E531 series

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

E531 series
Joban Line
(in March 2019 Between
403 series, 415 series, some E501 series
Constructed2005–2020, 2024
Entered service9 July 2005
Number built
  • 461 vehicles
    • 26 × 10-car
    • 40 × 5-car
    • 1 × end car
Number in service460 vehicles
Formation5/10 cars per trainset
Fleet numbers
  • K401–K426 (10-car sets)
  • K451–K483 (standard 5-car sets)
  • K551–K557 (cold-weather 5-car sets)
OperatorsLogo of the East Japan Railway Company (JR East) JR East
DepotsKatsuta
Lines served
Specifications
Car body constructionStainless steel
Car length20,000 mm (65 ft 7 in)
Width2,950 mm (9 ft 8 in)
Floor height1,130 mm (3 ft 8 in)
Doors4 pairs per side
Maximum speed130 km/h (81 mph)
Traction system
ATS-SN, ATS-P, ATS-Ps
Track gauge1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in)

The E531 series (

403 and 415 series EMUs running on the Jōban Line from Ueno Station in Tokyo. The stock is a dual-voltage (1,500 V DC & 20 kV AC) development of the DC-only E231 series suburban EMU design, and can run at speeds of up to 130 km/h (81 mph) in service.[2]

Operations

Trains are formed in 10-car (set numbers K401–K426) and 5-car (set numbers K451–K483, K551–K557) sets. 15-car formations are generally run between Shinagawa and Tsuchiura. 10- and 5-car sets operate singly north of Tsuchiura, and 5-car sets are used on the Mito Line. 5-car cold weather sets (E531-3000 series) are used on the Tōhoku Main Line between Kuroiso and Shin-Shirakawa, to handle the change of electrification from DC to AC just north of Kuroiso.

Formations

10-car sets

As of 1 October 2018, 26 ten-car sets (K401–K426) are based at Katsuta Depot and formed with four motored ("M") cars and six non-powered trailer ("T") cars.[3]

 
← Takahagi
Shinagawa →
 
Car No. 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Designation Tc T M M' T' Tsd Tsd' M M' Tc'
Numbering KuHa E531-0 SaHa E531-0/-2000 MoHa E531-2000 MoHa E530-2000 SaHa E530-2000 SaRo E531-0 SaRo E530-0 MoHa E531-1000 MoHa E530-0 KuHa E530-0
  • Cars 3 and 8 each have one single-arm pantograph.[3]
  • Cars 1 and 10 have a wheelchair space.[3]
  • Cars 1, 5, and 10 each have a toilet (universal design in cars 1 and 10).[3]
  • Car 8 is designated as a mildly air-conditioned car.[3]
  • Cars 4 and 5 are bilevel Green Cars.[3]
  • Car 9 in sets K412–K422 are numbered in the -2000 series and have longitudinal seating (these cars were originally cars 4 and 5 in sets K401–K406); in all other sets, they are numbered in the -0 series and have some transverse seating bays.[3]
  • Cars 1, 2, and 10 have some transverse seating bays.[3]

Standard 5-car sets

As of 3 March 2020, 33 five-car sets (K451–K483) are based at Katsuta Depot and formed with two motored ("M") cars and three non-powered trailer ("T") cars.

 
← Haranomachi
Oyama, Shinagawa →
 
Car No. 15 14 13 12 11
Designation Tc T M M' Tc'
Numbering KuHa E531-1000 SaHa E531-0 MoHa E531-0 MoHa E530-1000 KuHa E530-2000
  • Car 13 has one single-arm pantograph.[3]
  • Cars 11 and 15 have a wheelchair space.[3]
  • Car 11 has a universal design toilet.[3]
  • Car 14 is designated as a mildly air-conditioned car.[3]
  • Cars 13, 14, and 15 have some transverse seating bays.[3]

Cold-weather 5-car sets

An E531 series train on the Tōhoku Main Line in October 2017 near Shirasaka

As of 1 October 2018, seven five-car sets (K551–K557) are based at Katsuta Depot and formed with two motored ("M") cars and three non-powered trailer ("T") cars.[3]

 
← Haranomachi, Kuroiso
Shin-Shirakawa, Shinagawa →
 
Car No. 15 14 13 12 11
Designation Tc T M M' Tc'
Numbering KuHa E531-4000 SaHa E531-3000 MoHa E531-3000 MoHa E530-4000 KuHa E530-5000
  • Car 13 has one single-arm pantograph.[3]
  • Cars 11 and 15 have a wheelchair space.[3]
  • Car 11 has a universal design toilet.[3]
  • Car 14 is designated as a mildly air-conditioned car.[3]
  • Cars 13, 14, and 15 have some transverse seating bays.[3]

Original 10-car sets (July 2005 – March 2007)

The original ten-car sets delivered without bilevel Green cars were formed as follows.[4]

Sets K401–K406

 
← Takahagi
Ueno →
 
Car No. 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Designation Tc T M M' T' T T M M' Tc'
Numbering KuHa E531-0 SaHa E531-0 MoHa E531-2000 MoHa E530-2000 SaHa E530-2000 SaHa E531-2000 SaHa E531-2000 MoHa E531-1000 MoHa E530-0 KuHa E530-0

Sets K407–K411

 
← Takahagi
Ueno →
 
Car No. 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Designation Tc T M M' T' T' T' M M' Tc'
Numbering KuHa E531-0 SaHa E531-0 MoHa E531-2000 MoHa E530-2000 SaHa E530-2000 SaHa E530-2000 SaHa E530-2000 MoHa E531-1000 MoHa E530-0 KuHa E530-0
  • Cars 3 and 8 each had one single-arm pantograph.
  • Cars 1 and 10 had a wheelchair space.
  • Cars 1, 5, and 10 each had a toilet (universal design in cars 1 and 10).
  • Car 8 was designated as a mildly air-conditioned car.
  • Cars 1, 2, 9, and 10 had some transverse seating bays.

