Saturday 1 November 2014

Rail Yard Tours on the Saitama Railway

EMU SR 2000 (left) and Tokyo Metro 9000 series (right) in the Urawa-Misono Rail Yard
 
October is the month of railways in Japan, which was originated from the opening of Japan's first railway that was completed on October 14th in 1872 between Shimbashi and Yokohama stations. In commemoration of this special day, the Japanese Government designated October 14 as Railway Day in 1994. Since then, many railway companies have started to hold special public events in October such as rail yard tours and/or special memorial train operations.

This year, Saitama Railway (SR) held a public rail yard tour on October 25 in their Urawa-Misono Rail Yard. It was a bright and clear day. I saw many families with small children, young couples and rail fans in the yard, which is normally closed to the public.

SR exhibited their EMU, the 2000 series, in the rail yard. Next to the 2000 series, the Tokyo Metro 9000 series and the Tokyu 3000 series were also lined up for rail photo lovers. For your information, the Tokyo Metro and the Tokyu trains are directly operated onto the SR Line.

Along with the train exhibitions, many activities were also seen in the yard. For example, maintenance vehicle tours were very popular attractions for the kids. A farm products fair held by the local farmers in the yard was also popular among young mothers. I should say the event was most successful for all visitors.

I am going to introduce the trains on the SR line next time. To be continued...

 
Maintenance vehicle tours in the Urawa-Misono Rail Yard