The E721 series is a Japanese suburban electric multiple unit operated by the East Japan Railway Company since February 2007.
History[]
The E721 series was constructed to replace aging 455, 717 and 417 series cars on various lines due to aging and various other issues.
As of 2018, forty-six two-car sets and nineteen four car sets have been produced for a total of 136 cars. Most sets are in service and are based at Sendai Depot.
The E721 series (and the very similar Sendai Airport Transit SAT721 series) is the recipient of the 2008 Laurel Prize (an award for vehicles that entered service the previous year having the most outstanding functional and design features).
Design[]
The E721 series uses a conventional design with an unpainted stainless steel body and different accents based on the variation. The E721 series uses dual high-intensity discharge headlights mounted on the top of the car.
Livery Variations[]
Operating area | Front end | Body side | ||||||
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E721-0 series |
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E721-500 series |
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E721-1000 series |
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Specifications[]
Construction is of stainless steel. Each car is 20 meters long. The traction system used in the sets is an insulated gate bipolar transistor variable frequency drives also manufactured by Mitsubishi which have a distinctive hissing noise.
Incidents and accidents[]

Extent of the damage
On 11 April 2011, two-car sets P1 and P19 coupled in a four-car formation were derailed and severely damaged by the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami while at Shinchi Station. Both sets were later scrapped.
Shinichi Station was also extremely badly damaged by the earthquake, and as such, operations to the station were suspended starting from March 2011; the station has since reopened at a new location as of December 2016.
See also[]
- Sendai Airport Transit SAT721 series, a derivative used by Sendai Airport Transit
- Aoimori 703 series, a derivative used by the Aoimori Railway
- Abukyu AB900 series, a derivative used by AbukumaExpress
References[]
JR East rolling stock | ||||||||||||||||
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Active | AC EMUs | Shinkansen: E2 • E3 • E5 • E6 • E7 • E8 Non-revenue Shinkansen: E926 • E956 Commuter: 701 • 719 • E721 Limited Express: E751 | ||||||||||||||
DC EMUs | Commuter: 115 • E127 • E129 • E131 • 205 • 209 • 211 • E217 • E231 • E233 • E235 Limited Express: 185 • 253 • E257 • E259 • E261 • E353 Non-revenue: 209-0 | |||||||||||||||
Dual-current EMUs | Commuter: 415 • E501 • E531 Limited Express: E653 • E657 Charter: E655 Non-revenue: E491 • E493 | |||||||||||||||
DMUs | Commuter: KiHa 40 • KiHa 100 • KiHa 110 • KiHa E120 • KiHa E130 Non-revenue: KiYa E193 • KiYa E195 | |||||||||||||||
AC BEMUs | Commuter: EV-E801 | |||||||||||||||
DC BEMUs | Commuter: EV-E301 | |||||||||||||||
Hybrid MUs | Commuter: KiHa E200 • HB-E210 • GV-E400 Charter: E001 • HB-E300 Non-revenue: GV-E197 | |||||||||||||||
Fuel cell MUs | Non-revenue: FV-E991 | |||||||||||||||
Other MUs | Non-revenue: E991 | |||||||||||||||
Withdrawn | AC EMUs | Shinkansen: 200 • 400 • E1 • E4 Non-revenue Shinkansen: 925 • 952/953 • E954 • E955 Commuter: 715 • 717 Non-revenue: 740 • 743 | ||||||||||||||
DC EMUs | Commuter: 12 • 101 • 103 • 105 • 107 • 113 • 123 • 201 • 203 • 207 • 215 • 301 • E331 Limited Express: 157 • 165 • 167 • 169 • 183 • 189 • 251 • 255 • E351 Non-revenue: 90 • 143 • 145 • 193 • 901 • E993 | |||||||||||||||
Dual-current EMUs | Commuter: 417 • 451 • 453 • 455 • 457 Limited Express: 485 • 489 • 583 • 651 Non-revenue: 441 • 443 • 497 • E991 | |||||||||||||||
DMUs | Commuter: KiHa 20 • KiHa 35 • KiHa 37 • KiHa 38 • KiHa 45 Express: KiHa 58 Charter: KiHa 141 Non-revenue: KiYa 191 | |||||||||||||||
Hybrid MUs | Non-revenue: KiYa E991 • KuMoYa E995 | |||||||||||||||
Future | Hybrid MUs | Commuter: HB-E220 |
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