White Arrow

For other uses, see White Arrow (disambiguation).

White Arrow
Super White Arrow

785 series EMU on a Super White Arrow service, October 2002
Overview
Service type	Limited express
Locale	Hokkaido
First service	3 March 1986 (White Arrow) 1 September 1990 (Super White Arrow)
Last service	30 September 2007
Successor	Super Kamui
Current operator(s)	JR Hokkaido
Former operator(s)	JNR
Route
Termini	Sapporo Asahikawa
Distance travelled	136.8 km
Average journey time	1 hr 20 mins
Technical
Rolling stock	781 series & 785 series EMUs
Track gauge	1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in)
Electrification	20 kV AC overhead
Operating speed	130 km/h (80 mph)

The White Arrow (ホワイトアロー, howaito arō), and later Super White Arrow (スーパーホワイトアロー, sūpā howaito arō) were limited express train services operated by Hokkaido Railway Company (JR Hokkaido) on the Hakodate Main Line between the cities of Sapporo and Asahikawa in Hokkaido, Japan, between 1986 and 2007.

History

White Arrow services began on 3 March 1986 as a new limited express operating between Sapporo and Asahikawa via the Hakodate Main Line, supplementing the existing Lilac services also operating between Sapporo and Asahikawa.[1]

From 1 September 1990, the service was renamed Super White Arrow with the introduction of new 785 series EMUs.[1]

Services were discontinued from the start of the 1 October 2007 timetable revision when the Super White Arrow was combined with the Lilac service to form the new Super Kamui service.[2]

Service pattern

White Arrow services served the following stations:

• Sapporo - Iwamizawa - Fukagawa - Asahikawa

Super White Arrow services operated at hourly intervals, with 13 return workings daily, departing on the hour from Sapporo and Asahikawa, and served the following stations:

• Sapporo - Iwamizawa - Bibai (some trains only) - Sunagawa (some trains only) - Takikawa - Fukagawa - Asahikawa

The Super White Arrow services operated at a maximum speed of 130 km/h, with an average speed of 102.6 km/h, completing the 136.8 km journey in 1 hour and 20 minutes.[1][3]

Rolling stock

• 781 series 4-car EMUs (White Arrow) 1986–1990
• 785 series 4/6-car (later 5-car) EMUs (Super White Arrow) 1990–2007

• 
  781 series EMU on a White Arrow service, 1990
• 
  781 series substituting on a Super White Arrow service, June 2004
• 
  785 series on a Super White Arrow service, 1990

References

1. 列車名鑑1995 [Train Name Directory 1995]. Japan: Railway Journal. August 1995.
2. JR新幹線＆特急列車ファイル [JR Shinkansen & Limited Express Train File]. Japan: Kōtsū Shimbun. 2008. p. 84. ISBN 978-4-330-00608-6.
3. こだわりの新幹線＆特急列車ガイド [In-depth Shinkansen & Limited Express Guide]. Japan: Ikaros Publishing. August 2000. ISBN 4-87149-284-2.

External links