JR Kyushu KiHa 72 series

Data (as of 5 Apr 2025)

History

KiHa 72 series is a limited express diesel train specifically for Yufuin no Mori (Hakata - Yufuin via Kurume). After successful introduction of KiHa 71 series train for tourists, JR Kyushu decided to order a new train. The KiHa 72 series looks very similar to the KiHa 71 series, but the KiHa 72s were made from the ground up. Engines and transmissions are the same as those of KiHa 200 series. Only one unit was introduced, and it was initially formed of four coaches, but an intermediate carriage was added in 2015 in response to an increase in demand.

Unlike recent trains for tourists, the KiHa 72 series has no first class. All five coaches are standard class, and there is also a buffet (though the coach is not numbered as "Shi", a letter used for dining or buffet cars in the JR numbering method).

Current Operations & Future Prospects

The KiHa 72 series train is used for Limited Express Yufuin no Mori (which means "the forest of Yufuin"). To be exact, Yufuin no Mori 1, Yufuin no Mori 2, Yufuin no Mori 5 and Yufuin no Mori 6, all of which run between Hakata and Yufuin (i.e. not going as far as Oita or Beppu). When the train is not available due to regular maintenance or a sudden breakdown, KiHa 185 series runs instead.