Tuesday 23 July 2013

The 103 Series in Japan and Indonesia

Classic EMU JR West 103 series stands at Kyoto Station on the Nara Line
 
As I have mentioned before, JR East is operating a special train on the Yamanote Line in Tokyo in commemoration of the 50th anniversary of "green colored train" operations. The Yamanote Line is famous for green colored trains, which have been a tradition of this route for 50 years. The coloring of the special train (the EMU 231-500 series) is similar to that of the first generation green colored train, namely the EMU 103 series.

True, the operation of the nostalgic special green colored train is exciting for rail fans in Tokyo; however, we can still see the original green colored 103 series in the western part of Japan. Look at the top photo. It is the green colored 103 series on the JR West Nara Line. The design and specification are rather old, but it seems very sturdy. The 103 series has been underpinning Japan's economic growth for the last 50 years, as it has been transporting hundreds of millions of commuters.

In the meantime, several units of the 103 series have crossed the ocean, and are operated in Indonesia. The following picture shows a dark blue colored 8 car train of the 103 series standing at Jakarta-kota Station on the Indonesian National Railways (PT KAI). It was the Independence Day of Indonesia. Local children were smiling with a proud look on their faces, while holding up the national flag. It was the year 2010, when I was stationed in Jakarta, Indonesia.

 
EMU PT KAI 103 series stands at Jakarta-kota Station in Indonesia (August, 2010)