The , branded , is a 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 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

Tobu Railway 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 ...

in Japan since 1990. The trains are used on ''Kegon'', ''Spacia Nikko'', ''Kinu'', and ''Spacia Kinugawa'' services to Nikkō and Kinugawa-Onsen.

Formation

, the fleet consists of nine sets, based at Kasukabe Depot, and formed as follows.

Interior

Seat pitch is . Car 6 contains six 4-seat compartments. These are marked as "Green cars" when operating on JR lines. File:TOBURAILWAY SERIES100 FUTSUSEKI SHANAI.JPG, Interior view (before refurbishment) File:TOBURAILWAY SERIES100 FUTSUSEKI ZASEKI.JPG, Reclining seats (before refurbishment) File:Tobu 100 Spacia Compartment Shinjuku 20071104.JPG, 4-seat compartment in Car 6 (before refurbishment) File:Tobu 100 Spacia 106-2 interior 20160926.jpg, The interior of set 106 in September 2016 (after refurbishment)

History

The 100 series trains entered service on 1 June 1990 on ''Kegon'' and ''Kinu'' services from

Asakusa is a district in Taitō, Tokyo, Japan. It is known as the location of the Sensō-ji, a Buddhist temple dedicated to the bodhisattva Kannon. There are several other temples in Asakusa, as well as various festivals, such as the . History The ...

in Tokyo to

Nikkō is a city located in Tochigi Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 80,239 in 36,531 households, and a population density of 55 persons per km2. The total area of the city is . It is a popular destination for Japanese and ...

and Kinugawa-Onsen, replacing the ageing 1720 series trains operating since 1960. Two sets were delivered in fiscal 1989, two more were delivered in fiscal 1990, and five were delivered in fiscal 1991, bringing the fleet to nine sets. All cars were made no-smoking from 18 March 1995. On 11 November 2021, Tobu announced that the 100 series fleet would be replaced with new N100 series trains which are slated for introduction in 2023.

JR inter-running

Through-running '' Spacia Nikkō'' and '' Spacia Kinugawa'' services from

Shinjuku is a special ward in Tokyo, Japan. It is a major commercial and administrative centre, housing the northern half of the busiest railway station in the world (Shinjuku Station) and the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building, the administration ...

in Tokyo to Tōbu Nikkō and Kinugawa-Onsen via the JR

Tōhoku Main Line The Tōhoku Main Line ( ja, 東北本線, ) is a long railway line in Japan operated by the East Japan Railway Company (JR East). The line starts from Tokyo Station in Chiyoda, Tokyo and passes through such cities as Saitama, Utsunomiya, Fukush ...

commenced on 18 March 2006, and three sets (106 to 108) were modified with JR ATS-P for use on JR East lines.

Refurbishment

The fleet underwent a programme of refurbishment from December 2011, ahead of the opening of the

Tokyo Skytree is a broadcasting and observation tower in Sumida, Tokyo. It became the tallest structure in Japan in 2010miyabi ''Miyabi'' (雅) is one of the traditional Japanese aesthetic ideals, though not as prevalent as Iki or Wabi-sabi. In modern Japanese, the word is usually translated as "elegance," "refinement," or "courtliness" and sometimes to a "sweet loved ...

" purple, "

iki IKI may refer to: * Internationales Kulturinstitut in Vienna * Iodine potassium-iodide, a chemical compound * Russian Space Research Institute originally known as IKI RAN * Iki Airport, IATA code Iki or iki may refer to: * Iki Island, a Japanese ...

" light blue, and "sunny coral orange", matching the Tokyo Skytree theme colours, and new "Spacia" logos. Internally, the seats feature new

moquette Moquette, derived from the French word for carpet, is a type of woven pile fabric in which cut or uncut threads form a short dense cut or loop pile. As well as giving it a distinctive velvet-like feel, the pile construction is particularly durabl ...

, with blue in the open saloons and brown in the compartments. The first refurbished set re-entered service from 29 December 2011. File:Tobu100miyabi.jpg, First refurbished set, 105, in "miyabi" purple livery, December 2011 File:Tobu100iki.jpg, Refurbished set 109 in "iki" blue livery, February 2012 File:Tobu100new-orange.jpg, Refurbished set 103 in "sunny coral" orange livery, March 2012 Tobu-Series100 Gold

"Nikko Moude Spacia" sets

Set 103 was repainted in a special gold and black livery and branded from April 2015. This was followed in July 2015 by set 106, which was similarly reliveried.

References

External links

Tobu 100 series information
{{DEFAULTSORT:Tobu 100 Series Electric multiple units of Japan 100 series Train-related introductions in 1990 Alna Koki rolling stock Tokyu Car multiple units 1500 V DC multiple units of Japan