Final Chapter of the ex-Tokyu 8500 Series in Indonesia

8618F of the EMU KAI Commuter (ex-Tokyu) 8500 series in Jakarta, Indonesia

(Photo: Faris Fadhli)

I've received the latest picture from an Indonesian railfan. It's the last active set named 8618F of the EMU ex-Tokyu 8500 series being operated in Jakarta. My thanks go to Faris Fadhli, who kindly sent me the beautiful picture.

Let me quickly review the EMU Tokyu 8500 series. They were direct current commuter trains operated on the Tokyu lines in Japan from 1975 to 2023. 400 units in total were built by Tokyu Sharyo. After retirement from Tokyu Electric Railway, 29 units were transferred to Nagano Electric Railway, Chichibu Railway and Izukyu; meanwhile, 64 units were exported to Indonesia as secondhand trains. These exported trains have been used by a local railway company, PT. Kereta Commuter Indonesia.

Now, let's head to the main topic. Please look at the top photo. It’s 8618F… the last active set of the 8500 series in Indonesia. It’s kept in a good condition, isn’t it? When I lived in Jakarta from 2007 to 2011, I often used trains. I still clearly remember the time when 8618F arrived at Indonesia in 2008. I visited Bukit Duri Railyard on August 24th with several enthusiastic Indonesian railfans, and welcomed 8618F (see the photo below). 16 years have passed since then. Time really flies. The 8500 series' second life is coming to an end... but 8618F still remains on the track and carries lots of commuters every day. I would like to thank the local railway engineers in Indonesia, and hope it'll be operated as long as possible.

8618F has just arrived at Bukit Duri Railyard, Jakarta, Indonesia

(August 24th, 2008)

The 90th Anniversary of Hachiko Line: Part 2

JR East KiHa112-204 displays the 90th anniversary plate of the Hachiko line

You may remember that I posted about the 90th anniversary of Hachiko line last month. I am going to follow up this topic a little bit more today.

After observing the EMU E231-3000 series, which was displaying special memorial plates on the front and back of the train, I moved to the northern half section of the Hachiko line. As I posted before, the JR East Hachiko line is composed of two different sections. The southern section, between Hachioji and Komagawa (31 kilometers), is a commuter route in an urban area. It is electrified at 1,500 V DC. On the other hand, the northern section, between Komagawa and Kuragano (61 kilometers), is a local route in a suburban area. It is non-electrified. The DMU KiHa110 series is commissioned.

I found a train displaying the 90th anniversary plates on the northern half section of the Hachiko line as well. That was a 2-car train, KiHa111-204 and KiHa112-204 of the DMU KiHa110 series. Incidentally, KiHa110 series is composed of three types namely Type KiHa110, KiHa111 and KiHa112. What's the difference between three types? Type KiHa110 has two cabs, so, it is possible to be operated as a train with only one car. On the other hand, Type KiHa111 and KiHa112 have one cab only, so, they have to be operated as 2-car train or more. Type KiHa110 and KiHa111 have toilets; meanwhile, Type KiHa112 doesn’t have a toilet. Learning such subtle differences between trains is the pleasure for trainspotters like me.

Close up of the 90th anniversary plate

Tama Riverside Walking: Part 12, Minami-Tama

Set N24 of the EMU JR East E233-8000 series crosses Tama River

It’s November already. The weather has become cooler, so, it’s the best season for a stroll. I resumed walking along Tama River. My destination this time was Inagi City of Tokyo Metropolis. After getting off Minami-Tama station on the JR East Nambu line, I headed to Tama River.

Let me quickly review Inagi City to start. It’s located in the midstream of Tama River, and a new residential area developed in the 1970s. When I was a child, I sometimes came here with my school teacher and classmates for picking pears in autumn. My teacher told us that Inagi City is suitable for pear cultivation, because the land is well-drained. The main part of the city is situated on the Tama riverbed.

