The Tobu 90000 Series EMU: A New Commuter EMU

Set 91001 of the Tobu 90000 series EMU at Shinrin-koen Depot

Following my previous posts on Keio’s 2000 series, Seibu’s L00, Sotetsu’s 13000 series, and Enoden’s new 700 series EMUs, I’m happy to introduce another brand-new train that has joined the Tokyo metropolitan area fleet.

Please take a look at the photo above. Here it is—the Tobu Railway 90000 series EMU for the Tojo Line. The new train is scheduled to enter service this September, but I had the chance to see it before its official debut by joining an event hosted by the Japan Railfan Club. Today, I’d like to share that memorable experience with you.

What’s New About the 90000 Series?

First, the front end features a reverse-slant design that sweeps upward from the bottom. Doesn't it remind you of something? Yes—a ship! But why? The areas along the Tojo Line owe much of their early development to inland waterways before the railway was built, and the new design pays tribute to that history. I like the story behind it.

To me, this reverse-slant front is slightly reminiscent of the Chiba Urban Monorail 0-series. If so, I wondered whether the front coupler might be difficult to accommodate. On the Chiba monorail, the coupler is mounted above the body. On the Tobu 90000 series, however, it has to be installed below the body. With such a ship-like front, I was afraid the coupler might stick out like a tongue. Wouldn't that look a bit awkward?

I examined the front several times with that concern in mind, but it turned out to be unfounded. The coupler is neatly integrated into the skirt and the surrounding equipment, so it doesn't protrude very much. Tobu got it right!

Second, take a look at the interior in the photo below. You can see wavy lines on the seat partitions. If you look closely, you'll notice the same pattern on the floor. These waves also represent the rivers and streams along the Tojo Line. I like that thoughtful touch.

Finally, take another look at the top photo. The windows in the passenger doors have been lowered compared with those on existing trains. As a result, the interior feels much brighter, and children can enjoy the view outside more easily. I think that's a wonderful improvement.

I'm running out of space here, so I'll save the technical specifications of the 90000 series for a future post. Please look forward to it!

Interior of the 90000 series EMU

Related link:

• Official information from Tobu Railway (in Japanese)

Serving a Double Purpose on the Keisei Chiba Line

Set 3668 of the Shibatetsu 3600 series EMU at Makuhari-hongo Station

You may remember that I wrote about the retirement of the Shibayama Railway (Shibatetsu) 3500 series EMU in March this year. At that time, I mentioned that I would save the replacement for the 3500 series for a future post.

Three months have passed since then, and now I finally have a chance to introduce it.

Please take a look at the photo above—this is Set 3668 of the Shibatetsu 3600 series EMU, which has been newly leased from Keisei Electric Railway. To welcome Set 3668, I recently visited Makuhari-hongo Station on the Keisei Chiba Line and took the above photo, as 3668F occasionally operates through onto Keisei lines.

The technical specifications of Set 3668 are, of course, identical to those of the Keisei 3600 series. However, before entering service with Shibatetsu, the body stripe colors were changed from red and blue (the Keisei colors) to green and red (the Shibatetsu colors).

You may be thinking, “Is this really a newly assigned train? It looks just as old as the former Set 3540.” I understand what you mean. However, as a railway enthusiast, I am quite satisfied with this replacement because: (1) the veteran Set 3668 has escaped retirement, and (2) Set 3668 is a high-performance train.

Set 3668 was originally built in the late 1980s. It currently consists of four motor cars with no trailer cars and is equipped with a VFD traction control system. Japanese railfans affectionately call this trainset “Turbo-kun.” “Turbo” comes from the English word “turbocharger,” while “-kun” is a casual Japanese suffix used for boys or for male friends and colleagues with whom one is on familiar terms. In short, Turbo-kun means “a powerful train.”

Turbo-kun, go for it!

