Asia Express

Asia Express
The Asia Express
Overview
Service typeSuper express
StatusDiscontinued
LocaleJapanese Empire - Manchukuo
First serviceNovember 1934
Last service28 February 1943
Former operator(s)South Manchuria Railway
Route
TerminiDalian
Harbin
Stops9
Distance travelled943.3 km (586.1 mi)
Average journey time13 hours, 5 minutes
On-board services
Class(es)1st, 2nd, 3rd
Catering facilitiesDining car
Observation facilitiesTail-end observation carriage
Other facilitiesLounge
Technical
Rolling stock
  • Pashina class locomotive
  • One baggage/mail carriage
  • Two 3rd class carriage(s)
  • One dining car
  • One 2nd class carriage
  • One 1st class observation carriage
Track gauge1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in)
Operating speedMax: 135 km/h (84 mph)
Avg: 80 km/h (50 mph)
Asia Express
Chinese name
Traditional Chinese亞細亞號
Simplified Chinese亚细亚号
Transcriptions
Standard Mandarin
Hanyu PinyinYàxìyà hào
Japanese name
Kanji亜細亜号
Hiraganaあじあごう
Katakanaアジアゴウ
Transcriptions
RomanizationAjia-gō

The Asia Express (Japanese: アジア号, romanized: Ajia-gō, simplified Chinese: 亚细亚号; traditional Chinese: 亞細亞號; pinyin: Yàxìyà hào) was a super express passenger train operated by the South Manchuria Railway (Mantetsu) from 1934 until 1943.[1] This limited express, which began operation in November 1934 and was Mantetsu's most iconic train, operated in Manchukuo between Dalian and Changchun, and was extended to Harbin in 1935.[2][3]

The Asia Express featured several world firsts, such as fully enclosed, air-conditioned carriages, and was envisioned as being the first step in building a network of high-speed trains extending as far as Singapore.[2] In addition to showcasing Japanese technology, it served as a symbol of technology and modernism in Manchukuo, and was used to demonstrate the success of Japan's imperial project. It was featured prominently on fliers, posters, and even postage stamps, and Manchukuo children's textbooks included passages about it.[4] Reporters from the United States rode the inaugural train, complimenting it on its speed and luxurious comfort, and praised Mantetsu's efforts at developing Manchukuo.[2]

  1. ^ Ichihara, Yoshizumi (1998). 写真集南満洲鉄道 [South Manchuria Railway Photo Collection] (in Japanese). Seibundo Shinkosha Publishing Co. Ltd. pp. 119–120, 135.
  2. ^ a b c "満州写真館 特急あじあ" (in Japanese). Archived from the original on 2017-03-02. Retrieved 2017-03-02.
  3. ^ The Asia Express Locomotives International issue 125 June 2020 pages 60/61
  4. ^ Young, Louise (1998). Japan's Total Empire. Berkeley: University of California Press. pp. 246–7.