227 series

227 series
Consist led by R5 in August 2023
Technical specifications
Manufacturer(s)	Kawasaki Heavy Industries, Kinki Sharyo
Designer(s)	Kenji Ekuan
Type of locomotive	Electric multiple unit
Family name	efACE (Kawasaki cars only)
Constructed	2014 – Present
Number built	174 cars (73 sets)
Number under construction	102 cars (54 sets)
Dimensions	770 in (19,570 mm) (end cars) × 116 in (2,950 mm) × 143 in (3,630 mm)
Gauge	3 ft 6 in (1,067 mm)
Power supply	Pantograph
Electric system(s)	1,500 V DC
Traction system	Variable frequency (IGBT, pure SiC)
Service information
In service	14 March 2015 – Present
Branding	Red Wing Urara (Okayama-based)
Formation	2 or 3 cars per set
Number in service	174 cars (73 sets)
Fleet numbers	A01 – A64, R01 – R25, S01 – S42, SD01 – SD08, SR01 – SR14, SS01 – SS12, R1 – R8
Preservation information
Preserved	N/A
Number scrapped	N/A

The 227 series, branded Red Wing or Urara, is a Japanese suburban electric multiple unit operated by the West Japan Railway Company since March 2015.

History

The 227 series was designed to be a suburban train meant to be operated in the Hiroshima region, in addition to replacing older trains like the 115 series sets used on services in that area. The first set entered service on 14 March 2015.

Thirty-four two-car sets were ordered for use on the Sakurai and Wakayama Lines; they entered service on 16 March 2019 to replace the 105 and 117 series sets on both lines. The trains have smart card readers on board, allowing ICOCA (JR West's smart card system) acceptance to all JR West services on the Wakayama Line and in Nara Prefecture. Another type of set was introduced in the Okayama region on 22 July 2023; these sets are branded Urara.

The sets are based at Hiroshima and Hineno Depots.

Design

The 227 series adopts a modern design language for suburban commuter trains which would be carried on onto more modern suburban commuter trains built for JR West, such as the 323 series. The 227 series cars have distinctive anti-fall plates on each side of the cab cars, with the Red Wing logo on the sides. Most sets have red accents; the Sakurai and Wakayama Line sets have green and brown accents while the Okayama-based sets have pink accents.

The exterior design for the sets was overseen by Kenji Ekuan of GK Design Group; this was one of his final railway-related designs before his death.

Specifications

Construction is of stainless steel. End cars are 19.57 meters long while intermediate cars are 19.5 meters long. The 227 series make use of insulated gate bipolar transistor variable frequency drives manufactured by Hitachi or Toshiba; the Hitachi drives produce a shrill sound that is sustained for a fairly long period of time, while the Toshiba drives make more of a quiet hissing sound.

Mitsubishi does also produce variable frequency drives for the 227 series, but there are no noticeable sound differences and they are regarded as OEM Hitachi drives. 227-1000 series sets SD01 to SD03 make use of pure silicon carbide MOSFET-based variable frequency drives manufactured by Mitsubishi which make a quiet, hissing sound; sets SD04 onwards use Toshiba silicon carbide MOSFET-based variable frequency drives which produce a louder hissing sound. The 227-1000 series sets also use LED headlights as opposed to the high-intensity discharge headlights of previous sets.

The 227 series is equipped with a musical horn which is standard on most of JR West's commuter fleet.

References

• Wikipedia.org