Classic route
Limited Express Sonic
Fukuoka → Oita · Japan
Limited Express Sonic in pictures


Photographs by their authors, hosted on Wikimedia Commons · tap through for the licence
- Distance
- 200 km
- Fastest time
- 2 h 05 min
- Average speed
- 96 km/h
- Top speed
- 130 km/h
- Train
- 883 “Sonic” tilting EMU
- Countries
- Japan
- In service since
- 1995
Figures are published values, not live data · corrections log
The blue “wonderland express”: tilting 883s reverse at Kokura and chase the coast past Nakatsu to the steaming hells of Beppu and Oita.
How this line was checked
- Checked against OpenStreetMap: the whole line lies on real track, a median 6 m from it
- The operator publishes this line's timetable: JR Kyushu — a place to look it up, not a check of our drawing
- Wikipedia has an article for this line
How long is the Limited Express Sonic?
The Limited Express Sonic runs 200 km from Fukuoka to Oita.
How long does the Limited Express Sonic take?
The fastest scheduled journey is 2 h 05 min for the 200 km. That is an average of 96 km/h end to end. The line's top service speed is 130 km/h.
Who runs the Limited Express Sonic?
JR Kyushu, with 883 “Sonic” tilting EMU.
How old is the Limited Express Sonic?
The line has been in service since 1995. That is the year the atlas dates it from: for a modern brand running over an older railway, it is the railway's date, not the brand's.
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