JAPAN: Mitsubishi Heavy Industries has completed a five-car Model 330 automated rubber-tyre light metro trainset which is expected to enter service on the Tokyo Metropolitan Government’s Nippori-toneri Liner peoplemover next month.
The cars have an unpainted double-skin aluminium body structure which is designed to be around 1·5 tonnes lighter than the line’s current Model 300 fleet, reducing energy consumption and wear. The T-smover bogies are also intended to be lighter, and offer lower noise and vibration as well as easy maintenance.
The 9·7 km elevated line between the Nippori and Minumadai-shinsuikoen stations has experienced significant ridership growth since it opened in March 2008. The new train has MHI’s next-generation G-Fit longitudinal seats, designed to increase the seating capacity of a five-car set by 19 and the total capacity by 97 passengers compared to the existing trainsets.
