Kominato Railway: 2026 Update

A panoramic view of Kominato Railway’s Goi Railyard

Can you guess where and when the top photo was taken?

If you’re familiar with Japanese railways, you might think, “This must be a countryside railyard from many years ago, because the diesel railcars in the photo were mainly introduced in the 1960s and 1970s for local services.”

Or maybe you’d guess, “It was taken recently, but it looks like a diorama, since rolling stock from different companies are parked together in one place.”

Thank you for joining my small quiz and giving those reasonable guesses.

The answer is: the photo was recently taken at Kominato Railway’s Goi Railyard.

Before sharing the full story, let me briefly introduce Kominato Railway and the Goi Railyard.

Kominato Railway is a local private railway company based in Ichihara City, Chiba Prefecture, about 50 km east of Tokyo. The company operates the Kominato Line, which runs between Goi and Kazusa-Nakano over a total distance of 39.1 km. The track is single and not electrified. Goi Railyard is the only railyard on the Kominato Line.

Now, thank you for waiting. Here is the story.

I visited the Kominato Line recently for the first time in four years, and I found two diesel railcars that I had not seen during my previous visits in 2018, 2021, and 2022.

First, you can see a maroon-colored diesel railcar in the center of the top photo. This is Unit KiHa 212 of the KiHa 200 series. It entered service in 1975 with the two-tone “fire orange” and “morn ivory” body, just like the other railcars of the same series. However, in April this year, its body color was changed to maroon to celebrate the 101st anniversary of the Kominato Line. Congratulations, KiHa 212! You were specially chosen.

Second, another unfamiliar diesel railcar appears to the left of Unit KiHa 212. If you have been visiting this blog for a long time, you may recognize its coloring — it’s the “Oga Line color” used by JR East in Akita Prefecture. This car, Unit KiHa 40-4 of the KiHa 40 series, was transferred from JR East’s Oga Line in 2022. It still keeps its original Oga Line colors: dark green and ivory. It looks beautiful.

Finally, I would like to introduce my favorite spot along the line: the Kominato Waiting Room and Café (please see the related link below). As its name suggests, it is both a train waiting room and a café next to Goi Station, directly operated by Kominato Railway. Visitors can enjoy food and drinks indoors or outdoors while watching trains come and go (see the photo below).

I enjoyed a delicious curry and iced coffee there. I couldn’t have been happier.

Units 40-4 (left) and 212 (right) viewed from the Kominato Waiting Room and Cafe

Related links:

・Official information on Kominato Railway’s rolling stock (in Japanese)

・Official information on the Kominato Waiting Room and Café (in Japanese)

Series 2000 EMU for My 2000th Post

Keio Series 2000 EMU with its commemorative introduction plate

Thanks for stopping by Tokyo Railway Labyrinth! Hard to believe this is already the 2000th post. I’m truly grateful for all the international rail fans who keep visiting this blog.

To celebrate this “2000” milestone, I’m revisiting trains with “2000” in their name. You might remember the post I wrote back in January about Keio’s new Series 2000 EMU. Today, I’m diving a bit deeper into the technical side—so let’s jump right in.

The Series 2000 is a commuter EMU built for 1,500 V DC and runs on 1,372 mm gauge track. Each trainset is 200 meters long with a 5M5T formation—five motor cars and five trailers. The stainless-steel bodies feature a repeating circular motif, giving the train a clean, modern look. Its traction system uses a full-SiC VFD paired with 150 kW induction motors. Keio plans to introduce four sets in total by March 2027.

One interesting technical highlight is its deceleration-feedback braking system. Even if Car 1 experiences wheel slip, Cars 2 and 3 automatically boost their braking force to maintain a safe stopping distance. The system adapts well to rain, snow, and different loading conditions, making it reliable in everyday operations.

Okay—enough heavy talk. Let’s switch gears and take a look at the photo above.

You’ll notice a special commemorative plate on the front of the train, celebrating the Series 2000’s introduction. It was displayed for only one month after its debut on January 31, so I’m glad I managed to catch it early.

Now, check out the photo below. The interior is bright and colorful—regular seats, priority seats, and even the flooring all have their own distinct tones. I can’t wait to ride this train myself again!

Interior of the Series 2000 EMU

（taken during a test run hosted by the Japan Railfan Club)

Related Links:

・Official video on the design of the 2000 series EMU from Keio

・Official video on the test run of the 2000 series EMU from Keio (in Japanese)

Chiba Urban Monorail: 2026 Update

Set 21 of the Chiba Urban Monorail 0-series EMU

I recently visited the Chiba Urban Monorail for the first time in two years. I was curious to see what had changed on this unique suspended monorail line, so today I would like to share a short report about my visit.

First, let me briefly introduce Chiba City and the monorail.

Chiba City is the capital of Chiba Prefecture, located about 40 kilometers east of Tokyo. The city is known for its heavy industries, large port facilities, and agricultural areas. Its population is close to one million.

