YUFUIN NO MORI: DEPARTING FROM BEPPU

All aboard! Today I'm going back to Hakara from Beppu on JR Kyushu's Yufuin no Mori limited express service. The Sonic service can run to Hakata Station in just 2 hours or so. However, the journey on this train, operated by the classic KiHa 71 series DMU with a panoramic cabin and running through the mountains via Yufuin and Kurume, requires about 3.5h. Let's see how it goes.

まもなく発車。今日はJR九州の特急列車「ゆふいんの森」で別府から博多へ戻る。車両はパノラマキャビンがついたクラシックなキハ71系気動車。ソニックなら博多駅まで2時間ほどだが、こちらは由布院と久留米を経由する山間ルートを行くので3時間半程度かかる。さて、どうなりますか。