EMU JR East E231-3000 series arrives at Kaneko station on the Hachiko line
The JR East E231-3000 series was commissioned on the Hachiko line on February 18th, 2018. It used to be operated on the Sobu-Chuo local line under the name of the E231-0 series. What was the reason for this movement of trains? It's a bit of a complicated story. In 2015, JR East launched a new commuter train model, the E235 series, on the Yamanote line. The introduction of the new model caused JR East to make train transfers one after another. First, the E231-500 series on the Yamanote line was transferred to the Sobu-Chuo local line. Second, the EMU E231-0 series on the Sobu-Chuo local line was temporarily retired. Finally, the E231-0 series was modified at JR East Akita and Aomori factories and introduced to the Hachiko line under the new name of the E231-3000 series. Six sets, 24 cars, of the E231-3000 series are currently operated on the Hachiko line. It was the volkerwanderung of trains.
What are the major differences between the original E231-0 and the modified E231-3000 series? First, the number of cars per set was decreased from 10 (the E213-0 series) to 4 (the E231-3000 series). Second, manual operation buttons for the passenger doors were equipped anew beside each door of the E231-3000 series. Third, the colors of the body stripes were changed from yellow to orange and light green.
EMU E231-3000series travels on the Hachiko line