JAPAN: The first of 19 Series 18000 trainsets to operate Tokyo Metro’s Hanzomon Line was unveiled at Saginuma depot in Kawasaki city on June 2.
The 10-car trains are being built by Hitachi to replace the Series 8000 sets which currently operate the 1 067 mm gauge metro line. Two units were delivered for testing and commissioning at the end of 2020, and the first is expected to enter service in August. Deliveries are due to be completed by 2025.
The Series 18000 trains were ordered in 2019 under Tokyo Metro’s Plan 21 investment strategy, along with the similar Series 17000 sets which entered service on the Fukutoshin Line last year. Equipped for operation at 1·5 kV DC, the trains are powered by permanent-magnet motors and a traction package using silicon carbide inverters.
Each vehicle has four sets of doors per side for rapid boarding and alighting, and the floor height has been lowered slightly to permit near-level boarding. The fabrics used on the longitudinal seating have been treated with antibacterial and antiviral finishes. Wide gangways provides ample standing space, with glazed doors at the car ends permitting free movement along the train. Each trainset includes dedicated spaces for wheelchair users and areas for passengers with buggies.
The units are finished in a purple livery, echoing the line colour for the 16·8 km Hanzomon Line, which links Shibuya and Oshiage. The route carries through services operated in conjunction with the private-sector Tokyu and Tobu railways. The existing Series 8000 trains were supplied by Kawasaki and Nippon Sharyo between 1980 and 1994, with all units being refurbished from 2004.
