You may remember when I posted about the name change of the Tobu-Noda Line before. Japan’s population has entered a declining phase, and railway companies are competing to attract passengers while improving the value of their lines. For that reason, Tobu Railway gave the nickname “Urban Park Line” to the Noda Line in 2014. What do you think of the new name, “Urban Park Line”? Does it sound sophisticated? To be honest, I sometimes wonder why Japanese people are so eager to use English words for the names of shops, restaurants, companies, and even railway stations and lines.
Enough with the preamble—let’s get down to the main topic. I recently realized that Tobu is taking the task of improving the value of their lines very seriously, not only by renaming them but also by upgrading the trains themselves. As proof of that, Tobu launched a new, sophisticated commuter train—the EMU 80000 series—on the Urban Park Line this year. It’s been 12 years since the previous model, the EMU 60000 series, was introduced.
What’s special about the 80000 series? It features a dedicated area for families with children. There is a unique seating space with a baby stroller parking area, called “Tanoseat” (see the photo below). The word “Tanoseat” is a blend of Tanoshii (meaning “fun” in Japanese) and “seat” in English. When a family gathers at the Tanoseat, it really makes the trip more enjoyable.
I’m running out of space here, so I’ll save the technical specifications of the 80000 series for a future post.