As soon as I started walking on the embankment, a 6-car train crossed the railway bridge. It was a northbound train, Set N24 of the EMU JR East E233-8000 series, on the Nambu line. All the trains on the Nambu line have stain-less steel bodies with yellow, orange and black-colored stripes. This train is familiar to me, but the figure of crossing Tama River is refreshing. I continued walking upstream. Three minutes later, a container train pulled by a blue-colored electric locomotive (EL) passed through another bridge for freight trains. It was Unit 337 of the Class EF210-300, "Momotaro", operated by JR Freight. I tried to shoot the whole train, but I was too optimistic. The train was longer than the railway bridge, so I couldn’t. Instead, I shot a close-up of the EL.

A container train pulled by a EL, Unit 137 of the Class JR Freight E210

New-colored Trains on the Daiyuzan Line

Set 5507 of the EMU Izu-Hakone 5000 series, Gentian Train

I can't take my eyes off the Daiyuzan line. New-colored trains were recently commissioned one after another. I am going to show you these beautiful trains today.

Let me quickly review the Dauyuzan line to start. The Daiyuzan line is operated by Izu-Hakone Railway, which is one of the Seibu Group companies. The route was opened in 1925 between Odawara and Daiyuzan stations to transport worshippers to the famous Saijo-ji Buddhist temple. Currently, the passengers are not only worshipers, but also local commuters and students going to Odawara, Yokohama, and other cities. The route length is 9.6 kilometers. The track is 1,067 mm-size single and electrified. The electric system is 1,500 V DC with an overhead line. Trains are operated every 12 minutes on average. 

Now, let's head to the main topic. Firstly, "Gentian Train" debuted on April 5th using Set 5507 of the EMU 5000 series. Gentian is the flower of Minami-Ashigara city on the Daiyuzan line. The purpose of Gentian Train is to promote tourism to this beautiful city. Its light-purple-colored body is gentle. "Orange Train" was then commissioned on August 29th using Set 5503 of the EMU 5000 series. Oranges are the specialty of Odawara City on the Daiyuzan line. The purpose of Orange Train is to promote tourism to this fruit city. Its body color is brilliant.

Incidentally, the EMU 5000 series is the main fleet of the Daiyuzan line. It was launched in 1984. A total of 7 sets, 21 units, are operated on the line.

Set 5503 of the EMU Izu-Hakone 5000 series, Orange Train

Official information about Gentian Train by Izu-Hakone Railway (in Japanesea):

https://www.izuhakone.co.jp/sunzudaiyu/sunzudaiyu-news/p010225_d/fil/railway_news_20240329.pdf

Official information about Orange Train by Izu-Hakone Railway (in Japanesea):

https://www.izuhakone.co.jp/izu-group/izu-news/railway_news_20240821_d/fil/railway_news_20240821.pdf

The 60th Anniversary of Tokyo Monorail

60th anniversary train, Set 10041 of the EMU Tokyo Monorail 10000 series

On September 17th, 2024, Tokyo Monorail Company celebrated the 60th anniversary of their Haneda Airport line. In commemoration, the company held several events.

Let me review the Haneda Airport line to start. It is an airport access monorail line from downtown Tokyo to Tokyo International Airport (Haneda). This route was opened in 1964 as the second oldest monorail line in Tokyo. There are 11 stations over a total operating length of 17.8 kilometers. The entire route is a double track. The electric system is 750V DC. The best thing about Tokyo Monorail is its high speed. The maximum train speed is 80 kilometers per hour. “Haneda Express” train connects Hamamatsu-cho in the downtown area and Haneda Airport International Terminal without stopping in only 13 minutes. This express train overtakes the local train at Showajima station.

In commemoration of the 60th anniversary, Tokyo Monorail has been operating a special-colored train since September 14th, using Set 10041 of the EMU 10000 series. The body color has been returned to the original state, which was adopted when the Haneda Airport line was opened. It is ivory-colored with light-blue and dark-blue-colored stripes. We can see the 60th anniversary sticker as well on the front of this train.

Incidentally, I still remember the 50th anniversary train on the Haneda Airport line in 2014. It was a special-colored EMU 1000 series train with red-colored stripes. That color design was taken from the EMU 500 series, which had already been retired from the track. Ten years have passed since then. Time really flies.

The 60th anniversary sticker of the Haneda Airport line, Tokyo Monorail

Official information about the 60th anniversary, Haneda Airport line, Tokyo Monorail (in Japanese):

https://www.tokyo-monorail.co.jp/news/campaign/60th_anniversary/