The is an

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) train type operated by the third-sector railway operator

Aoimori Railway The is a regional rail line in Aomori Prefecture, Japan that is operated by the Aoimori Railway Company. It connects the terminal station of the Iwate Galaxy Railway Line, Metoki Station, in the town of Sannohe to Aomori Station, the termi ...

on the

Aoimori Railway Line The is a regional rail line in Aomori Prefecture, Japan that is operated by the Aoimori Railway Company. It connects the terminal station of the Iwate Galaxy Railway Line, Metoki Station, in the town of Sannohe to Aomori Station, the termi ...

Aomori Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan in the Tōhoku region. The prefecture's capital, largest city, and namesake is the city of Aomori. Aomori is the northernmost prefecture on Japan's main island, Honshu, and is bordered by the Pacific Ocean to the eas ...

, Japan, since March 2014.

Overview

Based on the JR East E721 series EMUs first introduced in 2006, two two-car 703 series trains were manufactured by J-TREC in

Yokohama, Kanagawa is the second-largest city in Japan by population and the most populous municipality of Japan. It is the capital city and the most populous city in Kanagawa Prefecture, with a 2020 population of 3.8 million. It lies on Tokyo Bay, south of To ...

. Built at a total cost of 800 million yen, one set was purchased directly by the Aoimori Railway, and one set is leased.

Formation

The two two-car sets consist of one motored ("Mc") car and one unpowered trailer ("Tc") car, and are formed as shown below. The "Mc" car is fitted with one single-arm

pantograph A pantograph (, from their original use for copying writing) is a mechanical linkage connected in a manner based on parallelograms so that the movement of one pen, in tracing an image, produces identical movements in a second pen. If a line dr ...

Interior

Passenger accommodation consists of a mixture of transverse seating bays and longitudinal bench seating. Passenger information is provided by

LED A light-emitting diode (LED) is a semiconductor Electronics, device that Light#Light sources, emits light when Electric current, current flows through it. Electrons in the semiconductor recombine with electron holes, releasing energy i ...

displays above the doorways. The trains are equipped with

universal access Apple Universal Access is a component of the macOS operating system that provides computing abilities to people with visual impairment, hearing impairment, or physical disability. Components Universal Access is a preference pane of the Syst ...

toilets.

History

The two sets on order were delivered from J-TREC's Yokohama factory to Aomori in November 2013. The two sets entered revenue service from the start of the revised timetable on 15 March 2014.

Future plans

Effective the timetable revision on 18 March 2023, 703 series will operate as far south as Sannohe Station on the Aoimori Railway Line. Trains currently only operate as far south as

Hachinohe Station is a railway station operated by the East Japan Railway Company (JR East) in Hachinohe, Aomori, Japan. Lines Hachinohe Station is served by the high-speed Tōhoku Shinkansen line between and , and forms the starting point of the Hachinohe ...

. File:Aoimori-railway-Aoimori702-12-20131126-132322.jpg, The first two sets on delivery from J-TREC in November 2013 File:Aoimori 703 EH500-27 Rikuzen-Sanno 20131127.jpg, The first two sets being delivered in November 2013

References

External links

Aoimori Railway website
{{in lang, ja Electric multiple units of Japan Aoimori Railway Line Rail transport in Aomori Prefecture Train-related introductions in 2014 20 kV AC multiple units J-TREC multiple units ja:JR東日本E721系電車#青い森703系電車