Let me continue from where I left off my last post. On December 24th, 2023, JR East launched a new model, "EMU E131-1000 series", on the Tsurumi line.
The E131 is the direct current commuter train for JR East's local lines, which has a history of four years. The first group, namely E131-0 series, debuted in 2020 in the Chiba area. The second group, named E131-500 series, was launched in 2021 on the Sagami line. The third group, named E131-600 series, was launched in 2022 on the Nikko and Utsunomiya lines. The E131-1000 series, which is today's topic, was commissioned onto the Tsurumi line as the fourth group of the E131 series. One set is composed of 3 cars (1.5M1.5T). A total of 8 sets were built by J-TREC Niitsu Factory.
What are the differences between the E131-1000 series and the other groups? Firstly, the coloring design of the train bodies is different. Please observe the photos including my previous posts. The second point is the outside width of the train body. It's 2,778 millimeters, which is narrower than those of the other groups. I don't know the exact reason, but it's said that there are facilities that cause obstacles for wide body trains on the Tsurumi line. One more point is the black-colored "gangway" on the front of the train. Different from the other groups, it's NOT a gangway, just a decoration. I hope that to perceive fine differences between similar trains will be fun for you.
