Limited express

The term "limited express" is a common translation of the Japanese compound noun tokubetsu kyūkō (特別急行); literally "special express"; often abbreviated as tokkyū (特急). Although some operators translate the word differently, this section is about tokubetsu kyūkō trains in Japan regardless of the translation by the operators. This term also includes terms with limited express in them, such as "Rapid Limited Express" (快速特急, kaisoku tokkyū).

There are two types of limited express trains: intercity and commuter. The former type of limited express trains generally use long-distance coaches, equipped better than other ordinary express trains, including reserved seating, dining cars or food and beverage carts, and "green cars" (first class cars). The latter type of limited express train usually incurs no surcharge, but seating is usually first-come, first-served, since this type of train uses commuter train coaches. Both types of trains travel faster and stop at fewer stations.

Until 1972, the Hikari on the Tōkaidō Shinkansen was officially a chōtokkyū (超特急), that is, "beyond limited express" or "super express", and was priced higher than the Kodama, the limited express on the same line. Presently all Shinkansen services are officially limited express, but are usually referred to as "super express" in English.

The table below summarizes the limited express on major Japanese railways (JR Group, Toei and 16 major private railways minus one major private railway that does not operate limited express, which is Tokyo Metro).

Limited express on major railways in Japan

Railway	Train type		Surcharge	Picture (example)	Note
	English	Japanese
JR Group	Limited Express	Tokkyū Tsūkin Tokkyū (JR West only)	Yes
Toei	Airport Limited Express	Eapōto Kaitoku	No		These services operate on the Toei Asakusa Line.
	Limited Express	Kaitoku, Kaisoku Tokkyū, Tokkyū
	Access Express	Akusesu Tokkyū
	Commuter Express	Tsūkin Tokkyū
Tobu Railway	Limited Express	Tokkyū	Yes		Limited express services with no surcharge on the Tobu Tojo Line were discontinued on 13 June 2008.
Seibu Railway	Limited Express	Tokkyū	Yes
Keisei Electric Railway	Limited Express	Kaisoku Tokkyū, Tokkyū	No		Skyliner, Morningliner, Eveningliner and Cityliner limited express services are classed higher than conventional limited express trains and are charged.
	Access Express	Akusesu Tokkyū
	Commuter Express	Tsūkin Tokkyū
Keio Corporation	Special Express	Tokkyū	No		Keio Liner is classed higher than special express and is charged.
	Semi Special Express	Juntokkyū
Odakyu Electric Railway	Limited Express	Tokkyū	Yes		Some Romancecar limited express services operate on the Tokyo Metro network (one of the two operators of the 16 major private railways that do not offer limited express services at all).
Tokyu Corporation	Limited Express	Tokkyū	No		S-Train services from Seibu Railway that are classed higher than Tokyu limited express services and are charged operate on the Tokyu Toyoko Line.
	Commuter Limited Express (also called Commuter Express)	Tsūkin Tokkyū
Keikyu Corporation	Limited Express	Kaitoku, Tokkyū	No		Keikyu Wing and Morning Wing services are classed higher than limited express and are charged.
	Airport Limited Express	Eapōto Kaitoku
Sagami Railway	Limited Express	Tokkyū	No
Nagoya Railroad	μSKY	Myū-Sukai	Yes		Trains consist of first class cars (charged) only.
	Rapid Limited Express	Kaisoku Tokkyū	Some trains		Some trains consist of regular cars only.
	Limited Express	Tokkyū
Kintetsu Railway	Limited Express	Tokkyū	Yes
Nankai Electric Railway	Limited Express	Tokkyū	Some trains		Rapi:t, Koya, Rinkan,and Senboku Liner services consist of reserved seat cars (charged) only.
Keihan Electric Railway	Limited Express	Tokkyū,Kaisoku Tokkyū	Some trains		Starting August 2017 one first class car (called Premium car) is present on some Limited Express services
	Liner	Liner	Yes
Hankyu Corporation	Limited Express	Tokkyū	No
	Commuter Limited Express	Tsūkin Tokkyū
	Rapid Limited Express	Kaisoku Tokkyū
	Rapid Limited Express A	Kaisoku Tokkyū A
Hanshin Electric Railway	Limited Express	Tokkyū, Chokutsū Tokkyū, Kukan Tokkyū,	No
Nishi-Nippon Railroad	Limited Express	Tokkyū	No

In the era of steam-hauled provincial expresses, limited express services were common on highly trafficked routes. The Night Limited was the premier express train on the North Island Main Trunk Railway between Auckland and Wellington from 1924 until 1971; during peak seasons, it was augmented by the Daylight Limited. Following the Night Limited was a slower unnamed express that stopped at more stations and provided a lower level of comfort.

