EMU Odakyu 70000 series, Romance Car GSE, travels on the Odawara line
It was very hot this summer in the Tokyo metropolitan area. On July 23rd, the highest temperature in Kumagaya City was 41.1 degrees Celsius, which was an all-time record high in Japan. The only thing I could do was escape the city and go to the highlands, but the trains to resort areas were crowded with passengers, because it was the summer holiday season.
Odakyu Romance Car was no exception. Whenever I happened to see it, the train to Hakone, which is a reputable resort in the Tokyo metropolitan area, was almost full. Specifically, the new Romance Car model, namely GSE (the EMU 70000 series), was very popular among the tourists. GSE is a 7-car train with upper-deck cockpits. Passengers can enjoy the view ahead. It is the same as the previous models such as NSE, LSE, HiSE and VSE, but GSE is more elaborate. For instance, it has large band windows to secure a clear visual field for passengers. On the same score, there are no luggage racks above the windows in car number 1 and 7, where passengers want to enjoy the front and the back views.
Regarding the technical specifications of GSE, an electrohydraulic full active suspension system is notable. It is a special device to minimize the lateral swinging movement of the train. The electric control system is state of the art full SiC-VVVF inverter.
Just in case, have I already taken Romance Car GSE? Good question! No, I haven't to be honest. Sorry for cracking wise.
EMU Odakyu 70000 series, Romance Car GSE, passes through Chitose-Funabashi station