Saturday 22 November 2014

EMU 3000 Series and Restructuring of Railway Network

EMU Tokyu 3000 series arrives at Tamagawa Station on the Tokyu Meguro Line
 
One of my blog readers recently requested the introduction of the EMU Tokyu 3000 series. So, I am going to show you this urban commuter train in conjunction with the restructuring of Tokyu's railway network.

Tokyu is a major private railway company. They have a clear strategy for enhancement of competitivenesss... restructuring of the railway network. Take for instance, the Meguro Line. The Meguro Line, which was a part of the ex-Mekama Line, used to be a local route connecting Meguro and Kamata, but the operation totally changed in 2000. The Mekama Line was split into two routes, namely the Meguro and the Tamagawa lines at Tamagawa Station. All trains on the Meguro Line began to operate directly into the Tokyu Toyoko, Tokyo Metro Namboku and Toei Mita lines. In other words, the ex-Mekama Line was restructured. Currently, the trains on the Meguro Line are operated from Urawa-Misono (Saitama Railway) in the north to Hiyoshi (Tokyu Toyoko Line) in the south. It has boosted the convenience for passengers.

Taking the above restructuring opportunity, Tokyu has launched a new 6-car train, the EMU 3000 series. The first set was launched onto the Toyoko Line as an 8-car train, but it was moved to the Meguro Line shortly after.

A total of 13 sets, 78 units, have been manufactured so far by Tokyu Sharyo. All sets are operated on the Meguro Line with the Tokyu 5080, Toei 6300 (see the following photo), Tokyo Metro 9000 and SR 2000 series. For your information, the Y000 series on the Kodomonokuni Line is a sister train of the 3000 series.

 
EMU Toei 6300 series arrives at Tamagawa Station on the Tokyu Meguro Line