The Seibu 001 series is a Japanese limited express electric multiple unit operated by the Seibu Railway since March 2019.
History[]
The 001 series trains were designed as a successor to the older 10000 trains. The first sets were constructed in 2018 by Hitachi and transported to the Seibu Railway the same year; operations began in March 2019 with the introduction of the revised timetable.
The 001 series sets reintroduced the x01 naming scheme to the Seibu Railway; it was last used in 1981. As with virtually all of Seibu's other limited express trains, the 001 series sets feature branding; the sets are branded Laview. Laview is a multi-part name of sorts; each of the portions of the name is sort of a backronym for Luxury, Arrow and View, the "Arrow" referencing the limited express trains of the past.
A total of seven sets were produced, totaling 56 cars. The sets have since won multiple awards, such as the 2019 Kids Design Award, the 2019 Good Design Award, the 2020 iF Design Award and the 2020 Blue Ribbon Award.
Design[]
The 001 series sets use a curved front end with top-mounted headlights in circular casings recessed in the body. The sets were designed with the language of "something that has never been seen before". The sets were designed to be a train which could blend in with the landscape and nature, a train which creates value and can act as a destination and not just as a means of transportation and has a living room-type feel. The trains are painted a metallic silver with Dai Nippon Toryo "Super Bright No. 2000" paint to blend in with the surroundings; this is the first time this sort of paint has been used on railway vehicles.
The design of the train can be attributed to four people; Kazuyo Sejima for the train's general design, Yoko Ando for the train's upholstery and flooring design, Shozo Toyohisa for lighting and Juntaka Tanase for graphic design for the train's logomarks.
The LED headlights of the sets feature a secondary ring of LEDs around them; these can be configured to have various lighting patterns at events, the most common of which is that the top half of the ring is lit, simulating a smile. The patterns are changed by operating a switch in the cab.
Specifications[]
Construction is of a double-skinned aluminum alloy based on Hitachi's A-Train concept. The sets use Mitsubishi 2-level SiC-based MOSFETs for traction motors which create a soft hissing noise.
Gallery[]
| Seibu rolling stock | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Active | Limited Express | 001 "Laview" • 10000 "New Red Arrow" | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Commuter | New 101 • 2000 • New 2000 • 4000 • 6000 • 9000 • 20000 • 30000 • 40000 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| AGT | 8500 "Leo Liner" | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Withdrawn | Limited Express | 5000 "Red Arrow" | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Commuter (cardan shaft drive) | 101 • 301 • 401 (gen 2) • 601 • 701 • 3000 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Commuter (nose suspension drive) | 311 • 351 • MoHa 351 • 371 • 401 (gen 1) • 411 • 451 • 501 • 551 • 571 • KuHa 1221 (gen 1) • 1411 • KuHa 1651 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Diesel | KiHa 20 • KiHa 101 • KiHa 111 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Baggage trains | MoNi 1 • Sa 1 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Ex-Tamako Line | KiHa 1 • MoHa 11 • MoHa 21 • JiHa 101 • MoHa 101 (gen 1) • MoHa 101 (gen 2) • KuHa 1201 (gen 2) | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Ex-Musashino Railway | MoHa 105 • MoHa 131 • MoHa 201 • MoHa 211 • MoHa 221 • MoHa 231 • MoHa 241 • MoHa 301 • KuHa 1201 (gen 1) • KuHaNi 1211 • KuHa 1231 • KuHa 1241 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Ex-former Seibu Railway | ReKa 1 • KiHa 20 • KiHa 101 • MoHa 151 • MoHa 161 • KuHa 1151 • MoHa 221 • MoHa 251 • MoHa 1221 (gen 2) • KuHa 1251 • KiHaNi 6450 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Future | Sustainer Cars | Ex-Odakyu 8000 series • Ex-Tokyu 9000 series • Ex-Tokyu 9020 series | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Proposed | AGT | 7000 | ||||||||||||||||||||||