As I posted before, Tobu Railway launched a special poster train on their Tojo line to promote tourism to the sightseeing spots in Kawagoe City. Tobu's rival, Seibu Railway, can't keep their arms crossed in this condition. On March 14th this year, Seibu Railway also launched a special poster train (Kanahei poster train) on their Shinjuku line to promote tourism to Kawagoe City.
Seibu offered one set of their 10-car train, 40152F of the EMU 40000 series, for the Kanahei poster train. A famous cartoonist, Kanahei, designed the bodies of the train. We can see many of Kanahei's animal characters and Kawagoe's historic spots in the design. The 40000 series is Seibu's high-end commuter train launched in 2017. A total of 6 sets, 60 units, were built by Kawasaki Heavy Industries from 2017 to 2020. The first batch 4 sets have multi-purpose seat, which the conductor can change from long seats to cross seats using a remote control; meanwhile, the second batch 2 sets, including 40152F (Kanahei poster train), have long seats only. All 40000 series trains have a special space, "partner zone", for wheelchairs and pram users in car number 10.
Incidentally, Kawagoe is a historic city about 40 kilometers northwest of Tokyo. There are many old houses, shops, and ex-local government offices along the streets in the downtown area. To get to Kawagoe from Tokyo, we can choose from three routes, namely the JR East-Kawagoe, Tobu-Tojo or Seibu-Shinjuku lines. As a passenger, I welcome three companies' competition.
Seibu offered one set of their 10-car train, 40152F of the EMU 40000 series, for the Kanahei poster train. A famous cartoonist, Kanahei, designed the bodies of the train. We can see many of Kanahei's animal characters and Kawagoe's historic spots in the design. The 40000 series is Seibu's high-end commuter train launched in 2017. A total of 6 sets, 60 units, were built by Kawasaki Heavy Industries from 2017 to 2020. The first batch 4 sets have multi-purpose seat, which the conductor can change from long seats to cross seats using a remote control; meanwhile, the second batch 2 sets, including 40152F (Kanahei poster train), have long seats only. All 40000 series trains have a special space, "partner zone", for wheelchairs and pram users in car number 10.
Incidentally, Kawagoe is a historic city about 40 kilometers northwest of Tokyo. There are many old houses, shops, and ex-local government offices along the streets in the downtown area. To get to Kawagoe from Tokyo, we can choose from three routes, namely the JR East-Kawagoe, Tobu-Tojo or Seibu-Shinjuku lines. As a passenger, I welcome three companies' competition.
Seibu's official information about the Kanhei poster train (in Japanese):
https://www.seiburailway.jp/news/news-release/2019/20200312kanahei_kawagoecampaign.pdf
Kanahei's official information about the Kanahei poster train (in Japanese):
https://kanaheis-small-animals.jp/news/2020/03/119/
Official information about the EMU Seibu 40000 series (in Japanese):
https://www.seiburailway.jp/fan/zukan/40000/index.html
Kanahei's official information about the Kanahei poster train (in Japanese):
https://kanaheis-small-animals.jp/news/2020/03/119/
Official information about the EMU Seibu 40000 series (in Japanese):
https://www.seiburailway.jp/fan/zukan/40000/index.html