E217 series

E217 series
Y32 in February 2023
Technical specifications
Manufacturer(s)	JR East's Niitsu Works, JR East's Ōfuna Works, Kawasaki Heavy Industries, Tokyu Car Corporation
Designer(s)	Kenji Ekuan
Type of locomotive	Electric multiple unit
Constructed	1994 – 1999
Number built	745 cars
Dimensions	768 in (19,500 mm) × 116 in (2,950 mm) × 160 in (4,070 mm)
Gauge	3 ft 6 in (1,067 mm)
Power supply	Pantograph
Electric system(s)	1,500 V DC
Traction system	Variable frequency (GTO, IGBT)
Service information
In service	3 December 1994 – Present
Formation	4 or 11 cars per set
Number in service	666 cars
Fleet numbers	Y1 – Y51, Y101 – Y146
Refurbished	2008 – 2012
Scrapped	2021 – Present
Preservation information
Preserved	N/A
Number scrapped	79 cars

The E217 series is a Japanese outer-suburban electric multiple unit operated by the East Japan Railway Company since December 1994.

History

The E217 series was constructed to replace aging 113 series cars on various lines due to aging and various other issues; all Yokosuka Line 113 series sets were replaced by E217 series sets by December 1999.

As of 2018, all 745 cars were based at Kamakura Depot. Some sets used to operate on the Tōkaidō Main Line from March 2006, with three fifteen-car (11+4 car formation) sets reformed as 10+5 car formations for use on the Tōkaidō Main Line and renumbered F1 – F3 (10-car sets) and F51 – F53 (five-car sets). One set remained at Kōzu Depot (where they were also stationed) by April 2011, and all three 10+5 sets were re-transferred back to Kamakura Depot in 2015 and reformed as 11+4 car sets.

With the introduction of the E235-1000 series suburban sets, the E217 series sets are slated to be replaced. Scrapping began in 2021. Indonesian commuter rail system KAI Commuter requested permission to import 348 E217 series cars in December 2022 to replace life-expired trainsets; this request was rejected in January 2023 by the Indonesian Ministry of Transport, with KAI Commuter later stating they would purchase new trainsets from Japan and Indonesia instead. This incident caused some amount of political furor within the country.

Design

Comparison between unrefurbished (right) and refurbished sets

The E217 series is heavily based on the 209 series, so some design language carries over; the overall construction of the 209 series also carries over into the E217 series cars. The end cars are also slightly streamlined.

The sets were refurbished starting from 2008 which involved giving the sets a slightly new paint job, the replacement of dated traction motors with newer, more energy-efficient ones and the addition of electric passenger doors. All sets were refurbished by August 2012.

The sets have blue and cream accents; the accents were originally a dark blue but was changed to "Blue No. 20" (Bright Blue) with the refurbishment.

Specifications

Construction is of stainless steel. Each car is 19.5 meters long. When originally manufactured, the traction system consisted of gate turn-off thyristor variable frequency drives manufactured by Mitsubishi which have a distinctive roaring sound akin to a car shifting gears when the train accelerates from idle; all of these old variable frequency drives have since been replaced with insulated gate bipolar transistor drives also produced by Mitsubishi which produce a hissing sound due to refurbishment works.

Incidents

The thirty-car consist

On Christmas Day 2014, an 11+4 car set consisting of sets Y12 and Y129 broke down on the Yokosuka Line due to electrical problems; another 11+4 car set consisting of sets Y23 and Y130 was sent to tow the faulty set from Tokyo Station to Kamakura Depot. While this was happening, the entire train did not stop at any stations to pick up any passengers.

This created an immensely long thirty-car train, which can be seen in action here; this thirty-car train was documented a fair amount of times on various social media platforms. No similar event has happened since.

References

• Wikipedia.org