sustina

sustina (stylized in lowercase) and the related sustina Hybrid is a brand name of stainless steel rail cars and car bodies used by Tokyu Car Corporation, now known as J-TREC.

History[]

sustina was developed since approximately 2000 jointly by the Tokyu Car Corporation and Tokyu Corporation; when Tokyu Car Corporation went defunct in 2012, production was taken over by J-TREC. The technology first saw use in approximately 2013, when Tokyu 5050 series car SaHa 5576 was constructed using the technology. More and more railroads in Japan have begun to order cars based on sustina technology.

Technology[]

sustina cars are said to be very corrosion resistant and are claimed to be mechanically much stronger than similar cars; J-TREC also states that sustina cars do not need to be painted to further reduce maintenance costs. sustina cars are also said to have very high heat resistance, have low life cycle costs and are easily recyclable (disused car bodies can be recycled as material for new car bodies). sustina cars are manufactured using a temper rolling process and have structural design elements which allow for better crash protection.

The sustina line of products is also said to be extremely versatile, allowing for a large number of configurations, designs and the like, with many specifications left up to the choice of those who order these cars for greater flexibility; it is also said that sustina cars can be custom-design to fit specific needs of users.

There is also the sustina Hybrid line of cars, which also use stainless steel construction, although catered more to hybrid diesel-electric or battery-electric trains.

Nomenclature[]

sustina cars use a "series" naming system involving an S followed by a two-digit number (i.e. S23). According to J-TREC, the nomenclature is as follows; the first digit represents the car length (1 for 10 – 19 meters, 2 for 20 – 29 meters etc.) while the second digit represents the number of doors on each side of the car.

On the other hand, a separate form of nomenclature is used for the sustina Hybrid series. Two names exist; sustina Diesel Hybrid and sustina Battery Hybrid. The nomenclature changes based on the main power unit of the sets in question (i.e. sustina Diesel Hybrid for hybrid diesel multiple units with sustina car bodies).

Users[]

Domestic[]

East Japan Railway Company

E129 series (sustina S23 series)
E131 series (sustina S24 series)
HB-E210 series (sustina Diesel Hybrid)
E235 series (sustina S24 series, SaHa E235-4600 series do not use sustina technology)
EV-E301 series (sustina Battery Hybrid)
FV-E991 series (sustina Hybrid)