Interior

  • An ordinary-class car with longitudinal seating in January 2022
    An ordinary-class car with longitudinal seating in January 2022
  • An ordinary-class car with a mixture of longitudinal and transverse seating in January 2022
    An ordinary-class car with a mixture of longitudinal and transverse seating in January 2022
  • Priority seating in January 2022
    Priority seating in January 2022
  • The lower deck of bilevel Green car SaRo E531-17 in January 2022
    The lower deck of bilevel Green car SaRo E531-17 in January 2022
  • The upper deck of bilevel Green car SaRo E531-17 in January 2022
    The upper deck of bilevel Green car SaRo E531-17 in January 2022
  • A toilet in January 2022
    A toilet in January 2022

History

The first E531 series trains entered service on 9 July 2005.[5]

Pairs of double-deck "Green" (first class) cars were added to the ten-car sets from 6 January 2007, and all ten-car sets included Green cars by the start of the revised timetable on 18 March 2007. Two trailer cars from sets K401–K411 (cars 4 and 5) were repurposed as cars 6 and 9 in sets K412–K422. As there were 12 SaHa E531-2000 cars and 10 SaHa E530-2000 cars being repurposed (the latter type has an air compressor missing from the former type), the SaHa E531-2012 car was modified to become SaHa E530-2022.

In September 2014, an additional ten-car set, K423, was delivered from the

J-TREC factory in Yokohama, four years after construction of the original fleet had ceased.[6] This was followed by seven new five-car sets (K469–K475) also delivered from J-TREC in Yokohama from December 2014 to March 2015.[7]
Seven cold-weather E531-3000 series sets (K551–K557) were built between October 2015 and March 2017. Later in 2017, three more 10-car sets (K424–K426) and two more five-car sets (K476 and K477) were built. Then, between 2019 and 2020, six more five-car sets (K478–K483) were built.

On 26 March 2021, set K417 was involved in a collision between Tsuchiura and Kandatsu. It collided with a passenger vehicle which caught fire and caused damage to the KuHa E531-17 car (car 10).[8] The damaged car was replaced with car 10 (KuHa E531-9) from set K409, which later received a new-build end car, also numbered KuHa E531-17.[9][10]

Special liveries

Set K451 in November 2021

To celebrate the 60th anniversary of the Katsuta Depot, set K451 entered service on 5 November 2021 in a wrapping reminiscent of the livery of the

401 series trains.[11] Set K423 also received this wrapping in March 2023. The two sets are scheduled to carry this livery until the first quarter of 2026.[12]

References

  1. .
  2. ^ "E531系一般形交直流電車の概要" [E531 series AC/DC EMU outline]. Railway Journal. 39 (465): 102. July 2005.
  3. ^ .
  4. .
  5. .
  6. ^ "常磐線E531系が4年ぶりに新造される" [New E531 series built for first time in 4 years]. Japan Railfan Magazine Online (in Japanese). Japan: Koyusha Co., Ltd. 1 October 2014. Archived from the original on 1 October 2014. Retrieved 1 October 2014.
  7. ^ E531系K469編成総合車両製作所出場 [E531 series set K469 delivered from J-TREC]. RM News (in Japanese). Japan: Neko Publishing Co., Ltd. 19 December 2014. Archived from the original on 19 December 2014. Retrieved 19 December 2014.
  8. ^ "JR常磐線衝突事故 車は直前まで警察の追跡受け逃走中" [JR Jōban Line Collision: car was on the run from police until just before the accident]. 26 March 2021. Archived from the original on 26 March 2021. Retrieved 27 March 2021.
  9. ^ クハE531-17が甲種輸送される [KuHa E531-17 to be delivered]. Japan Railfan Magazine Online (in Japanese). Japan: Koyusha Co., Ltd. 2 February 2024. Archived from the original on 2 March 2024. Retrieved 2 March 2024.
  10. ^ E531系K409編成が出場 [E531 series set K409 on test]. Japan Railfan Magazine Online (in Japanese). Japan: Koyusha Co., Ltd. 2 March 2024. Archived from the original on 2 March 2024. Retrieved 2 March 2024.
  11. ^ "E531系K451編成に「赤電」ふうラッピング". Japan Railfan Magazine Online (in Japanese). Japan: Koyusha Co., Ltd. 7 November 2021. Archived from the original on 7 November 2021. Retrieved 30 November 2021.
  12. ^ E531系K423編成,前面が赤電塗装になり出場 [E531 series set K423 with "electric red" livery at front]. Japan Railfan Magazine Online (in Japanese). Japan: Koyusha Co., Ltd. 24 March 2023. Archived from the original on 2 June 2023. Retrieved 2 March 2024.

Further reading

  • 首都圏新系列車両 Profile: 209/E231/E233系グループの全貌 首都圏新系列車両PROFILE [Tokyo Area New-generation Rolling Stock Profile]. Japan: Ikaros Publishing. 15 April 2011. .

External links