Oigawa Railway will operate a new night train, “Mountain Night Train,” for four days in the summer of 2025, using the 16000 series train, which was once used as an express train by Kintetsu Railway.
Connecting with “Ogaki Night Train” to the Southern Alps
Mountain Night Train is a night train operated by train that operated during the summer season from the 1970s to the late 1980s, targeting climbers in the Southern Alps. According to the few remaining documents from the company, the train would connect with the JNR Tokyo Station to Ogaki Station local train (commonly known as the “Ogaki Night Train”), which made a temporary stop at Kanaya Station only during the summer, and run to Senzu Station at 3:30 a.m. At Senzu Station, it would connect with the Ikawa Line special train, and at Ikawa Station it would connect with a bus to Hatanagi No. 1 Dam, creating a connecting transport system that allowed people to start climbing from around 7 a.m.
Oigawa Railway will operate an irregular night train using a combination of steam locomotives (SL) and old passenger cars from December 2024, but the electric night train service that the company once operated independently can be considered a “traditional night train.” This year marks the 55th anniversary of the start of operation in July 1970, and the company will revive the legendary night train as a modern version with added comfort. Every Saturday from July 26 (Sat) to August 16 (Sat), the train will depart Shin-Kanaya Station at 21:55 and arrive at Ieyama Station (around 6:05) and Kawane Onsen Sasamado Station (around 6:14) early the next Sunday morning.
Whether you are heading to Oku-Oi or turning back
The train will enter Kanaya Station on the way, so you can also watch the night trains and freight trains passing by on the Tokaido Main Line from inside the car. If you are heading to Oku-Oi, you can transfer to the Kawanehon Town Community Bus at Ieyama Station, then transfer to the Sumatakyo Line Bus at Senzu Station, and arrive at Sumatakyo Onsen at 8 a.m., much earlier than usual. If you want to experience the atmosphere of a night train, you can turn around at the last stop, Kawane Onsen Sasamado Station, and continue to Kanaya Station as a local train.
In addition to riding the night train, it is being sold as a travel product that includes an Oigawa Main Line Free Pass that can be used for two days from the day after departure, a bath ticket for Kawane Onsen, and meals. The capacity is 58 people per day, and there are four seat classes to choose from, from the “Economy Single” (11,800 yen) which uses one seat to the “Relaxed Box” (19,800 yen) which occupies four seats facing each other. Part of the revenue will be used to cover the cost of restoring the entire Oigawa Main Line, which is still closed due to typhoon damage.
