The "AC Train" was an experimental 5-car electric multiple unit (EMU) train operated by

East Japan Railway Company The is a major passenger railway company in Japan and is the largest of the seven Japan Railways Group companies. The company name is officially abbreviated as JR-EAST or JR East in English, and as in Japanese. The company's headquarters ar ...

(JR East) in Japan between 2002 and 2006.

Concept

The E993 series "AC Train" ("Advanced Commuter Train") was developed by JR East to test and evaluate a number of new technologies and features for possible use in future commuter train designs. These included features intended to reduce life-cycle costs, improve the interior passenger environment, improve accessibility, and increase environmental friendliness.

Technological features

The train incorporated the following features for evaluation. * Articulated cars with shared

bogie 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 tr ...

s * Direct drive motors (DDM) * Double-skin body construction * Externally slung sliding doors * Advanced Train Information Management System (AIMS)

Formation

The 5-car articulated set was based at Kawagoe Depot on the Kawagoe Line and formed as shown below, with car 1 at the Kawagoe end, and car 5 at the Shinjuku end. Cars 1 and 2 were 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 ...

in Kobe, and cars 3 to 5 were built by Tokyu Car Corporation in Yokohama. Cars 2 and 4 were each fitted with one single-arm pantograph. Cars 1 and 2 had double-skin aluminium bodies, cars 3 to 5 had stainless steel bodies with double-skin construction used for cars 3 and 5. File:L25 Tc992-1 1200.jpg, KuHa E992-1 File:L25 M992-1 1200.jpg, MoHa E992-1 File:L25 M993-1 1200.jpg, MoHa E993-1 File:L25 T993-1 1200.jpg, SaHa E993-1 File:L25 Tc993-1 1200.jpg, KuHa E993-1

History

The train was delivered to JR East's Kawagoe Depot on 17 January 2002. Test running commenced on the Kawagoe Line and Saikyo Line the following month. The train was officially withdrawn on 14 July 2006. No cars are preserved. Features tested on the E993 series, including articulated cars and direct drive motors, were subsequently incorporated in the E331 series prototype train delivered in 2006.

References

{{JR East EMU Electric multiple units of Japan East Japan Railway Company Train-related introductions in 2002 Articulated passenger trains Gearless electric drive Experimental vehicles Non-passenger multiple units 1500 V DC multiple units of Japan Kawasaki multiple units Tokyu Car multiple units