Do you remember when I reported that Keisei Electric Railway merged with Shin-Keisei Electric Railway on April 1st? I recently revisited the former Shin-Keisei Line—now the Keisei-Matsudo Line—and saw the changes for myself.
Let’s start with a quick overview. The Keisei-Matsudo Line is a commuter route in the northwestern part of Chiba Prefecture. It connects Matsudo on JR East’s Jōban Line with Keisei-Tsudanuma on the Keisei-Chiba Line, covering 26.5 kilometers with 24 stations. The line uses standard gauge (1,435 mm), is electrified at 1,500 V DC, and is double-tracked for most of its length. Originally built in 1929 by the Railway Regiment of the former Japanese Army as a training line, it was reopened after WWII in 1947 as the Shin-Keisei Line. Seventy-eight years later, following the merger, it was renamed the Keisei-Matsudo Line.
Now to the main point. After the EMU 8800 series, the 80000 series and N800 series have also begun receiving the so-called “Keisei color” livery. Take a look at the photos—my impression of these trains has changed completely. As you may recall, they used to wear the distinctive white-and-pink Shin-Keisei livery. (You can check my earlier posts featuring the Shin-Keisei-colored 80000 series and the N800 series.) Honestly, it’s a little sad to see the variety of liveries disappear, but there’s no turning back time.
