The , branded "DENCHA" (Dual Energy Charge Train), is a two-car

battery electric multiple unit A battery electric multiple unit (BEMU), battery electric railcar or accumulator railcar is an electrically driven multiple unit or railcar whose energy is derived from rechargeable batteries driving the traction motors. Prime advantages of these ...

(BEMU) train operated by

Kyushu Railway Company The , also referred to as , is one of the seven constituent companies of Japan Railways Group (JR Group). It operates intercity rail services within Kyushu, Japan and the JR Kyushu Jet Ferry Beetle hydrofoil service across the Tsushima Strait ...

(JR Kyushu) on inter-running services over the

Fukuhoku Yutaka Line The is the collective name for four sections of railway lines operated by Kyushu Railway Company (JR Kyushu) in Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan. It runs between Kurosaki Station and Hakata station (66.6 km). The sections called Fukuhoku Yutaka L ...

and Chikuhō Main Line in

Fukuoka Prefecture is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located on the island of Kyūshū. Fukuoka Prefecture has a population of 5,109,323 (1 June 2019) and has a geographic area of 4,986 Square kilometre, km2 (1,925 sq mi). Fukuoka Prefecture borders S ...

in northern

Kyushu is the third-largest island of Japan's five main islands and the most southerly of the four largest islands ( i.e. excluding Okinawa). In the past, it has been known as , and . The historical regional name referred to Kyushu and its surroun ...

, Japan, since October 2016, and also on the

Kashii Line The is a railway line in Japan operated by Kyushu Railway Company (JR Kyushu). It connects Saitozaki Station in Fukuoka with Umi Station in Umi. Stations History The Hakata Bay Railway Co. opened the Saitozaki - Sue section in 1904, extendin ...

Design

Based on the earlier 817 series

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) trains, styling of the trains was overseen by industrial designer

Eiji Mitooka is a Japanese industrial designer, illustrator, and managing director of the industrial design company . He also works as a design consultant for Kyushu Railway Company (JR Kyushu). Biography Mitooka graduated from Okayama Technical High Sch ...

. The lithium-ion battery system used has a capacity of 360 kWh and operates at 1.6 kV.

Operations

The BEC819 series trains are used on through services over the

electrified at 20 kV 60 Hz AC and the non-electrified Chikuhō Main Line (known as the "Wakamatsu Line") between and . Since late 2018/early 2019, they are also used on the non-electrified

. These newer vehicles used on the Kashii Line belong to the "300" series (11 trainsets in total), while the slightly older ones used on the Wakamatsu Line are the "0" series (7 trainsets in total). File:JRK BEC819 current collector.jpg, The pantograph lowered while at Wakamatsu Station on the non-electrified Wakamatsu Line in December 2016

Formations

, the fleet consists of eighteen two-car sets formed as follows, with one motorised ("Mc") car and one non-powered trailer ("TC") car. * The KuMoHa BEC819 car has one 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 KuHa BEC818 car has a toilet at the inner end.

Interior

Internally,

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:JRK BEC819 interior.jpg, The interior of set Z001 in December 2016

History

Initial details of the new train were formally announced by JR Kyushu on 29 January 2016. A pre-series two-car train was delivered from

Hitachi () is a Japanese multinational corporation, multinational Conglomerate (company), conglomerate corporation headquartered in Chiyoda, Tokyo, Japan. It is the parent company of the Hitachi Group (''Hitachi Gurūpu'') and had formed part of the Ni ...

's factory in

Yamaguchi Prefecture is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located in the Chūgoku region of Honshu. Yamaguchi Prefecture has a population of 1,377,631 (1 February 2018) and has a geographic area of 6,112 Square kilometre, km2 (2,359 Square mile, sq mi). Y ...

in April 2016. This underwent testing before entering revenue-earning service on 19 October 2016. In May 2017, the BEC819 series was awarded the 2017 Blue Ribbon Award, presented annually by the Japan Railfan Club.

Build histories

The individual build histories of the fleet are as follows.

References

External links

JR Kyushu press release (29 January 2016)
{{JR Kyushu rolling stock 819 Kyushu Railway Company Train-related introductions in 2016 Hitachi multiple units 20 kV AC multiple units Battery electric multiple units