The is a tilting limited express

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

Shikoku Railway Company The , commonly known as , is the smallest of the seven constituent companies of the Japan Railways Group (JR Group). It operates of intercity and local rail services in the four prefectures on the island of Shikoku in Japan. The company has it ...

(JR Shikoku) in

Shikoku is the smallest of the four main islands of Japan. It is long and between wide. It has a population of 3.8 million (, 3.1%). It is south of Honshu and northeast of Kyushu. Shikoku's ancient names include ''Iyo-no-futana-shima'' (), '' ...

, Japan, on ''

Ishizuchi The is a limited express train service in Japan operated by JR Shikoku, which runs from to , and . The ''Ishizuchi'' service was introduced on 10 April 1988. Route The main stations served by this service are as follows. - - - - Rollin ...

limited express A limited express is a type of express train service. It refers to an express service that stops at a limited number of stops in comparison to other express services on the same or similar routes. Japan The term "limited express" is a common ...

services between and since June 2014, replacing ageing 2000 series

diesel multiple unit A diesel multiple unit or DMU is a multiple-unit train powered by on-board diesel engines. A DMU requires no separate locomotive, as the engines are incorporated into one or more of the carriages. Diesel-powered single-unit railcars are also ...

trains. A total of 17 vehicles were delivered by February 2018, replacing all diesel units on the route.

Design

The trains are built by

Kawasaki Heavy Industries (or simply Kawasaki) is a Japanese Public company, public multinational corporation manufacturer of motorcycles, engines, Heavy equipment (construction), heavy equipment, aerospace and Military, defense equipment, rolling stock and ships, headq ...

to a "retro-future" concept, with black front ends intended to evoke images of a steam locomotive. The exterior livery includes orange and green highlights evoking the satsuma oranges and olives for which the region is famous. Each vehicle is built at a cost of approximately 250 million yen, financed partially by national infrastructure investment subsidies. The trains will operate at a maximum speed of in service, although they have a maximum design capability of . Tilting capability enables the trains to negotiate curves with a radius of 600 m or more at a speed higher than the limit for conventional non-tilting trains.

Formations

Three-car sets E1 - E3

The three-car sets, numbered E1 to E3, include "Green" car (first class) accommodation in half of one car, and are formed as follows, with one motored car and two non-powered trailer cars. The "Tsc" car is fitted with a 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 ...

Two-car sets E11 - E14

JR shikoku 8600 series EMU 8602+8752 kanonji

The two-car sets, numbered E11 to E14, are formed with one motored "M" car and one trailer "T" car, as shown below.

Notes

The "Tc" car is fitted with a single-arm pantograph. File:JR shikoku 8600 series EMU 8602 takamatsu.jpg, Car 8602 of set E12 File:JR shikoku 8600 series EMU 8752 takamatsu.jpg, Car 8752 of set E12

Interior

Passenger accommodation consists of ordinary-class 2+2 abreast reclining seats with a seat pitch of and "Green car" (first class) 2+1 abreast reclining seats with a seat pitch of . Each seat is provided with an AC power outlet. The "Mc" car has a "Fresh Green" theme with light-green and dark-green seat covers; the "Tc" car has a "Shine Orange" theme, with orange and brown seat covers. The "Tc" car has a wider (900 mm) door for wheelchair accessibility, and includes a wheelchair space and

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toilet.

LED lighting An LED lamp or LED light bulb is an electric light that produces light using light-emitting diodes (LEDs). LED lamps are significantly more energy-efficient than equivalent incandescent lamps and can be significantly more efficient than mos ...

is used throughout. File:JR shikoku 8600 series EMU 8601 interior.jpg, Interior of car 8601 File:JR shikoku 8600 series EMU 8751 interior.jpg, Interior of car 8751

History

The first two pre-series set, E11 and E12, were delivered to Takamatsu Depot from the

factory in Kobe in February 2014. Test running commenced in March. The trains entered service on ''

'' limited express services between and on 23 June 2014. The next four full-production sets (three-car sets E1 and E2 and two-car sets E13 and E14) were delivered from Kawasaki Heavy Industries in October 2015.