After welcoming Set 3668, I switched gears to another hobby of mine—fossil collecting. As I have mentioned before, fossil collecting has been a lifelong hobby of mine, just like railway enthusiasm. My hunting ground that day was Makuhari Artificial Beach, located near Makuhari-hongo Station. Fossil-bearing rocks dredged from the floor of Tokyo Bay can sometimes be found there.

Please take a look at the photo below—this was my find of the day: Thalassinoides isp. It is not a body fossil but an ichnofossil representing crustacean burrows. It is about 10 cm long and consists of intricately intertwined branches, giving it a somewhat creepy appearance.

That day, I was able to pursue two hobbies during a single trip on the Keisei Chiba Line.

An ichnofossil, Thalassinoides isp., found at Makuhari Artificial Beach

The 30th Anniversary of the Romancecar EXE

Odakyu Series 30000 EMU "Romancecar EXE"

On March 23, Odakyu celebrated the 30th anniversary of its Romancecar EXE. Today, I would like to share this milestone with you.

First, let me briefly look back at the Romancecar EXE.

The Romancecar EXE (officially the Series 30000 EMU) is a limited express train operated by Odakyu Electric Railway. It entered service in 1996.

To be honest, I was disappointed when the EXE made its debut because it abandoned many of the traditional features that had made the Romancecar so special. For example, the driver's cab was no longer located on the upper level, meaning passengers could no longer enjoy a panoramic front view through the large observation window. Earlier Romancecar models featured articulated bogies, which helped reduce weight and improve ride stability, whereas the EXE adopted conventional bogies instead. I still remember muttering to myself, "The Romancecar isn't special anymore."

In fact, the EXE was not particularly popular among tourists or railway enthusiasts. After its introduction, the number of passengers using the Romancecar to visit Hakone declined significantly. This downturn continued until the new Romancecar VSE (Series 50000 EMU) entered service in 2005. While many previous Romancecar models had won the Blue Ribbon Prize, the EXE did not receive the award. As many of you may know, the Blue Ribbon Prize is presented annually by the Japan Railfan Club to the most outstanding new railway vehicle introduced in the previous year.

But was the EXE really all that bad?

As the saying goes, one person's junk is another person's treasure. One advantage was that reserving seats became much easier thanks to its increased passenger capacity. Another practical feature was its flexible train formation: a ten-car set could be divided into six-car and four-car sections to better match operational needs.

And then I discovered one more thing to appreciate—its reclining seats. They are just the right firmness for me, making them exceptionally comfortable on longer journeys.

To mark the 30th anniversary, a commemorative sticker has been placed on the front of the EXE (see the photo below). The sticker features two different cab designs: one with the standard cab front and the other with the gangway-equipped cab, highlighting the EXE's operational flexibility.

Happy 30th anniversary, Romancecar EXE!

I'm on your side now.

The commemorative sticker celebrating the 30th anniversary

Aizu: A Rapid Train to the Samurai City

JR East E721 series EMU, Rapid "Aizu" service

Sorry for jumping from one topic to another, but today I’d like to follow up on my recent family trip to the Aizu region in a little more detail.

After arriving at Koriyama Station on the Tohoku Shinkansen, we stayed there overnight before heading to Aizu-Wakamatsu the following day. Aizu-Wakamatsu, also known as the Samurai City, is the largest city in the Aizu region, located about 65 km (40 miles) west of Koriyama.

Please take a look at the photo above. This was our train—the Rapid "Aizu" service bound for Aizu-Wakamatsu. You can see the beautifully designed "Aizu" headmark displayed on the front.

The train consists of two coupled two-car sets of JR East's E721 series EMUs. Although the E721 series is basically designed for ordinary commuter and regional services, the Rapid "Aizu" includes one reserved-seat car equipped with comfortable reclining seats. To use this car, we paid an additional reserved-seat charge of 530 yen (about 3.29 USD) per seat during the summer peak travel season.

