JR Kyushu’s Two Stars sightseeing train unveiled

The Yomiuri Shimbun

1:00 JST, September 17, 2022

Kyushu Railway Co., or JR Kyushu, unveiled the sightseeing train Two Stars 4047 to media at a train depot in Kitakyushu on Thursday.

The train will begin operating in the western Kyushu region from Sept. 23, when services start on the Nishi-Kyushu Shinkansen line that runs between Takeo Onsen Station and Nagasaki Station.

The Two Stars train was designed by industrial designer Eiji Mitooka. The exterior is white, inspired by clouds in the sky and yachts on the sea, and a golden belt wraps around the train cars. The seats have the same pattern as the ones in the Kamome Shinkansen to give a sense of harmony.

The Two Stars train will operate twice a day and connects Takeo Onsen Station and Nagasaki Station via a different route from the Shinkansen line. The morning train will leave Takeo Onsen Station and run along the shore of the Ariake Sea to Nagasaki Station. The afternoon train’s return journey allows passengers to view Omura Bay. Specialties found along the route will be sold on board.

“I hope to create a train that has a lasting popularity and that it will lead to the revitalization of western Kyushu,” said JR Kyushu President Yoji Furumiya.

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