Astral Express

"The galaxy is vast beyond compare, containing an infinite number of possibilities."

Our community needs more information on this page! Can you help out? Click here to add more. The reason provided was:

Planarcadia info.

This article is about the train. For the group affiliated with it, see Astral Express Crew.

The train that Akivili, Aeon of Trailblaze, once rode upon.
It travels on the star rail to traverse between the worlds.

Loading Screen: Astral Express

The Astral Express, also referred to as the Chromatic Echelon by the Xianzhou Alliance,^[1] is a large, spacefaring train that serves as one of the main settings of Honkai: Star Rail. It is both the means of travel and primary residence of the Astral Express crew.

The Astral Express is not treated as its own world in Navigation, but is instead accessible from every world's area list. Currently, three cars can be accessed in-game: the Parlor Car, Party Car, and the Passenger Cabin. A buffet car has been mentioned, but has not been seen.^[2]

Description

"Choo! Choo! Sit tight, no one fight, warp jump watch your head. Choo! Choo! Seat belt, fasten-up, buffet car speeding up!"

— Astral Express Safety Instructions (Pom-Pom version)

After the fall of Akivili, the Aeon of Trailblaze, THEIR trailblazing will was inherited by THEIR followers, the Nameless, including the Astral Express that the Aeon once rode on. However, as the Cancer of All Worlds continues to spread, the star rails that the Express runs on also fell victim. The Express could barely run before the blight descended, and had no choice but to run around when the rails became overly obstructed.

It remained so for many years until a girl with red hair discovered the desolate Express. She was fascinated by the wordless stories the engine and the star rails had in store. She spent countless hours repairing the cracks and evening the dents, restoring the Express to its original form. The curious girl then set foot into the Express and began her trailblazing voyage that surveys the cosmos.

The Astral Express made stops at every station, with passengers boarding and exiting along the way. Many join and leave the Express' journey. The travelers come from different worlds, shoulder different burdens, and head to different destinations. However, while they are on the Astral Express, they would share the same voyage. That is why Himeko and the Express do not hesitate to open the doors to anyone willing to share this magical experience, regardless of their agendas and intentions.

Data Bank, Factions

History

The Astral Express was created by Akivili, the Aeon of Trailblaze, and used to transport THEM and the Nameless to multiple worlds. After Akivili's disappearance, it fell into disrepair and eventually crash-landed on Planarcadia. Himeko discovered the wreckage and repaired the Express, becoming its navigator and forming a new Astral Express crew. Their current goal is to retrace Akivili's steps, repairing the star rail THEY laid down thousands of years ago and sealing the Stellarons threatening the galaxy. Legends claim that Akivili's heart powers the core of the Express, although Himeko has found no evidence to support this claim.^[3]

Shortly after the fall of Akivili, a loyal group of Nameless took THEIR trailblazing legacy upon themselves. However, the star rail became obstructed as Stellarons began spreading across the galaxy, preventing the Express from running. It eventually fell into disrepair and was abandoned.

Some time later, the Express crash-landed onto Planarcadia^[4] during Asat Pramad's invasion, standing on the planet like a tower, and the Nameless on the Express emerged and began assisting the planet's natives in fending off the invasion. Graphia, Asat Pramad's adoptive daughter, was inspired to defect from the Antimatter Legion and help the people of Ahatopia instead, which eventually led her to repel the invasion.^[5] Many years later, Himeko, Graphia's descendant, discovered the train and was inspired to repair it and take to the stars.^{[Note 1]} She successfully repaired the train after many years, and began retracing Akivili's steps through the universe, eventually recruiting Welt, Void Archives (now departed), Dan Heng, March 7th, and the Trailblazer to the crew. The Express is currently traveling on a route that Akivili once embarked on, with its final destination being THEIR home world, Pegana.^[3]^[6]

As the Astral Express crew finished their adventure on Penacony, Welt explained that the Express gets fuel by converting "Trailblaze" into the energy needed for it to run. As long as trailblazing expeditions continued without interruption, the Express would receive a constant flow of energy akin to a perpetual motion machine. However, due to their prior expeditions taking longer than anticipated, they only had enough fuel for two more warp jumps. To solve this problem, the Memokeeper Black Swan suggested they travel to a world that even Akivili had never reached — the Eternal Land, Amphoreus. If they could lay down a new stretch of the star rail to Amphoreus, the Express would never have to worry about fuel again.^[7]

Subareas

There are 4 Subareas in Astral Express:

Name	Image	Description
Passenger Cabin		This express car had witnessed many stories, and now it is only a guest area for the Crew to rest in.
Parlor Car		Strictly speaking, the name "Parlor Car" is not quite accurate. There are, after all, many cars with windows, and they can also be used to take in the scenery. But considering this car is usually used to receive guests, perhaps the various individuals who board the Express count as the true "scenery" within the car.
Party Car		Once called the Meeting Car and newly renamed the Party Car. Its primary use is as a cafeteria and bar, but sometimes it's also used for meetings and board games. The only thing it hasn't quite been used for is parties...
Trailblazer's Room (Subarea)

Location Mentions

Character Stories

Character	Stories
Fugue	Character Story: Part III

Readables

Items

Consumables

Relics

HoYoLAB Articles

Characters

Playable Characters

13 Characters match the category selection:

Character	Path	Combat Type
Dan Heng	The Hunt	Wind
Dan Heng • Imbibitor Lunae	Destruction	Imaginary
Himeko	Erudition	Fire
Himeko • Nova	Erudition	Fire
March 7th	Preservation	Ice
March 7th	The Hunt	Imaginary
Sunday	Harmony	Imaginary
Trailblazer	Destruction	Physical
Trailblazer	Preservation	Fire
Trailblazer	Harmony	Imaginary
Trailblazer	Remembrance	Ice
Trailblazer	Elation	Lightning
Welt	Nihility	Imaginary

NPCs

Related NPCs

There are 8 additional NPCs related to Astral Express:

Upcoming NPCs

There are no upcoming NPCs related to Astral Express.

Trivia

"Astral Express" is also the name of the main Chinese server of Honkai: Star Rail.

Notes

↑ Himeko directly contradicts her own statements when the Express first landed: her regular dialogue states that it crashed long before she was born, but after defeating Svarog in Trailblaze Mission To Rot or to Burn, she states that it crashed on her birthday when she was hiking outdoors. As of Trailblaze Mission chapter The Lethe Below the Living, the former is discovered to be true.

Other Languages

Language	Official Name
English	Astral Express
Chinese (Simplified)	星穹列车
Chinese (Traditional)	星穹列車
Japanese	星せい穹きゅう列車れっしゃ
Korean	은하열차
Spanish	Expreso Astral
French	Astral Express
Russian	Звёздный экспресс
Thai	Astral Express
Vietnamese	Đội Tàu Astral
German	Astralexpress
Indonesian	Astral Express
Portuguese	Expresso Astral