The Hokushinkyuko 7000 series is a Japanese city commuter electric multiple unit operated by the Hokushinkyuko Railway from April 1988 to June 2020 and the Kobe Municipal Transport Bureau from June 2020 to August 2023 on the Kobe City Subway Seishin-Yamate and Hokushin Lines.
History[]
The 7000 series sets were designed as the first rolling stock for use on the Hokushinkyuko Railway, slated to open in April 1988. A total of five sets were built by Kawasaki Heavy Industries in Hyōgo from 1987 to 1989, with the first set entering service on 2 April 1988; the sets were originally five cars in length and were also designed to through-run to the Kobe City Subway's Seishin-Yamate Line. When the first six car trains on the Kobe City Subway were introduced in 1989, the 7000 series fleet was lengthened to six cars.
In 2005, the words "Hokushinkyuko Railway" were painted on the sides of the cars. Minor refurbishment works occured from 2014 to 2015, with the trains receiving new LED lamps for interior lighting. Major refurbishment works on the sets began in 2015, with the sets receiving new traction motors to replace the older obsolete ones. In the process, the sets were reclassified as the 7000-A series but their car numbers remain unchanged. Refurbishment works were completed in December 2018.
In 2016, the Kobe Municipal Transport Bureau announced that new 6000 series sets would begin to replace the rolling stock on the line beginning 2019, with a goal to replace all existing rolling stock by 2022. No word was heard regarding the sets's replacements, with Hokushinkyuko stating that the 7000 series would operate for the time being. The Hokushinkyuko Railway ceased operations in 2020, with the line, its operations and rolling stock being absorbed by the Kobe City Subway. The Kobe Municipal Transport Bureau later announced that the trains would be replaced by 6000 series cars by 2023; the last revenue runs for the 7000 series were conducted on 18 August 2023, one day after a planned timetable revision.
Design[]
The 7000 series cars use a conventional design with two front-mounted headlights. The headlights however are mounted horizontally, unlike all other rolling stock on the Kobe City Subway's Seishin-Yamate Line. The trains feature a brown livery with cream accents, the corporate colors of the Hokushinkyuko Railway; the trains's liveries remain unchanged even with the Hokushin Line's acquisition by the Kobe City Subway.
Specifications[]
Construction of the cars is of an aluminum alloy. The sets used early-specification Mitsubishi two-level gate turn-off thyristor variable frequency drives which produced a wailing sound which steps up in pitch. After refurbishment these were replaced with pure silicon carbide-based MOSFETs, also manufactured by Mitsubishi; these produce a hissing sound.
Preservation[]
The following 7000 series cars have been preserved:
| Number | Manufacturer | Date manufactured | Date retired | Previous sets | Location | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7051 | Kawasaki Heavy Industries | June 1987 | June 2023 | 7051 | Myōdani Depot, Kobe, Japan | Cab only, first car built; viewing possible on depot open days |
| Hokushinkyuko rolling stock | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hokushin Line | 7000 • 7000-A | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Kobe City Subway rolling stock | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Active | Seishin-Yamate Line | 6000 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Kaigan Line | 5000 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Hokushin Line | 6000 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Withdrawn | Seishin-Yamate Line | 1000 • 2000 • 3000 • 7000 • 7000-A | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Hokushin Line | 7000 • 7000-A | |||||||||||||||||||||||