Japan train fans bid farewell to JR Tokai’s KiHa 85

The Yomiuri Shimbun

14:36 JST, July 1, 2023

Many train enthusiasts bid farewell to a KiHa 85 series diesel-powered train as it ran its last regular service on the Nanki limited express line on Friday.

The KiHa 85 model ran between Nagoya Station and Kii-Katsuura Station in Wakayama Prefecture.

Central Japan Railway Co. (JR Tokai) introduced the model in 1989, and the train started running on the Nanki line in 1992. However, due to the aging cars, the trains were retired at the end of June.

Starting in July, the KiHa 85 series will be replaced by HC 85 trains, which are hybrid trains powered by electricity generated from the engines and stored in batteries.

“The train cars had a unique rocking and swaying motion that is indescribable,” said a 29-year-old man from Kameoka, Kyoto Prefecture, at a farewell event for the KiHa 85 trains at Suzuka Station in Suzuka, Mie Prefecture.