The is an AC

electric multiple unit An electric multiple unit or EMU is a multiple-unit train consisting of self-propelled carriages using electricity as the motive power. An EMU requires no separate locomotive, as electric traction motors are incorporated within one or a numbe ...

(EMU) commuter train type on order by

Hokkaido Railway Company The is one of the constituent companies of the Japan Railways Group (JR Group), and is often referred to using its official abbreviation of . It operates intercity and local rail services in Hokkaido, Japan. The company introduced Kitaca, a sm ...

(JR Hokkaido). Scheduled for a 2023 service introduction, thirteen 2-car sets (26 vehicles) will be built to replace the fleet of

KiHa 143 The is a diesel multiple unit (DMU) train type operated by Hokkaido Railway Company (JR Hokkaido) on the Sassho Line in Japan since 1990. The cars were rebuilt from former 50 series locomotive-hauled coaches. Variants A total of 44 cars were ...

diesel railcars operated on the

Muroran Main Line The is a railway line in Hokkaido operated by Hokkaido Railway Company (JR Hokkaido), between Oshamambe Station in Oshamambe and Iwamizawa Station in Iwamizawa, approximately paralleling the coast of Iburi Subprefecture. There also is a branch ...

. The trainsets mark the return of local EMU services on the Muroran Main Line since the retirement of the

711 series 711 may refer to: * 711 (number), a natural number * AD 711, a year of the 8th century AD * 711 BC, a year of the 8th century BC * 7-1-1, the telephone number of the Telecommunications Relay Service in the United States and Canada * 7-Eleven, a cha ...

from these services in October 2012. The 737 series will be the first commuter train type operated by JR Hokkaido to allow for

driver-only operation One-person operation (OPO), also known as driver-only operation (DOO), one-man operation (OMO), single person train operation (SPTO), or one-person train operation (OPTO), similarly to Driver Controlled Operation, is operation of a train, bus, ...

History

The first two sets, C-1 and C-2, were delivered in November 2022. The sets were manufactured by

Hitachi () is a Japanese multinational corporation, multinational Conglomerate (company), conglomerate corporation headquartered in Chiyoda, Tokyo, Japan. It is the parent company of the Hitachi Group (''Hitachi Gurūpu'') and had formed part of the Ni ...

at its Kasado facility. The first day of revenue service for these trainsets is projected to take place on 20 May 2023.

Configuration

All trainsets will be made of 2-car sets while the maximum speed is . The capacity is listed at 269 passengers per trainset, of which, 93 are seated.

References

External links

JR Hokkaido press release
{{JR Hokkaido trainsets Electric multiple units of Japan

737 737 most commonly refers to: * Boeing 737, an American narrow-body passenger airplane ** Boeing 737 Classic ** Boeing 737 MAX ** Boeing 737 Next Generation * AD 737, a year in the common era * 737 BC, a year * 737 (number), a number 737 may als ...