The is a DC

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

East Japan Railway Company The is a major passenger railway company in Japan and is the largest of the seven Japan Railways Group companies. The company name is officially abbreviated as JR-EAST or JR East in English, and as in Japanese. The company's headquarters are ...

(JR East). It began operations in the Chiba area on 13 March 2021, on the

Sagami Line The is a railway line in Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan, operated by East Japan Railway Company (JR East). It approximately parallels the east bank of the Sagami River. The line connects Hashimoto Station in Sagamihara and Chigasaki Station in ...

on 18 November 2021, and on the

Nikkō Line The is a railway line operated by East Japan Railway Company (JR East) which connects to . Both the Tobu and JR East railway stations in Nikkō are located within walking distance of each other. Station list * Trains can pass each other at ...

and the

Utsunomiya Line The Utsunomiya Line ( ja, 宇都宮線, ) is the name given to a 163.5 kilometer section of the Tōhoku Main Line between Tokyo Station in Tokyo and Kuroiso Station in Nasushiobara, Tochigi, Japan. It is part of the East Japan Railway Compan ...

on 12 March 2022. The trains are equipped 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, ...

().

Design

The E131 series trains have stainless steel bodies. They have LCD passenger information displays above the doors, as well as wheelchair-accessible and stroller-accessible "free spaces" on all cars. As they are equipped for " wanman" driver-only operation, body-mounted cameras are utilized to monitor passengers boarding and alighting the train; these cameras are then fed to displays located in the driver's cab. They also feature semi-automatic doors, allowing passengers to operate the doors during driver-only operation. Internally, the trains are equipped with security cameras and emergency call switches. Some trains in each subseries are numbered -X80, as they have a slightly different equipment configuration due to the presence of track monitoring equipment. File:E131-0 LED.gif, LED destination board, displaying information in both Japanese and English (E131-0 series) File:Series-E131-0 Outside Camera.jpg, External security cameras (E131-0 series) File:JRE E131-600interior door.jpg, Internal passenger door buttons (E131-600 series) File:Series-E131-500 Inside Driving-seat.jpg, Driver's cab (E131-500 series)

Variants

* E131-0/-80 series: 2-car sets used on the Kashima Line,

Narita Line The Narita Line ( ja, 成田線, ) is the name for a combination of three railway lines located in Chiba Prefecture, Japan, operated by the East Japan Railway Company (JR East). The main line connects Sakura Station and Matsugishi Station (as ...

Sotobō Line The is a railway line in Japan operated by the East Japan Railway Company (JR East) adjacent to the Pacific Ocean, on the eastern (i.e., outer) side of the Bōsō Peninsula. It connects Chiba Station in Chiba to Awa-Kamogawa Station in Kamo ...

, and

Uchibō Line The is a railway line operated by the East Japan Railway Company (JR East) adjacent to Tokyo Bay, paralleling the western (i.e., inner) shore of the Bōsō Peninsula. It connects Soga Station in the city of Chiba to Awa-Kamogawa Station in ...

* E131-500/-580 series: 4-car sets used on the

(previously also used on

Yokohama Line The Yokohama Line ( ja, 横浜線, ) is a Japanese railway line of the East Japan Railway Company (JR East) connecting Higashi-Kanagawa Station in Yokohama, Kanagawa and Hachiōji Station in Hachiōji, Tokyo. The line forms part of what JR Ea ...

through services) * E131-600/-680 series: 3-car sets used on the

and

History

The series and its scheduled introduction into the

(

Kazusa-Ichinomiya Station is a passenger railway station located in the town of Ichinomiya, Chiba Prefecture Japan, operated by the East Japan Railway Company (JR East). Lines Kazusa-Ichinomiya Station is served by the Sotobō Line, and lies from the starting point ...

Awa-Kamogawa Station is a junction passenger railway station in the city of Kamogawa, Chiba Prefecture Japan, operated by the East Japan Railway Company (JR East). Lines Awa-Kamogawa Station is served by the Sotobō Line and Uchibō Line, and forms the terminatin ...

