Japanese businessmen and businesswomen in the cities are very busy. They sometimes need something as a treat for themselves, but their journeys home are hard. Needless to say, urban commuter trains are packed on most of the lines in this country.
To save these city commuters, several railway companies operate special trains for passengers, who would like to secure seats on their journey home. For instance, Odakyu and Tokyo Metro jointly operate a special Romance Car, Metro Home Way in the evening. JR East operates special trains, such as Home Liner Konosu (abolished in 2014), the Shonan Liner and the Rakuraku Train. Once you pay an extra fee (usually 300 to 500 yen), a comfortable seat is secured for you.
Tobu Railway also operates a special train on the Tojo Line in the evening. It is called the TJ Liner. Connecting Ikebukuro, a subcenter of Tokyo, and Ogawamachi in Saitama Prefecture, the operating length is 64.1 km.
The vehicle for TJ Liner is a 10-car train, the EMU 50090 series. It was launched in 2008. A total of 6 sets, 60 units, has been manufactured so far by Hitachi. One of the features of this train is its multi-purpose seat, which the conductor can change from a long seat to a cross seat using a remote control. So, the 50090 series is used as both a standard train and the TJ Liner, depending on the timetable.
TJ Liner... it is a relaxing train on the Tojo Line.
