Wednesday 16 May 2018

EMU 817 Series: Black Faced Kyushu Commuter Train

EMU JR Kyushu 817 series stands at Togo station

Kyushu is one of the major islands of Japan. It covers an area of 36,750 square kilometers. As of April this year, Kyushu has a population of 12.9 million. Fukuoka is the largest city on the island. It has a population of 1.57 million. There is a labyrinthine railway network in the urban area of the city of Fukuoka consisting of JR KyushuNishitetsu and Fukuoka City Subway lines.

JR Kyushu's EMU 817 series is the representative commuter train in the city of Fukuoka. It was launched in 2001. A total of 67 sets, 145 units (2-car x 56 sets and 3 cars x 11 sets) were built by Hitachi. Different from the commuter trains in Tokyo, the 817 series is an alternate current train for 20,000 V and 60 Hz overhead electric system.

The good thing about the 817 series in the Fukuoka area is its conversion cross seats. It is different from the older 815 series, which has commonplace long seats. I definitely prefer cross seat trains to long seat ones, since I can enjoy the scenery through the windows on the cross seat trains. Enjoying the scenery is the largest pleasure of railway travelling for me.

In the meantime, the 817 series won the good design award from the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry in 2001. The black face is cool; however, its flat shape is not my cup of tea, to be honest. It lacks impact. To hook rail fans, It needs to make a stronger impression.

EMU JR Kyushu 817 series stands at Togo station

Official information about the EMU JR Kyushu 817 series: