JR East will convert one existing limited express train, the “E657 series,” into a Green Car private room type seating arrangement and begin operating it as a “new night express train” in spring 2027.
The top private room with an L-shaped sofa
This will embody the company group’s management vision of “making travel fun, comfortable and convenient,” and will aim to create a night train that is fun and comfortable even for long trips, with the concept of “simple yet high-quality travel space.” The base will be the 10-car E657 series train that runs on the Joban Line Limited Express “Hitachi” and “Tokiwa,” and all seats will be converted into Green Car reserved seats in order to ensure private space. The capacity of the entire train will be significantly reduced from the current 600 people to 120 people.
The leading cars, cars 1 and 10, are equipped with spacious L-shaped sofas and are “Premium Green Private Rooms,” the top seats for one or two people, where you can take off your shoes and relax. The regular single and double Green Carriages are equipped with seats that can be folded flat with a simple operation, and families with children can also choose the fully flat four-person Green Carriages. Car No. 5 is a lounge that is open to everyone as a place for group travellers to chat, and also has a sales space.
Exterior colours reminiscent of the Blue Train
The exterior is designed to envelop the entire carriage in two colours of blue: “Memorial Blue”, which evokes the memory of the former Blue Train, and “Midnight Horizon”, which evokes the image of midnight. The two leading carriages are coloured differently, and the white line connecting the two colours of blue depicts the “Blue Moment”, a fleeting moment of brilliance just before dawn.
The exterior and interior design will be handled by JR East Architectural Design, which mainly designs large-scale developments and commercial facilities for the group, and has a track record of designing carriages for the “SL Banetsu Monogatari” and other trains. The train is scheduled to operate in different areas depending on the season, such as from the Tokyo metropolitan area to northern Tohoku, and the operating times, fares and train names will be announced in the future.
