寝台列車(しんだいれっしゃ)

A compound of 寝台(しんだい) (bed; sleeping berth) and 列車(れっしゃ) (train). Once a common mode of long-distance travel in Japan, most sleeper trains have been discontinued due to competition from the 新幹線(しんかんせん) (bullet train) and domestic airlines. The luxury cruise train サンライズ瀬戸(せと)・出雲(いずも) (Sunrise Seto/Izumo) between Tokyo and western Japan is one of the few remaining regular services.

Common collocations

• 寝台列車(しんだいれっしゃ)に乗(の)る: to ride a sleeper train
• 寝台列車(しんだいれっしゃ)の旅(たび): a sleeper train journey
• 豪華(ごうか)寝台列車(しんだいれっしゃ): luxury sleeper train
• 寝台列車(しんだいれっしゃ)が廃止(はいし)される: a sleeper train route is discontinued

Similar words

• 夜行列車(やこうれっしゃ): night train — a broader term for trains running overnight; not all have sleeping berths
• 特急列車(とっきゅうれっしゃ): limited express train — a fast train that may or may not run overnight
• ブルートレイン: Blue Train — nickname for the classic blue-painted Japanese sleeper trains, now mostly retired