The monorail is an important means of transportation in the city. It opened in 1988 and is operated by the Chiba Urban Monorail Company, a joint public–private organization. The system is famous for being the world’s longest suspended monorail, with a total length of 15.2 kilometers. It consists of two double-tracked lines, Line 1 and Line 2, and is electrified at 1,500 V DC.

Now, let me move on to what I found during my visit.

First, I noticed that the number of the newer 0-series EMUs has increased to 11 trainsets, while the older 1000-series fleet has decreased to 8 sets.

Second, there are now 14 trains with colorful advertising wraps. These wrapped trains belong to both the 0-series and the 1000-series.

Among all of them, one train caught my attention—a “standard-colored train,” which is now relatively rare. This was Set 21 of the 0-series EMU (see the photo above). On the front of the train, there is a special round sticker promoting the Chiba Zoological Park on Line 2.

The animal shown on the sticker (see the photo below) is a male western gorilla named Monta. He was born in Spain in 1984 and came to Chiba City in 1990. He is a silverback, the leader of a gorilla group, but according to several websites, he is very gentle and kind. He even plucks the hair on his cheeks by himself, which gives him a neat and handsome look. Monta really seems like the perfect character to promote the zoo!

I would definitely like to visit the zoo next time.

Promotional sticker for Chiba Zoological Park on Set 21

Related Link:

・Official information from Chiba Urban Monorail

The 13000 Series EMU: Sotetsu's New Train Model

Sotetsu 13000 series EMU at Atsugi Railyard

I recently joined an event hosted by the Japan Railfan Club—a test ride and photo session featuring Sotetsu’s newest commuter train, the 13000 series EMU. Today, I’d like to share my experience with you.

To begin, let me briefly introduce Sotetsu and the new train models the company has rolled out over the past few years.

Sotetsu is a major private railway company based in Yokohama City, operating a 44.4-kilometer network in Kanagawa Prefecture. Until about seven years ago, its biggest business challenge was that its network did not connect directly to central Tokyo. To overcome this, Sotetsu constructed two new connecting lines—one linking to the JR East network and another to the Tokyu network. Since 2019, Sotetsu trains have been running through onto JR East lines using the 12000 series new EMU, and since 2023, onto Tokyu lines as well using the 20000 and 21000 series new EMUs.

Even after completing these major projects, Sotetsu did not slow down its capital investment. On March 30th this year, it introduced a brand-new train: the 13000 series EMU.

The 13000 series will replace the older 8000 and 9000 series EMUs, operating exclusively on Sotetsu’s own lines without interoperation with other networks. Each trainset consists of eight cars—two fewer than the existing 8000 and 9000 series trainsets. This reduction reflects the company’s projection of a declining population along the Sotetsu lines, in line with Japan’s broader demographic trend.

As a train enthusiast, I was impressed by Sotetsu’s meticulous attention to design details. Look at the photo above—you can see the 13000 series’ distinctive “face,” inspired by strong marine creatures and created collaboratively by an art director, a designer, and a generative AI system. I also noticed a brown-colored accent inside the front lights from very close range (see the photo below). According to Sotetsu, this represents the hue of rusty rails. Sotetsu’s attention to detail is remarkable!

I’m running out of space here, so I’ll save the technical specifications of the 13000 series for a future post. Please look forward to it!

Close-up of the brown accent inside the headlight assembly

Related link:

・Official video from Sotetsu

A Surprise Return: The 8500 Series EMU

8637F (8637 side) of Tokyu’s 8500 series EMU at Nagatsuta Station

This may sound sudden, but can you guess where the top photo was taken?

If you’re familiar with Japanese trains, you might say, “Somewhere on the Tokyu Den-en-Toshi Line.” A reasonable guess—but remember that the train in the photo, the 8500 series EMU, was supposed to have been retired from that line in 2022, as I mentioned before.

If you’re an international railfan, you might guess, “Somewhere in Jakarta, since the 8500 series EMUs were transferred to Indonesia.” Also a good guess—but please note that all 8500 series sets there were retired by early 2026.

Or perhaps you’d answer, “Somewhere on a local railway in Japan, since some 8500 series sets were transferred after their retirement from Tokyu.”

Thank you for joining my little quiz.

The answer is: Nagatsuta Station on the Kodomonokuni (Children’s Land) Line. Here’s the story.

All 8500 series EMUs were indeed retired from Tokyu lines by January 2023. However, one set—8637F—has been kept operational so Tokyu can preserve and pass down expertise related to DC motor technology. Its formation has been reduced from 10 cars to 4.

8637F had been “sleeping” for quite a long time, but it finally “awoke,” appearing on the Kodomonokuni Line as an extra train during this year’s spring sightseeing season. As I wrote earlier, the Kodomonokuni Line serves as an access route to the Children’s Land theme park. The line is owned by Yokohama Minatomirai Railway and operated by Tokyu.

When I heard the surprising news about the 8500 series making a comeback, I rushed to the Kodomonokuni Line and confirmed with my own eyes that 8637F was indeed running again.

8637F—long time no see! It’s great to see you back in action.

8637F (8537 side) at Nagatsuta Station on the Kodomonokuni Line