The , nicknamed the "L/C car", 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

private railway A private railway is a railroad run by a private business entity (usually a corporation but not need be), as opposed to a railroad run by a public sector. Japan In Japan, , commonly simply ''private railway'', refers to a public transit railway o ...

operator

Kintetsu Railway , referred to as , is a Japanese passenger railway company, managing infrastructure and operating passenger train service. Its railway system is the largest in Japan, excluding Japan Railways Group. The railway network connects Osaka, Nara, Kyot ...

on standard gauge () commuter services in the Kansai area since 1998. The series won the

Laurel Prize The is an award presented annually in Japan since 1961 by the Japan Railfan Club. It is awarded for railway vehicles that entered service in the previous year and voted by the selection committee as having the most outstanding functional and des ...

in 1998 by the Japan Railfan Club for having the most innovative features for trains entering service that year.

Overview

Perpendicular seating has long been provided on long-distance services on the Osaka and Nagoya lines. In previous Kintetsu 2600 series trainsets and related counterparts, fixed perpendicular seats were a common feature on these services. However, passengers complained about their lack of comfort. In the early to mid-1990s, the railway began experimenting with seats that could change between longitudinal (perimeter) and transverse (row) seating configurations. In January 1996, A 4-car 2600 series set would be retrofitted with rotating seats. During peak hours, the seats would be configured in the transverse configuration and then switch to longitudinal configuration during off-peak hours. By March of that year, the experiment was deemed a success and the feature would be implemented onto trains being ordered for the long-distance services. The 5800 series trainsets would enter service in 1998 on the Osaka and Nagoya lines. One 4-car train and seven 6-car trains would be produced. These would also be the last trainsets to feature the signature conventional body design introduced in 1984, as Kintetsu would switch to a new body and livery starting with the ''21 series'' introduced in 2000. The series is the first to be delivered with rotating longitudinal/transverse seating. Other private railways such as

Tobu is a Japanese commuter railway and ''keiretsu'' holding company in the Greater Tokyo Area as well as an intercity and regional operator in the Kantō region. Excluding the Japan Railways Group companies, Tobu's rail system is the second longes ...

Keikyu (), also known as or, more recently, , is a private railroad that connects inner Tokyo to Kawasaki, Yokohama, Yokosuka and other points on the Miura Peninsula in Kanagawa Prefecture. It also provides rail access to Haneda Airport in Tokyo. mea ...

, Keio, and Seibu would later implement rotating longitudinal/transverse seating on future rolling stock additions. As of 2021, the seat configuration on all Kintetsu trains equipped with rotating seats is dependent on the line and time of day.

Formations

, the fleet consists of seven six-car sets and one four-car set, formed as follows.

Four-car set

The lone four-car set is allocated to Tomiyoshi Depot.

Six-car sets

Six-car sets are allocated to Koan Depot and Saidaiji Depot, each with three sets.

Interior

References