Will the Tokushima Line Limited Express "Tsurugisan" Be Discontinued Due to KiHa 185 Series Retirement? Or Will Vehicle Replacement Occur via Reducing Cars on the "Uwakai" and "Ashizuri"? - JR Shikoku Tokushima Line Timetable Revision Prediction (Scheduled for March 2026)
Table of Contents
- 1.Will the Tokushima Line Limited Express "Tsurugisan" Be Discontinued Due to All Trains in Shikoku Becoming Reserved-Seat Only?
- 2.Can Rolling Stock for the Limited Express "Tsurugisan" Be Secured by Reducing Cars on the Yosan Line Limited Express "Uwakai" and the Dosan Line Limited Express "Ashizuri"?
- 3.Conclusion
1. Will the Tokushima Line Limited Express "Tsurugisan" Be Discontinued Due to All Trains in Shikoku Becoming Reserved-Seat Only?
The 2025 revision of discount tickets will see the abolition of the "Okayama Non-Reserved Seat Tokuwari Coupon Ticket" within the year.
Consequently, the March 2026 JR Shikoku timetable revision may involve not only transitioning the Okayama-departing/arriving limited express services "Shiokaze" and "Nanpū" (which connect to Honshu and the Shinkansen) to all reserved-seat configuration, but also potentially moving all conventional limited express trains within Shikoku to full reserved seating.
However, increasing the number of seats leads to higher seat allocation fees paid to the JR Systems company that manages the MARS seat reservation system. While high occupancy rates would allow cost recovery through revenue, implementing all reserved seating on trains with few passengers would only unnecessarily increase JR Shikoku's expenses. This raises the question: would they deliberately retain infrequent limited express services as limited express trains?
In fact, JR Shikoku's previous timetable revision on March 15, 2025, discontinued the Mugi Line Limited Express "Muroto" and halved the services of the Tokushima Line Limited Express "Tsurugisan," which also originates/terminates at Tokushima Station. Given this precedent, might the Tokushima Line Limited Express "Tsurugisan," which also uses aging KiHa 185 series diesel cars, face discontinuation?
2. Can Rolling Stock for the Limited Express "Tsurugisan" Be Secured by Reducing Cars on the Yosan Line Limited Express "Uwakai" and the Dosan Line Limited Express "Ashizuri"?
The March 2026 JR Shikoku timetable revision could lead to the discontinuation of the lightly used Tokushima Line Limited Express "Tsurugisan" due to the retirement of the aging KiHa 185 series. However, if service reductions on other limited express lines free up rolling stock, there is a possibility of using these surplus vehicles to maintain the "Tsurugisan" service.
As of 2025, the Tokushima Line Limited Express "Tsurugisan" consists of two operations using 2-car sets. One of these is a combined 4-car operation (two sets coupled), which could likely be reduced to a 3-car formation. Therefore, only one surplus 3-car formation would be needed.
Furthermore, the potential shift to all reserved-seat operation on other limited express trains within Shikoku might allow for reducing the number of cars per set, potentially freeing up the necessary rolling stock.
There are two candidate lines for this. The first is the Yosan Line Limited Express "Uwakai." As it operates using N2000 series diesel cars, which can be configured in single-car units, reducing formations from 4 cars to 3, or from 3 cars to 2, could free up a total of 3 cars. This suggests it might be feasible to manage through car reduction alone without cutting the number of services.
The other candidate is the Dosan Line Limited Express "Ashizuri." However, this line already operates mostly with 2-car sets, and reduction is likely limited to going from 3 cars to 2. Therefore, reducing car numbers alone probably couldn't free up 3 cars, and a reduction in the number of services (trips) would also seem necessary.
Considering this, the adjustment for the Tokushima Line Limited Express "Tsurugisan" following the KiHa 185 series retirement will likely involve reallocating substitute rolling stock obtained by reducing formations on the Yosan Line Limited Express "Uwakai." This would probably result in the "Tsurugisan" being operated by N2000 series diesel cars instead of the KiHa 185 series.
3. Conclusion
For the upcoming March 2026 JR Shikoku timetable revision, the retirement of the KiHa 185 series diesel cars currently used for the Tokushima Line Limited Express "Tsurugisan" means there is a significant possibility of the service being discontinued. Simultaneously, there is also a possibility that vehicles could be allocated by reducing the number of cars on the Yosan Line Limited Express "Uwakai."
We look forward to seeing what kind of timetable revisions JR Shikoku will implement in the future.
