Tuesday 16 May 2017

EMU 500 Series: Tobu New Limited Express Train

EMU Tobu 500 series, limited express train "Revaty", travels on the Nikko Line 

Tobu is the largest private railway company in the Tokyo metropolitan area. They operate 463 km of track. The routes extend from Tokyo to four surrounding prefectures, namely Saitama, Chiba, Tochigi and Gumma. To enhance convenience for transportation between these prefectures and Tokyo is Tobu's large business challenge. One of the solutions, which the company recently provided, is the following.

On April 21st, Tobu launched a new limited express train, the EMU 500 series. As you may know, Tobu already has two limited express models, namely the 100 series (Spacia) and the 200 series (Ryomo), at that time. Why did they launch the new model?

The new model, EMU 500 series, is a 3-car train and it is easy to couple and decouple each train set. As a result, Tobu has become a flexible train operation. For instance, one 6-car train, which is composed of two sets of the 500 series, is operated from Asakusa Terminal in Tokyo to Shimo-Imaichi junction. It is, then, decoupled into two 3-car trains. One set is directly operated to Tobu-Nikko, the famous World Heritage Site; meanwhile another set is also directly operated to the Kinugawa area, a reputable hot spring resort. It is quite convenient for passengers.

The nickname of the 500 series is "Revaty". It is a coined word, synthesized from variety and liberty. I am looking forward to riding on Revaty and traveling to Nikko in the near future.

EMU Tobu 500 series (left) and the 20000 series (right) at Kita-Kasukabe Station