Monday 11 November 2019

EMU 7500 Series: New Model on the Yurikamome Line

Set 51 of the EMU 7500 series travels on the Yurikamome line

I recently visited the Tokyo Bay area for the first time in a year. What was new with this futuristic region in Tokyo?

I found that Yurikamome Company (the former name was Tokyo Rinkai Shin-kotsu Company) introduced a new train model named the EMU 7500 series on November 11th, 2018. Yurikamome is a rubber-tyred AGT (automated guide way transit) line opened in 1995. Connecting Shimbashi and Toyosu, its current operating length is 14.7 kilometers.

The 7500 series is ordinarily operated without a driver the same as its senior models namely EMU 7000, 7200 and 7300 series. There is no independent cockpit on the train, so the passengers, especially rail-fans like me, can enjoy the beautiful bay view ahead. Technical specifications of the 7500 series are the same as those of the previously-existing 7300 series, but a different point from the 7300 series is the frontal design. You can see blue-colored "driver-less operation lights". They are lighted when the train is operated in driver-less operation mode. Regarding the interior, dual information displays and a free Wi-Fi system are equipped on the 7500 series. The company plans to introduce a total of 8 sets, 48 units, by June 2020.

Incidentally, before inauguration of the Yurikamome line, people were concerned that the railway company would struggle with debts, because the construction cost was quite large. So far, their fears were utterly groundless, because the number of passengers has been much higher than anticipated. I saw many foreign passengers use this line for sightseeing in the Tokyo Bay area.

Set 53 of the EMU 7500 series travels on the Yurikamome line

Official information about the EMU Yurikamome 7500 series (in Japanese):