodate Main Line.

Operations

As of 16 March 2024, during daytime hours, six Airport services (one Special Rapid, three Rapid and two Semi-Rapid) operate every hour between New Chitose Airport and Sapporo. Of these, one Special Rapid service and one Rapid service per hour operate to and from Otaru Station.[2]

Stations served

Airport services stop at the following stations:[3]

Legend

● All trains stop
▲ Some trains stop
△ Trains stop only during special events
Station Semi-Rapid Rapid Special Rapid
AP15 New Chitose Airport ● ● ●
H14 Minami-Chitose ● ● ●
H13 Chitose ● ● ｜
H12 Osatsu ● ｜ ｜
H11 Sapporo Beer Teien ● ｜ ｜
H10 Eniwa ● ● ｜
H09 Megumino ● ｜ ｜
H08 Shimamatsu ● ｜ ｜
H07 Kita-Hiroshima ● ● △
H05 Shin-Sapporo ● ● ●
H03 Shiroishi ｜ ▲ ｜
 01  Sapporo ● ● ●
S02 Sōen ● ●
S03 Kotoni ● ●
S07 Teine ● ●
S08 Inaho ▲ ｜
S09 Hoshioki ▲ ｜
S10 Hoshimi ▲ ｜
S11 Zenibako ▲ ｜
S12 Asari ▲ ｜
S13 Otaru-Chikkō ● ●
S14 Minami-Otaru ● ●
S15 Otaru ● ●

Some Special Rapid trains bound for Sapporo make an extra stop at Kita-Hiroshima Station only when there are night baseball events at Es Con Field Hokkaido.[4]

Rolling stock

A 721 series set on a Rapid Airport service in August 2024

Services are formed of 6-car 721 series and 733 series EMUs.[3]

Car No. 1 2 3 4 5 6
Accommodation Non-reserved Non-reserved Non-reserved Reserved (u-Seat) Non-reserved Non-reserved

Former rolling stock

A 789-1000 series set on a Super Kamui/Airport service in January 2009

Prior to the start of the revised timetable on 26 March 2016, services between New Chitose Airport and Asahikawa via Sapporo were operated by five-car 785 series and 789-1000 series trains.[5]

History

A 781 series set on an Airport service in 1992

The Airport service was first introduced on 1 July 1992 in tandem with the opening of New Chitose Airport as a rapid service between New Chitose Airport and Otaru or Asahikawa via Sapporo. The services that directly operated to Asahikawa were operated as the Lilac limited express service between Sapporo and Asahikawa. The 781 series was initially deployed for services that operated as far as Asahikawa while the other services used the 721 series.[6] On 1 October 2007, the Lilac services merged with the former Super White Arrow services to become Super Kamui services.[7]

On 19 July 2014, the 733-3000 series fleet was introduced on Airport services.[8]

From the start of the revised timetable on 26 March 2016, with the opening of the Hokkaido Shinkansen, the remaining Airport services that continued from Sapporo to Asahikawa as the Super Kamui limited express service were discontinued and limited express train sets were no longer used on Airport services.[5][9]

On 14 March 2020, the frequency of Airport trains per hour was increased from four to five. In addition, Special Rapid Airport services were introduced.[10]

From the start of the revised timetable on 16 March 2024, all Airport trains that operate as far as Otaru began serving an additional stop at Sōen. In addition, Special Rapid Airport services were extended to Otaru and a new Semi-Rapid Airport service was introduced, operating between Sapporo and New Chitose Airport during daytime hours only. Rapid Airport services were also designated to stop at all stations between Teine and Otaru during daytime hours.[2][3]

Starting from 25 October 2024, new 733-4000 series sets entered service, replacing ageing 721 series sets on Airport services.[11]

References

  1. ^ "JR北海道、733系増備で721系置換え - 新幹線札幌開業後に速達化も" [JR Hokkaido to replace 721 series with additional 733 series trains - Speeding up service after opening of Sapporo Shinkansen line]. Mynavi News (in Japanese). Japan: Mynavi Corporation. 4 April 2024. Retrieved 30 September 2025.
  2. ^ a b "JR北海道「エアポート」日中に毎時6本、区間快速も「先発・先着」" [JR Hokkaido's "Airport" to operate six trains per hour during the day, including Semi-Rapid trains, on a "first-come, first-served" basis.]. Mynavi News (in Japanese). Japan: Mynavi Corporation. 1 January 2024. Retrieved 30 September 2025.
  3. ^ a b c "JR北海道「エアポート」特別快速・区間快速など3種別、どれに乗る?" [JR Hokkaido "Airport" 3 types including Special Rapid and Semi-Rapid trains, which one to ride?]. Mynavi News (in Japanese). Japan: Mynavi Corporation. 3 May 2024. Retrieved 14 July 2024.
  4. ^ "北海道ボールパークＦビレッジへの鉄道アクセスについて" (PDF). Hokkaido Railway Company (in Japanese). Japan. 14 December 2022. Retrieved 15 July 2024.
  5. ^ a b "JR北海道の車両・列車(3) 789系・785系「スーパーカムイ」新千歳空港直通廃止に" [789 series and 785 series "Super Kamui" direct service to New Chitose Airport to be discontinued]. Mynavi News (in Japanese). Japan: Mynavi Corporation. 8 January 2016. Retrieved 30 September 2025.
  6. ^ "JR北海道 - 7月1日ダイヤ改正の概要" [JR Hokkaido - Overview of the 1 July timetable revision]. Journal of the Driving Association (in Japanese). 34 (7). Japan: Japan Railway Drivers Association: 7–9. July 1992.
  7. ^ JR新幹線&特急列車ファイル [JR Shinkansen & Limited Express Train File] (in Japanese). Japan: Kōtsū Shimbun. 2008. p. 84. ISBN 978-4-330-00608-6.
  8. ^ "733系3000番台が営業運転を開始" [733-3000 series enter revenue service]. Japan Railfan Magazine Online (in Japanese). Japan: Koyusha Co., Ltd. 20 July 2014. Retrieved 24 December 2025.
  9. ^ "札幌出張者も高評価! 新千歳空港鉄道の実力" [Highly rated by business travellers to Sapporo! The strength of the New Chitose Airport railroad]. Toyo Keizai Online (in Japanese). Japan. 11 July 2016. Retrieved 30 September 2025.
  10. ^ "快速"エアポート"が増強される" [Rapid "Airport" services expanded]. Japan Railfan Magazine Online (in Japanese). Japan: Koyusha Co., Ltd. 15 March 2020. Retrieved 15 July 2024.
  11. ^ "733系4000番代が営業運転を開始" [733-4000 series enters revenue service]. Japan Railfan Magazine Online (in Japanese). Japan: Koyusha Co., Ltd. 27 October 2024. Retrieved 24 December 2025.
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Airport (train, JR Hokkaido).
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 unless otherwise noted. Additional terms may apply for the media files.