EMU Kobe Electric Railway 3000 series arrives at Maruyama station
Japan's Prime Minister Suga declared a state of emergency again in ten prefectures including Tokyo because of new coronavirus infection risks. Following this declaration, the governor of Tokyo announced again that Tokyoites should refrain from any nonessential and non-urgent outings. I reluctantly agreed to that. Instead, I'm going to show you the photographs, which I rediscovered on my hard disk.
Kobe Electric Railway (Shintetsu) has a 70-kilometers-long network in Hyogo Prefecture about 600 kilometers west of Tokyo. The EMU 3000 series is a unique commuter train on the line. It was launched in 1973 as Shintetsu's first train with aluminum alloy bodies. 36 cars in total were built by Kawasaki Heavy Industries. 47 years have already passed, but 28 cars are still operated on the track. One set consists of four motorcars. It doesn't have trailers as Shintetsu has steep tracks passing through Rokko Mountains. One of the features of this model is its cruise control system (constant-speed travel controller). It helps train drivers specifically on the steep sections.
Because of its front face, the 3000 series is called "Ultraman" among rail-fans. Ultraman is a famous TV series in Japan. It's very popular among kids. I'm also fond of Ultraman, as he's a hero protecting the earth from evil monsters. The two large front windows, the silver and red colored bodies of the 3000 series are indeed similar to Ultraman. I believe that the EMU Shintetsu 3000 series is also an ultra-hero among local people.
EMU Kobe Electric Railway 3000 series stands at Maruyama station