Following my previous post, I'm going to continue to show you some more pictures of JR East's new railway station, "Takanawa Gateway".
The site of Takanawa Gateway station is a reclaimed land. After completion of the Tokaido main line in 1872, a large rail yard was constructed adjacent to the railway tracks. It functioned as an important rail yard for the Tokaido main line for a long time, but the situation was changed in 2015. Many trains on the Tokaido main line started to be directly operated onto the Takasaki, Joban and Tohoku main lines by way of Tokyo station, so that many trains became not required to return from Tokyo station. As a result, the large rail yard became unnecessary near the city center area. Using this newly generated free space, JR East planned to construct a new railway station with a business and a shopping center. It's indeed a big project.
Today, a small rail yard still remains adjacent to Takanawa Gateway station. If you get off at the Keihin-Tohoku line platform during the daytime, you can see rare trains being stored there. They are additional benefit for rail-fans. One of the representative trains is the the double-decker named EMU 215 series. This EMU was launched in 1992 to eliminate congestion in rush hour. A total of 4 sets, 40 units, were built by Nippon sharyo and Hitachi. On weekends, the 215 series transform themselves from commuter to sightseeing trains. The view from the upper floor is excellent.