I know many railway enthusiasts enjoy the technical aspects of trains, so here are a few details. The E721 series is a standard AC electric multiple unit designed for a 20 kV, 50 Hz electrified network and operates on 1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in) narrow-gauge track. It entered service in 2007. Between 2007 and 2017, JR East built 170 cars, consisting of 67 trainsets in both two-car and four-car formations. A two-car set is configured as 1M1T (one motor car and one trailer car), while a four-car set is configured as 2M2T. The trains are equipped with IGBT-based VFD traction control systems driving 125 kW induction motors.

After arriving in Aizu-Wakamatsu, we visited Wakamatsu Castle, the symbol of this Samurai City (see the photo below). Construction of the castle began in 1384. It is best known as the site of the Battle of Aizu, one of the major battles of the Boshin War, the civil war fought between the Tokugawa shogunate and the Imperial forces from 1868 to 1869. Many samurai defended the castle until they were finally forced to surrender. The present castle is a reconstructed building and serves as a symbol of Aizu-Wakamatsu today. Its distinctive, maroon-tiled roofs are especially beautiful.

For your information, the red figurine in the photo below is an Akabeko ("red cow"), a traditional folk toy in the shape of a red cow. Its head gently bobs up and down when touched. Akabeko has long been regarded as a good-luck charm believed to protect people from illness. Interestingly, the black spots on its body are said to represent smallpox. I can't help wondering what the people who created this charming toy were thinking and feeling centuries ago.

Akabeko (foreground) and Wakamatsu Castle (background)

A Kintetsu-Liveried Train on the Tobu Line

Tobu's Series 10030 EMU Set 11267 in Kintetsu livery (the two cars on the right)

Do people in your country have any symbols of friendship?

In Japan, they do. For example, I sometimes see high school girls who are close friends attaching matching character charms featuring their favorite characters to their school bags. It always looks like they are having fun!

Now, here's another question. Do railway companies have symbols of friendship, too?

Again, the answer is yes in Japan. Railway companies with close ties sometimes adopt each other's train liveries as a symbol of their partnership. For example, Keikyu Corporation introduced the KEIKYU YELLOW HAPPY TRAIN in 2014. Its yellow livery resembles Seibu Railway's iconic yellow trains. In return, Seibu repainted one of its EMU sets into Keikyu's signature red livery to celebrate the friendship between the two companies.

This kind of partnership can even be found overseas. In 2014, Hakone Tozan Railway introduced the Allegra train, whose red livery was inspired by that of the Swiss Rhaetian Railway (RhB). In return, the RhB repainted one of its electric locomotives in Hakone Tozan's livery as a symbol of the partnership between the two railways.

Now, let's take a look at the latest example. The photo above shows Tobu Railway's Series 10030 EMU Set 11267, painted in Kintetsu's livery (Series 1252 EMU). It entered service on April 20 this year.

Both Tobu and Kintetsu operate the largest private railway networks in their respective regions. Tobu serves Nikko, one of Japan's best-known tourist destinations, while Kintetsu serves the Ise-Shima area. The two companies certainly have much in common.

I found that Tobu's Kintetsu-liveried train looked even more like a real Kintetsu train than I had expected. That's probably because the front design of Set 11267 is similar to that of Kintetsu's commuter train. I really enjoyed seeing it.

Incidentally, Set 11267 was built in 1995. It consists of two 20-meter stainless-steel cars configured as one motor car and one trailer car (1M1T). The set is also known as Tobu's first train equipped with single-arm pantographs. On the day I photographed it, it was coupled to the four-car Set 11433, which retained Tobu's standard livery.

Finally, you may be thinking, "I'd like to see Kintetsu's Tobu-liveried train as well."

Unfortunately, I haven't had a chance to visit the Kintetsu network since that train entered service. However, please take a look at the photo below. You can at least catch a glimpse of it in the lower-right corner of the overhead advertisement inside a Tobu train. It's painted in Tobu's livery (Series 8000 EMU).

Overhead advertisement promoting the Tobu–Kintetsu partnership

Related link:

・Official announcement from Tobu Railway (Japanese)