New Model on the Tsurumi Line

EMU JR East E131-1000 series travels on the Tsurumi line

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.

Set T3 of the EMU JR East E131-1000 series arrives at Asano station

Official information about the EMU E131-1000 series by JR East Chiba Branch Office (in Japanese):

https://www.jreast.co.jp/press/2023/yokohama/20231101_y01.pdf

The JR East Tsurumi Line: Update

EMU JR East 205 series travels on the Tsurumi line

Do you remember that the used cars were introduced onto the JR East Nambu branch line in the Tokyo Metropolitan area last October? That was the EMU E127 series transferred from the Niigata area. It was curious that the used cars in the countryside were moved to the urban area, but I posted "It makes sense, because it would cost a lot if a new model was introduced" at that time.

Sorry, my point of view was wrong. On November 24th, 2023, a new model, EMU E131-1000 series, was introduced onto the JR East Tsurumi line. The Nambu branch line and the Tsurumi line are similar, because they are both "urban local lines" in the industrial area. Why was the new model only introduced onto the Tsurumi line? The leading hypothesis among rail-fans this time was the difference of the train operation systems. The trains on the Nambu branch line are operated without conductors; meanwhile, conductors should be on board the trains of the Tsurumi line. It looked reasonable this time for sure, but this hypothesis was again incorrect because JR East recently released that the train operation without conductors will also start on the Tsurumi line on March 16th of this year. Umm... difficult.

For your information, I'm showing photos of the present model on the Tsurumi line, namely the EMU 205 series and the same model in Indonesia. I'm going to introduce the new model on the Tsurumi line, named the EMU E131-1000 series, in the next post. To be continued...

EMU ex-JR East 205 series in Indonesia, Photo: Faris Fadhli (May, 2022)

“Magical Dream Shinkansen” Train

Set J69 of the EMU JR East E2-J (E2-1000) series, "Magical Dream Shinkansen"

The domestic travel market is growing in Japan. The number of travelers has recently returned to pre-COVID times. In addition, the weak yen contributes to the increase in inbound tourists. Tokyo Disney Resort is no exception. Many holidaymakers flock to the kingdom of dreams and magic. How could railway companies pass it up?

On December 22nd, 2023, JR East started to operate a special poster train, named "Magical Dream Shinkansen", on their Tohoku Shinkansen. The purpose of this train is to promote tourism to Tokyo Disney Resort from the northern part of Japan. Magical Dream Shinkansen is decorated with Micky Mouse, Minnie Mouse and their friends on the exterior of the train. They're wearing special costumes to celebrate the 40th anniversary of Tokyo Disney Resort. Following the debut of the poster train, JR East started to deal in a special package tour to Tokyo Disney Resort including the Shinkansen ticket and the hotel staying coupon.

The vehicle of Magical Dream Shinkansen is set J69 of the EMU JR East E2-J (E2-1000) series. Set J69 is composed of 10 cars, and was originally built by Kawasaki Heavy Industries in 2005. The timetable of Magical Dream Shinkansen is officially released on JR East's website after 10pm on the day before operation. Last weekend, I could observe it for the first time in Tokyo station, but many passengers and rail-fans were flocking to the platform... very crowded. It's hugely popular, isn't it? Magical Dream Shinkansen will be operated until March 31st, 2024.

Side view of "Magical Dream Shinkansen"

Official website, "Magical Dream Shinkansen" by JR East (in Japanese):

https://www.jreast.co.jp/magicaldreamshinkansen/

Special Train with JNR Limited Express-colored Bodies

Set K70 of the EMU JR East E653 series, "Yunosato Kusatsu-Shima"

It's mid-winter in Japan. Even if it's mild during the daytime, it gets cold in the morning. The lowest temperature is less than 5 degrees Celsius in Tokyo these days. Japanese people want to go to hot springs in this climate. Needless to say, hot springs are effective for warming the body and relaxing.

In this season, JR East operates a special train, "Yunotabi Kusatsu-Shima (Hot spring tour to Kusatsu and Shima)", between Ueno in Tokyo Metropolis and Naganohara-Kusatsuguchi in Gumma Prefecture. It's of course convenient for tourists, but in addition, very popular among rail-fans. Why? Because, this special train has bodies with nostalgic "JNR limited express colors". JNR, which stands for Japanese National Railways, was once Japan's largest railway operator. It was split into seven railway companies, and privatized as the JR Group in 1987 due to financial difficulties. During the JNR era, plenty of limited express trains had two-toned bodies of red and cream, which was frequently called "JNR limited express color". It fitted into any kind of scenery in Japan from urban business centers to mountain forests. After privatizing, all the JNR's limited express trains were ceded to each JR company. Since then, these trains were gradually scrapped or modified, and lost the original color designs, but many rail-fans are still boisterous about this coloring.

The JNR limited express-colored train of yesteryear is back using set K70 of the EMU JR East E653 series. Let's go to hot springs riding the special train, "Yunotabi Kusatsu-Shima"!

Set K70 of the EMU JR East E653 series passes through Okegawa station

Shinkansen Train Slipping through the Concrete Jungle

Set X55 of the EMU JR Central N700A series comes out from Yatsuyama tunnel

Happy New Year! The year 2024 has begun. At the opening of the New Year, I'm going to show you pictures of the Tokaido Shinkansen tracks and trains.

"Shinkansen" is the bullet train that represents Japanese railways. The first Shinkansen, namely Tokaido Shinkansen, was inaugurated between Tokyo and Shin-Osaka in 1964, just before the opening of the Tokyo Olympics. Since then, the Shinkansen route has been extended step by step. Its total network length is currently 3,000 kilometers. There are one million passengers per day.

What do we need to speed up trains? Needless to say, to improve the vehicles' performance is essential. Shinkansen trains have realized it. More importantly, the track should be as straight as possible; however, it's not easy specifically in urban areas. The top photo shows a Shinkansen train, EMU JR Central N700A series, coming out from Yatsuyama tunnel near Shinagawa station. This tunnel was constructed under two highways and the Keikyu line. The exit of the tunnel is located in the first residential area just south of the downtown. The straight track was just barely secured. On the other hand, the photo below is an S-shaped curved track between Tokyo and Shinagawa stations. You can see a Shinkansen train slipping through the concrete jungle. One set of the Tokaido Shinkansen train is 404.7 meters-long, which is the longest passenger train in Japan. Because of its track geometry, the maximum speed of the Shinkansen train is limited to only 100 kilometers per hour in this area.

EMU JR Central N700A series slips through the concrete jungle