Hayabusa (sleeper train)

The "Peregrine falcon" (はやぶさ) is a high-speed limited express sleeping car service formerly operated by JR Kyushu which ran from Tokyo to Kumamoto in Japan until March 2009. The name is now used for a Shinkansen service operated by JR East and JR Hokkaido, which runs from Tokyo to Shin-Hakodate-Hokuto from March 2016.

Route
Hayabusa services stopped at Tōkyō, Yokohama, Atami, Numazu, Fuji, Shizuoka, Hamamatsu, Toyohashi*, Nagoya, Gifu*, Kyōto*, Ōsaka*, Sannomiya, Okayama, Kurashiki, Fukuyama*, Onomichi*, Hiroshima, Iwakuni, Yanai, Kudamatsu, Tokuyama, Hōfu, Shin-Yamaguchi, Ube, Shimonoseki, Moji, Kokura, Hakata, Tosu, Kurume, Ōmuta, Kumamoto.

(*) Not served at all trains

The train coupled with the Fuji sleeper between Tokyo and Moji. The Fuji separated and continued to Ōita Station.

The 1315 km Tokyo - Kumamoto run takes around 17 and a half hours, leaving Tokyo at 18:03 and arriving in Kumamoto at 12:51. The return service left Kumamoto at 15:57 and arrived in Tokyo at 10:03.

History
The Hayabusa service commenced on 1 October 1958, operating between Tokyo and Kagoshima. From 20 July 1960, the train was upgraded with 20 series sleeping cars, and extended to run to and from Nishi-Kagoshima (now Kagoshima-Chūō). From 9 March 1975, the train was upgraded with 24 series sleeping cars.

Dining car service was discontinued from March 1993.

From 4 December 1999, the Hayabusa was combined with the Sakura service between Tokyo and Tosu.

From 1 March 2005, the Hayabusa was combined with the Fuji service between Tokyo and Moji, following the discontinuation of the Sakura service which previously operated in conjunction with the Hayabusa.

Finally, due to declining ridership, the Hayabusa, along with its counterpart service, the Fuji, was discontinued from the start of the revised timetable on 14 March 2009.