(

Kisarazu Station is a junction passenger railway station in the city of Kisarazu, Chiba Prefecture, Japan, operated by the East Japan Railway Company (JR East). Lines Kisarazu Station is served by the Uchibō Line and Kururi Line. It is 31.3 kilometers from th ...

), and Kashima Line (

Sawara Station is a passenger railway station in the city of Katori, Chiba Japan, operated by the East Japan Railway Company (JR East). Lines Sawara Station is served by the Narita Line, and is located 40.0 kilometers from the terminus of line at Sakura S ...

Kashimajingū Station is a junction passenger railway station located in the city of Kashima, Ibaraki Prefecture, Japan, operated by the East Japan Railway Company (JR East) and the by the third sector Kashima Rinkai Railway. Lines Kashimajingū Station is serv ...

) was announced on 5 May 2020. It was the first all-new series introduced in the region in 51 years since the 113 series in the late 1960s; the previous

211 series The is a suburban electric multiple unit (EMU) train type introduced in 1985 by the Japanese National Railways (JNR). It is operated by East Japan Railway Company (JR East) and Central Japan Railway Company (JR Central). It was formerly operate ...

and 209 series were transferred from other lines. On 18 December 2020, it was further announced that the series would operate certain services in the

(between

Narita Station is a passenger railway station in the city of Narita, Chiba, operated by the East Japan Railway Company (JR East). Lines Narita Station is served by the Narita Line, and is located 13.1 kilometers from the terminus of line at Sakura Statio ...

and

Katori Station a junction passenger railway station in the city of Katori, Chiba Japan, operated by the East Japan Railway Company (JR East). Lines Katori Station is served by the Narita Line, and is located 43.6 kilometers from the terminus of line at Sakura ...

) and Kashima Line (between

and

). On 17 June 2021, JR East announced that a new subseries will be introduced on the

(

Chigasaki Station is a junction passenger railway station located in the city of Chigasaki, Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan. It is operated by the East Japan Railway Company (JR East). Lines Chigasaki Station is served by the Tōkaidō Main Line and the Shōnan-Shi ...

- Hashimoto Station) in fall 2021, and another subseries will be introduced into the

(

Utsunomiya Station is a railway station in the city of Utsunomiya, Tochigi Prefecture Japan, operated by the East Japan Railway Company (JR East). The station also is a freight depot for the Japan Freight Railway Company (JR Freight). Tōbu-Utsunomiya Station ...

Nikkō Station is a railway station in the city of Nikkō, Tochigi, Japan, operated by the East Japan Railway Company (JR East). Lines Nikkō Station forms the terminus of the Nikkō Line, and is located 40.5 kilometers from the opposing terminus of the li ...

) and the

(

Oyama Station is a junction railway station in the city of Oyama, Tochigi, Japan, operated by the East Japan Railway Company (JR East). The station is also a freight depot for the Japan Freight Railway Company (JR Freight). Overview This station is the rep ...

Kuroiso Station is a railway station in the city of Nasushiobara, Tochigi, Japan, operated by the East Japan Railway Company (JR East). Lines Kuroiso Station serves as the terminal station for two subsections of the JR East Tōhoku Main Line, connecting the Ut ...

) in Spring 2022.

E131-0/-80 series

A total of 12 two-car sets were ordered and built. Test runs began in July 2020, starting with the first two delivered sets R01 and R02. The first ten sets (R01–R10) entered passenger service on 13 March 2021. The trains are painted in the Uchibo/Sotobo Line color scheme and formed as two-car sets with four doors per car.

Lines served

The series serves the following sections of lines: *

* Kashima Line:

Formations

, 12 two-car sets (R01–R12) are based at Makuhari Rolling Stock Centre in

Chiba Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan located in the Kantō region of Honshu. Chiba Prefecture has a population of 6,278,060 (1 June 2019) and has a geographic area of . Chiba Prefecture borders Ibaraki Prefecture to the north, Saitama Prefecture to the ...

and formed with 1 motored ("M") car and 1 trailer ("T") car. * The KuMoHa E131 car has a single-arm pantograph. * Both cars have an accessible/priority "free space". * The KuHa E130 car has a

universal design Universal design is the design of buildings, products or environments to make them accessible to people, regardless of age, disability or other factors. It addresses common barriers to participation by creating things that can be used by the ma ...

toilet.

