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| EMU Kintetsu 3220 series stands at Karasuma-Oike station |
Let's continue where we left off last post.
There are three kinds of trains operated on the subway Karasuma line. The first one is the EMU Kyoto Municipal Subway10 series, which was shown in my last post. On the other hand, the second and the third ones are both Kintetsu's trains. They are the EMU 3200 and the 3220 series directly operated from the Kintetsu Kyoto line.
The 3200 series originally debuted in 1986 on the Kintetsu Osaka line. It was Kintetsu's first mass production type train with a GTO-VVVF (Gate Turn-Off thyristor-variable frequency drive) inverter electric control system. Using the 3200 series, the direct operation between the Kintetsu Kyoto and the Kyoto Municipal Subway Karasuma lines commenced in 1988. I love this train as it was Kintetsu's first train with beautiful "maroon and silky white-colored" aluminum alloy bodies. The 3200 series is still the largest group from the Kintetsu line.
The 3220 series was launched in 2000. It was developed as a special train being operated onto the subway Karasuma line. It also has aluminum alloy bodies, but its body colors are "earth brown" and "crystal white", with a yellow colored stripe. The odd-shaped face of this train is definitely my favorite. Different from the older 3000 series, the newer 3220 series has an IGBT-VVVF (Insulated Gate Bipolar Transistor-variable frequency drive) inverter electric control system.
The difference of technical specifications between the older 3200 and the newer 3220 series feels the passage of a 14-year time period.
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| EMU Kintetsu 3200 series leaves Gojo station on the subway Karasuma line |