On September 13th, JR East started the commercial operation of a commuter train, the EMU E127 series, on the Nambu branch line. Following my previous post on August 15th, I'm going to introduce this unique train to you today.
To start, let me briefly review the Nambu branch line and the EMU E127 series. The Nambu branch line is a typical urban local route. Connecting Shitte and Hamakawasaki, the route length is only 4.0 kilometers. The track is single. A two-car train, the EMU 205-1000 series, had been operated on the line since 2002, but it was recently replaced by the E127 series, which was transferred from the Niigata area. It's quite rare that the secondhand train in the countryside was moved to the urban area.
As soon as I got on the E127 series, I fully realized that this train came from the countryside. Each car of the E127 series has only three passenger doors on one side; meanwhile, each car of the typical urban commuter trains has four doors. That's because passengers getting on and off trains in the countryside are not many. Consequently, the "long seat" installed between the passenger doors is very long, just like the name. Consequently, the interior of the E127 series is comfortable and spacious, and feels cozy. One more thing, I found a toilet in the train. It was unavailable because the Nambu branch line is a very short route, but I again realized the E127 series is a train that came from Niigata.
