Rakuraku Biwako
Japanese train service
The Rakuraku Biwako (らくラクびわこ, Rakuraku Biwako) is a commuter limited express train service operated by West Japan Railway Company (JR West) between Osaka and Maibara or Kusatsu in Japan since June 2003. It replaced the previous Biwako Liner services.
01Service pattern
02Rolling stock
- 681 series or 683 series 6-car EMU sets
- KiHa 189 series 3-car DMU (since March 2014)
Services were initially operated using the nine-car 681 series or 683 series EMUs used on Thunderbird services.
03Formations
Rakuraku Biwako 1 and 2
Rakuraku Biwako 1 and 2 (between Osaka and Maibara) are formed as follows, with car 1 at the Maibara end.
| Car No. | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Accommodation | Green | Reserved | Reserved | Reserved | Reserved | Reserved |
- Trains run as 9-car formations on certain days.
Rakuraku Biwako 4
Rakuraku Biwako 4 (Osaka to Kusatsu) is formed as follows, with car 1 at the Osaka end.
| Car No. | 1 | 2 | 3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Accommodation | Reserved | Reserved | Reserved |
| Facilities | Wheelchair-accessible toilet |
- All cars are standard class and no-smoking.
- Trains run as 6-car formations during busy periods.
04History
The Biwako Express service was introduced from 2 June 2003.
The service was made entirely no-smoking from 1 June 2009.
The service started calling at Minami-Kusatsu Station, and all seats become reserved from 13 March 2021.
Effective the 16 March 2024 timetable revision, all services were renamed to Rakuraku Biwako. At the same time, 9-car 683 series sets operated on this service were replaced with 6-car 681 or 683 series sets.
Sources and credits
This article is adapted from the Wikipedia article “Rakuraku Biwako”, written by its contributors and licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Fathomly has changed the layout, removed citation markers, navigation and maintenance notices, and adjusted punctuation. This adapted version is shared under the same license. For references, see the original article.
Fathomly is not affiliated with or endorsed by the Wikimedia Foundation. Spotted a problem? Tell us.