A different pattern was employed on the Main South Line. The South Island Limited express ran three days a week from Christchurch through Dunedin to Invercargill, with a slower regular express operating on the other four days. Both regular and limited expresses were augmented by additional services between intermediate destinations, such as an evening railcar between Christchurch and Dunedin operated by the 88 seater or Vulcan classes.

Limited expresses were rare beyond the main trunk routes and the regular provincial expresses were typically augmented with even slower mixed trains. However, when the Rotorua Express schedule was accelerated in 1930 and its carriages upgraded, it was rebranded as the Rotorua Limited. Due to the Great Depression and rising car ownership levels, it did not achieve the level of success intended, thus in 1937 it reverted to the status and service pattern of a regular express.

After the demise of the Night Limited and the South Island Limited in 1971, the term "limited express" fell into disuse in New Zealand and has not been applied to any subsequent trains. However, from 1971 to 1979, the Silver Star performed the role of a limited express as it operated to a faster schedule than a supplementary slower service that was known from 1975 as the Northerner.

As of 13 March 2017, Auckland Transport introduced limited express services on the Onehunga Line. These services operate until 7:30 PM on weekdays, bypassing Parnell, Remuera and Greenlane stations.[1]

Some of the most elite trains in the United States in the twentieth century were called "limited", a name that typically graced overnight trains that made very few stops. (However, the fastest train between New York and Washington, DC, a day train, in the Pennsylvania Railroad era was called the Congressional Limited Express, and it had few stops, like the longer distance "Limiteds".)

Famous limiteds of America have included:

• the Chicago, Milwaukee & St Paul Railway’s Pioneer Limited - one of the first and longest running named trains in the country
• the New York Central Railroad's 20th Century Limited and its Amtrak successor, the Lake Shore Limited
• the Pennsylvania Railroad's (and later, Amtrak) Broadway Limited
• the New Haven's (and later, Amtrak) Merchants Limited
• the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad's National Limited
• the Rock Island Rail Road's and the Southern Pacific Railroad's Golden State Limited
• the Santa Fe Railroad's Super Chief
• the Union Pacific Railroad's City of Los Angeles

the Southern Pacific Railroad's Sunset Limited The B and O Railroad's Capitol Limited

From September 23, 1978 to April 15, 1990, the New York City Subway operated a limited express premium-fare subway service from Manhattan to JFK, which was called the JFK Express. The subway service made express stops at subway stations in Manhattan and one subway station in Brooklyn, before running nonstop to Howard Beach-JFK Airport, where transfers to free airport shuttle buses were provided. The JFK Express proved to be unsuccessful, seeing low ridership in part because the service did not actually serve any airline terminals.

Some commuter railroads operate express trains making limited stops. The Long Island Rail Road operates some rush hour trains that run 50 miles between the central city station and the first stop of its express route itinerary, for instance, on the Ronkonkoma Line.[2] The Metro-North Railroad runs some rush hour trains that run 29 miles between the central city and the first stop of their route itinerary on the Hudson Line and the New Haven Line.

Due to the wide availability of service on the Northeast Regional and Acela Express, most of Amtrak's medium- and long-distance trains operating along the Northeast Corridor only stop to discharge passengers from Washington Union Station (or in some cases, Alexandria Union Station) northward, and to receive passengers from Newark Penn Station southward.

The term "Limited Express" is 특급 (特急, Teukgeup) in Korean. Limited express trains stop at fewer stations than regular express trains (급행, 急行, Geuphaeng).

Limited express on major railways in South Korea

Railway	Train type		Surcharge	Picture (example)	Line	Section
	English	Korean
Korail	Limited Express	특급(特急) (Teukgeup)	No		Seoul Subway Line 1 (Gyeongin Line)	Yongsan ~ Dongincheon
	ITX-Cheongchun	ITX-청춘(靑春) (ITX-Cheongchun)	Yes		Gyeongchun Line	Yongsan ~ Chuncheon

• Rail transport in Japan
• Limited-stop
• Cardinal
• Metroliner

• Japan Railways Group - Train and seat types