Interior

Passenger accommodation consists of a combination of longitudinal and transverse seating. Priority seating and wheelchair- and stroller-accessible "free spaces" are provided in each car. KuHa E130 features a universal design toilet. File:Series-E131-0 Inside Display.jpg, Passenger information display File:Series-E131-0 Inside.jpg, Interior view. Transverse seating bays can be seen at the end. File:Series-E131 Cross-seat.jpg, Mixed longitudinal and transverse seating File:Series-E131-0 Long-seat.jpg, Longitudinal seating File:Series-E131-0 Inside Priority-seat.jpg, Priority seating with wheelchair/stroller space File:20210320 JR East E131 inside Surveillance camera.jpg, Onboard security cameras File:Series-E131-0 Toilet-Outside.jpg, Onboard universal design toilet

Fleet details

The table below shows the details of each set. *Sets R11 and R12 are fitted with track monitoring equipment.

E131-500/-580 series

A total of 12 four-car trains were built for the

; the first set (G-01) entered service on 18 November 2021. It replaced the existing 205-500 series trains that have been in service since 1991. These trains were also used on through services between the Sagami Line and

during the morning and evening rush; these services ended on 11 March 2022.

Lines served

The series serves the following sections of lines: *

- Hashimoto Station *

: Hashimoto Station -

Hachiōji Station is a junction passenger railway station located in the city of Hachiōji, Tokyo, Japan, operated by East Japan Railway Company (JR East). It opened on 11 August 1889.JR EasHachiōji Station informationRetrieved on 21 August 2008. Lines The ...

(until 11 March 2022)

Formations

, twelve four-car sets (G-01–G-12) are based at Kōzu Depot in

Kanagawa Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan located in the Kantō region of Honshu. Kanagawa Prefecture is the second-most populous prefecture of Japan at 9,221,129 (1 April 2022) and third-densest at . Its geographic area of makes it fifth-smallest. Kana ...

and formed with 2 motored ("M") cars and 2 trailer ("T") cars. Sets G-11 and G-12 are fitted with track monitoring equipment. * Cars 2 and 4 each have a single-arm pantograph. * All cars have an accessible/priority "free space". * Car 3 is designated as a mildly air-conditioned car.

Interior

Passenger accommodation consists of longitudinal seating throughout. Priority seating and wheelchair- and stroller-accessible "free spaces" are provided in each car. File:Series-E131-500 Inside.jpg, Interior view File:Series-E131-500 Inside Priority-seat.jpg, Priority seating File:Series-E131-500 Inside Free-space.jpg, Priority seating with free space File:Series-E131-500 Inside LCD.jpg, LCD passenger information display

E131-600/-680 series

A total of 15 three-car trains were built for the

and

. The first fourteen sets (TN1–TN14) entered service on 12 March 2022. It replaced the existing 205-600 series trains that have been in service since 2013.

Lines served

The series will serve the following sections of lines: *

Formations

, 15 three-car sets (TN1–TN15) are based at Oyama Depot in

Tochigi Prefecture is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located in the Kantō region of Honshu. Tochigi Prefecture has a population of 1,943,886 (1 June 2019) and has a geographic area of 6,408 Square kilometre, km2 (2,474 Square mile, sq mi). Tochigi ...

and formed with 2 motored ("M") cars and 1 trailer ("T") car (the MoHa E131 car has one motorized bogie and one trailer bogie). Sets TN14 and TN15 are fitted with track monitoring equipment. * The KuMoHa E131 car has two single-arm pantographs, while the MoHa E131 car has one. * All cars have an accessible/priority "free space". * The KuHa E130 car has a

toilet.

References

{{JR East EMU Electric multiple units of Japan East Japan Railway Company Train-related introductions in 2021 1500 V DC multiple units of Japan J-TREC multiple units