The is a DC electric multiple unit (EMU) train type operated by the private railway operator

Keisei Electric Railway The (stylized as K'SEI since 2001) is a major private railway in Chiba Prefecture and Tokyo, Japan. The name ''Keisei'' is the combination of the kanji 京 from and 成 from , which the railway's main line connects. The combination uses diffe ...

on ''

Skyliner The is an airport limited express train service between Tokyo and Narita Airport in Japan. It is operated by Keisei Electric Railway and runs on the Narita Sky Access route. This article also covers the and services. Service The ''Skyl ...

'' limited express services to and from Narita International Airport in Japan via the

Keisei Narita Airport Line The is a Japanese railway line connecting Keisei-Takasago Station and Narita Airport Terminal 1 Station. The entire route from Keisei Ueno Station, including the Keisei Main Line as far as Keisei-Takasago, is branded . The Keisei Electric Rai ...

. The first set was delivered in May 2009, and entered service in July 2010, replacing the

Keisei AE100 series The was a DC electric multiple unit (EMU) train type operated between 1990 and 2016 by the private railway operator Keisei Electric Railway on '' Cityliner'' limited express services between Tokyo and in Japan. First entering service in June ...

EMUs previously used on these services.

Design

Each 8-car set consists of six motored cars and two trailers. The trains are the first Keisei trains to use bolsterless

bogies A bogie ( ) (in some senses called a truck in North American English) is a chassis or framework that carries a wheelset, attached to a vehicle—a modular subassembly of wheels and axles. Bogies take various forms in various modes of transp ...

, and the end cars are equipped with

active suspension An active suspension is a type of automotive suspension on a vehicle. It uses an onboard system to control the vertical movement of the vehicle's wheels relative to the chassis or vehicle body rather than the passive suspension provided by large sp ...

. The train design and styling was overseen by Japanese fashion designer

Kansai Yamamoto was a Japanese fashion designer, most influential during the 1970s and 1980s. Early life and career Kansai was born in 1944 in Yokohama, Japan. He focused on civil engineering in high school, and majored in English at the Nippon University ...

. The musical horn and in-train announcement melody are provided by

Casiopea , now known in its fourth iteration as Casiopea-P4, is a Japanese jazz fusion band formed in 1976 by guitarist Issei Noro, bassist Tetsuo Sakurai, drummer Tohru "Rika" Suzuki, and keyboardist Hidehiko Koike. In 1977, keyboardist Minoru Mukaiya ...

keyboardist and Ongakukan CEO

Minoru Mukaiya is a Japanese musician best known as the former keyboardist of the jazz fusion band Casiopea and producer of the Train Simulator series of Japanese video games. Mukaiya joined Casiopea during its formation in 1977 (with guitarist Issei Noro, ...

. The AE series design won the "Good Design Award" in 2010, and in May 2011 was awarded the 2011 Blue Ribbon Award, presented annually by the Japan Railfan Club.

Formation

, the fleet consists of nine 8-car sets formed as shown below with car 1 at the Narita end. * Cars 2, 4, 6, and 8 are each 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 ...

. * The "x" in the individual car numbering corresponds to the set number (1 to 9). Keisei AE Series 2009

File:Keisei AE series (2nd model) AE1-8.jpg, Car 8 File:Keisei AE series (2009) AE1-7.jpg, Car 7 File:Keisei AE series (2009) AE1-6.jpg, Car 6 File:Keisei AE series (2009) AE1-5.jpg, Car 5 File:Keisei AE series (2009) AE1-4.jpg, Car 4 File:Keisei AE series (2009) AE1-3.jpg, Car 3 File:Keisei AE series (2009) AE1-2.jpg, Car 2 File:Keisei AE series (2009) AE1-1.jpg, Car 1

Interior

All cars are monoclass, with 2+2 abreast rotating/reclining seating. Car 4 has a drink vending machine. Car 5 is equipped with a

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 ...

toilet and also a wheelchair space. File:Keisei AE series (2009) cabin.jpg, General interior view, July 2010 File:Keisei AE series (2009) seat.jpg, Seat detail, July 2010 File:Keisei AE series (2009) toilets.jpg, Universal access toilet, July 2010

History

The AE series entered revenue service on ''Skyliner'' services from 17 July 2010.

Build details

The manufacturers and delivery dates for the fleet are as shown below.

References

External links

Official site

(Japan Railfan Magazine Online)

{{Keisei trainsets Nippon Sharyo multiple units Keisei Electric Railway Electric multiple units of Japan Train-related introductions in 2010 1500 V DC multiple units of Japan Tokyu Car multiple units