On June 23rd, Tokyu Railways launched a special poster train, named Iketama Happy Train, on their Ikegami and Tamagawa lines. I’m going to introduce you to this unique train today.
Let me quickly review the Tokyu-Ikegami and Tamagawa lines to start. They are short commuter routes in the southwestern part of Tokyo. Connecting Kamata and Gotanda, the route length of the Ikegami line is 10.9 kilometers. On the other hand, the Tamagawa line connects Kamata and Tamagawa. Its route length is 5.6 kilometers. The track is 1,067 millimeters-wide double and the electric system is 1,500 V direct current. All the trains belong to Yukigaya-otsuka Depo, and are commonly used for both the Ikegami and the Tamagawa lines.
According to Tokyu Railways, purpose of Iketama Happy Train is to make people, who look this train, happy. For that purpose, its design is colorful and polka-dotted. Pink is the symbol color of the Ikegami line; meanwhile, dark-red is that of the Tamagawa line. This design was proposed by Tokyu employees. The vehicle modified to Iketama Happy Train is Set 1522 of the EMU 1000-1500 series. It was recently renovated from Set 1022 of the EMU 1000 series. The major difference between the original 1000 series and the renovated 1000-1500 series is its interior. The latter is calm and wood-grained, so passengers can get more relaxed with it.
Incidentally, please also check out my previous posts introducing the other poster trains on the Ikegami and Tamagawa lines… namely the green-colored train and the two-toned revival-colored train.
