The was a DC electric multiple unit (EMU) rubber-tyred metro train type operated by

Sapporo Municipal Subway The is a mostly-underground rubber-tyred rapid transit system in Sapporo, Hokkaido, Japan. Operated by the Sapporo City Transportation Bureau, it is the only subway system on the island of Hokkaido. Lines The system consists of three lines: ...

on the Tōzai Line in the city of

Sapporo ( ain, サッ・ポロ・ペッ, Satporopet, lit=Dry, Great River) is a city in Japan. It is the largest city north of Tokyo and the largest city on Hokkaido, the northernmost main island of the country. It ranks as the fifth most populous cit ...

, Japan, from June 1976 to August 2008.

Design

The trains are built by

Kawasaki Heavy Industries (or simply Kawasaki) is a Japanese public multinational corporation manufacturer of motorcycles, engines, heavy equipment, aerospace and defense equipment, rolling stock and ships, headquartered in Chūō, Kobe and Minato, Tokyo, Japan. It is ...

and use chopper control with a reverse conducting

thyristor A thyristor () is a solid-state semiconductor device with four layers of alternating P- and N-type materials used for high-power applications. It acts exclusively as a bistable switch (or a latch), conducting when the gate receives a current ...

. The 8300 series cars that were inserted later used a

variable-frequency drive A variable-frequency drive (VFD) is a type of motor drive used in electro-mechanical drive systems to control AC motor speed and torque by varying motor input frequency and, depending on topology, to control associated voltage or current va ...

, provided by either Mitsubishi or Hitachi. Due to the use of both chopper-controlled and variable frequency drive-controlled cars in the 6000 series, this gave the 6000 series a unique sound on propulsion.

Formations

The 6000 series trains are formed as seven-car sets as shown below.

Interior

Passenger accommodation consists of longitudinal bench seating throughout, with a wheelchair space in each car. The 8300 series cars that were introduced later have an interior that is very similar to that of the 8000 series cars.

History

The first prototype cars were manufactured in 1975, and had a shape remarkably similar to that of the older 2000 series, followed by 20 more full-production sets in 1976. The trains began operation on 10 June 1976 with the opening of the stretch between Kotoni Station and Shiroishi Station and originally operated as four-car sets; however, when the stretch between Shiraishi and

Shin-Sapporo Station is a railway station in Atsubetsu-ku, Sapporo, Hokkaido, Japan, operated by the Hokkaido Railway Company (JR Hokkaido) and the Sapporo Municipal Subway. The JR Hokkaido station number is "H05", while the Sapporo Municipal Subway station number ...

opened on 21 March 1982, four more sets were delivered, this time as six-car sets, with the rest of the 4-car sets having additional cars added to make up a 6-car consist. A seventh car known as the 8300 series was added to all sets starting from March 1999; the 8300 series were designed as such so that they could continue to be useful even when the 6000 series was completely withdrawn. This would prove true as the 6000 series would slowly be retired from 2002 onwards, as the new 8000 series cars began to replace them. The last remaining set, 6116, remained in service until 30 August 2008, after which it was retired. The 8300 series cars were later modified and fitted into various 8000 series sets and are still being used today. The 6000 series was one of the two recipients of the 1977

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 ...

. Sapporo_Subway_6101_20070930_t19_3.jpg, Prototype set 6101 in September 2007

References

External links

{{Commons category This article incorporates information from the corresponding article on the

Japanese Wikipedia The is the Japanese-language edition of Wikipedia, a free, open-source online encyclopedia. Started on 11 May 2001, the edition attained the 200,000 article mark in April 2006 and the 500,000 article mark in June 2008. As of , it has over ar ...

. Electric multiple units of Japan Sapporo Municipal Subway Kawasaki multiple units Train-related introductions in 1976 1500 V DC multiple units of Japan