Hikari (train)

Hikari
700 series Hikari Rail Star, April 2009
Overview
Service typeShinkansen (Semi-express)
StatusOperational
First service25 April 1958 (Express)
1 October 1964 (Shinkansen)
Current operator(s)JR Central, JR West
Former operator(s)JNR
Route
TerminiHakata (San'yō Shinkansen)
Shin-Ōsaka (Tokaido Shinkansen and San'yō Shinkansen)
Tokyo (Tokaido Shinkansen)
Line(s) used
On-board services
Class(es)Green + Standard
Catering facilitiesTrolley refreshment service (until October 2023)
Technical
Rolling stock700/N700 series
Track gauge1,435 mm (4 ft 8+12 in) standard gauge
Electrification25 kV AC, 60 Hz
Operating speed

Hikari (ひかり, "Light") is the name of a high-speed train service running on the Tōkaidō and San'yō Shinkansen "bullet train" lines in Japan. Slower than the premier Nozomi but faster than the all-stations Kodama, the Hikari is the fastest train service on the Tōkaidō and San'yō Shinkansen that can be used with the Japan Rail Pass, which is not valid for travel on the Nozomi or Mizuho trains except through a special supplementary ticket.