As I posted before, Atami in Shizuoka Prefecture is well known as a marine resort city. Visitors can enjoy hot springs, seafood dishes, and fireworks festivals. But there’s more—rail fans can observe many kinds of trains at Atami Station. These include Shinkansen, JR East limited express trains, JR East and JR Central commuter trains, Izukyu trains, and JR Freight trains. Oh, wait a second—I almost forgot one more: the overnight sleeper train “Sunrise Express”. Watching these trains is one of the perks of being a rail fan.
When I visited Atami Station the other day, I found an unfamiliar train standing at the platform. What was that train? The answer is JR Central’s new model, the EMU 315-3000 series. The 315 series was originally introduced as an 8-car train in the Nagoya area in 2022. In 2024, a new 4-car version, named the 315-3000 series, was also introduced in the Shizuoka area. Currently, a total of 12 sets (48 cars) are operated on the Tokaido Main Line in the Shizuoka area. The 315-3000 series has laser-welded stainless-steel bodies with a beautiful finish that shone under the spring sun. Thanks to the high ceilings, the interior feels spacious and open. A wheelchair-accessible restroom is also provided.
As for technical specifications, the train adopts a hybrid SiC-IGBT VVVF inverter (variable-frequency drive) traction control system, achieving a 35 percent reduction in electric power consumption compared with the 211 series.
Incidentally, the old EMU 211 series was retired from the Shizuoka area in February this year. Thank you, 211 series, for your years of hard work.
