Galaxy Express 999

Overview

The Galaxy Express 999 is a space train and route in the Galaxy Railways transit system. It is one of the most expensive routes available and many must save up money for years just to travel on it. Despite express being in the title, the route is actually extremely indirect and has many stops and layovers with some lasting a few hours and others lasting for weeks. To compensate for the lengthiness of the stops, passengers are given an allowance and occasionally they are provided with hotel accommodations during especially long layovers. The final stop for the GE999 is the planet Andromeda, where free mechanical bodies are given to those who visit.

Creation

The Galaxy Express 999 originally appeared in a manga of the same name that was created by Leiji Matsumoto that ran from 1977 to 1987. Matsumoto has said that the inspiration for the train and series came from Kenji Miyazawa's 1934 novel Night on the Galactic Railroad.