JAPAN: Tobu Railway put its first Series 80000 EMU into revenue service on the Urban Park Line on March 9.
The route serves the northern and eastern parts of the Tokyo metropolitan area, linking Ōmiya in Saitama prefecture with Funabashi in Chiba via Kashiwa. Opened in 1930 as the Noda Line, the 62·7 km, partially single-track route is 1 067 mm gauge and electrified at 1·5 kV DC.
Kinki Sharyo is supplying 25 Series 80000 trainsets, which are intended to operate as five-car formations. Seven are being built as such, but the other 18 will be supplied as four-car units and augmented by one vehicle transferred from the railway’s existing Series 60000 units; these are to be shortened from six to five cars. The new trains are intended to replace Tobu’s ageing Series 8000 and 10030 EMUs which are to be withdrawn.
The Series 80000 units are formed with two driving trailers, two motor cars and a central trailer, and have a maximum speed of 120 km/h. Each will be able to carry up to 697 passengers, including 239 seated. A feature of the new trains is the Tanoshiito (‘enjoyable seat’) family areas behind each cab; these have glazed partitions allowing the children to watch the driver and enjoy the forward view.
The aluminium-bodied EMUs are fitted with a SynTRACS traction package supplied by Mitsubishi Electric. This includes SynRM 250 kW self-cooled synchronous reluctance motors, an inverter drive using silicon carbide elements and a lithium-ion battery pack which also provides power for the lighting and air conditioning. The more efficient traction drive and greater use of regenerative braking are expected to reduce power consumption by more than 40% compared with the Series 8000 EMUs.
Real-time monitoring
One trainset has been fitted with a variety of monitoring equipment to undertake regular inspection of the infrastructure while operating in revenue service, supporting a condition-based maintenance regime.
Rooftop cameras are provided to monitor the overhead electrification, including wear on the contact wire, and the condition of the droppers and supporting structures. Underfloor cameras check the rail bonds for the return current and ensure that these are correctly aligned with the overhead equipment. Other cameras inspect the track, looking for any wear of the rails, fastenings and other rail components. Two-dimensional sensors under the floor are used to measure any vertical and horizontal displacement of the rails, helping to identify potential geometry faults.
