The is a DC tilting

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 number o ...

(EMU) train operated by the

East Japan Railway Company The is a major passenger railway company in Japan and 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 are in ...

(JR East) in Japan on

limited express A limited express is a type of express train or express bus service that stops at fewer locations compared to other express services on the same or similar routes. Japan The term "limited express" is a common translation of the Japanese ...

services on the

Chūō Main Line The , commonly called the Chūō Line, is one of the major trunk railway lines in Japan. It connects Tokyo and Nagoya, although it is the slowest direct railway connection between the two cities; the coastal Tōkaidō Main Line is slightly faste ...

since December 2017. A pre-series train, consisting of one nine-car set (set S101) and one three-car set (set S201), was delivered in July 2015 for performance testing. These trains replaced the older

E351 series The was a tilting electric multiple unit (EMU) train type operated by East Japan Railway Company (JR East) on Chuo Main Line '' Super Azusa'' limited express services in Japan from 1993 to 2018. First introduced in December 1993 (initially o ...

EMUs used on ''

Super Azusa The is a limited express service operated by the East Japan Railway Company (JR East), which mainly run between and via the Chūō Main Line and Shinonoi Line. The name ''Azusa'' is taken from the Azusa River in Matsumoto, Nagano. On the Ch ...

'' (Now

Azusa AZUSA refers to a ground-based radar tracking system installed at Cape Canaveral, Florida and the NASA Kennedy Space Center. AZUSA was named after the southern California town Azusa, California where the system was devised in the early 1950s. ...

) limited express services on the Chūō Main Line between in Tokyo and in

Nagano Prefecture is a Landlocked country, landlocked Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located in the Chūbu region of Honshu. Nagano Prefecture has a population of 2,007,682 () and has a geographic area of . Nagano Prefecture borders Niigata Prefecture ...

. Originally intended to enter revenue service in spring 2016, the first trains entered service on 23 December 2017.

Design

The exterior styling was overseen by the industrial design firm Ken Okuyama Design. Like the E351 series trains they replaced, the new E353 series trains incorporate tilting technology to allow faster speeds around curves. The trains use a pneumatic tilt system (instead of the pendulum system used in the older trains) and an active suspension to reduce tilt times and help reduce motion sickness in passengers. The train features a database of curves along the line, allowing the train to begin tilting before reaching the curve. The pre-series train also had dampers installed between the cars to reduce vibrations, but this feature was discontinued on the subsequent production trainsets. Maximum operating speed is . To reduce any step up from station platforms, the train floor height is , lower than on

E259 series The is a DC electric multiple unit (EMU) train type operated by East Japan Railway Company (JR East) in Japan since October 2009 on ''Narita Express'' limited express services to and from Narita International Airport. Design The design of the ...

and E657 series trains. File:E353 S101 S201 Jimmuji 20150725.JPG, Closeup of the gangway connection between sets S101 (left) and S201 (right) in July 2015 File:E353 series MoHa E353-1 pantograph Kami-Suwa Station 20150729.JPG, The PS39 single-arm pantograph on MoHa E353-1 (car 10) in July 2015

Bogies

The trains use bolsterless bogies developed from those used on earlier E259 series and E657 series trains. Motored bogies with capability for retrofitting anti-oscillation equipment (rear bogies on car 1 and 3) are designated DT81, motored bogies equipped anti-roll devices (cars 2, 5, 7, and 10) are designated DT82, and motor bogies not equipped with either (cars 6 and 11) are designated DT81A. Non-powered (trailer) bogies are designated TR265, and are equipped with a parking brake and capability for retrofitting anti-oscillation equipment, but those not equipped with a parking brake (rear bogies on cars 4 and 14, and both bogies on car 9) are designated TR265A, and those on car 8, which not equipped with either are designated TR265B.

Formations

Trains consist of a nine-car main set (with five cars motored), numbered S101 onward, and a three-car add-on set, numbered S201 onward, with car 1 at the southern (Shinjuku) end as follows. File:E353 series S201 KuMoHa E353-1 (car 1) Matsumoto Station 20150729.JPG, KuMoHa E353-1 (car 1) File:E353 series S201 MoHa E353-1001 (car 2) Matsumoto Station 20150729.JPG, MoHa E353-1001 (car 2) File:E353 series S201 KuMoHa E352-1 (car 3) Matsumoto Station 20150729.JPG, KuMoHa E352-1 (car 3) File:E353 series S101 KuHa E353-1 (car 4) Matsumoto Station 20150729.JPG, KuHa E353-1 (car 4) File:E353 series S101 MoHa E353-501 (car 5) Matsumoto Station 20150729.JPG, MoHa E353-501 (car 5) File:E353 series S101 MoHa E352-501 (car 6) Matsumoto Station 20150729.JPG, MoHa E352-501 (car 6) File:E353 series S101 MoHa E353-2001 (car 7) Matsumoto Station 20150729.JPG, MoHa E353-2001 (car 7) File:E353 series S101 SaHa E353-1 (car 8) Matsumoto Station 20150729.JPG, SaHa E353-1 (car 8) File:E353 series S101 SaRo E353-1 (car 9) Matsumoto Station 20150729.JPG, SaRo E353-1 (car 9) File:E353 series S101 MoHa E353-1 (car 10) Matsumoto Station 20150729.JPG, MoHa E353-1 (car 10) File:E353 series S101 MoHa E352-1 (car 11) Matsumoto Station 20150729.JPG, MoHa E352-1 (car 11) File:E353 series S101 KuHa E352-1 (car 12) Matsumoto Station 20150729.JPG, KuHa E352-1 (car 12) Cars 2 and 5 each have two single-arm pantographs (only one is normally used), and cars 7 and 10 each have one. Cars 1 and 3 each have only one motored bogie (at the inner ends).

Interior

Green car (first class) accommodation is in 2+2 abreast configuration with a seat pitch of . The wine red seat covers are intended to create subdued atmosphere. Standard class is also arranged 2+2 with a seat pitch of , compared to for ''Super Azusa'' E351 series trains. The pale blue seat covers are intended to evoke images of the Azusa River, after which the train service was named. AC power outlets are provided at each seat. The trains include

universal access Ios, Io or Nio (, ; ; locally Nios, Νιός) is a Greek island in the Cyclades group in the Aegean Sea. Ios is a hilly island with cliffs down to the sea on most sides. It is situated halfway between Naxos and Santorini. It is about long an ...

toilets and security cameras.

LED lighting An LED lamp or LED light is an electric light that produces light using light-emitting diodes (LEDs). LED lamps are significantly more energy-efficient than equivalent incandescent lamps and fluorescent lamps. The most efficient commercia ...

is used on these trains, for the first time on JR East limited express rolling stock. While not initially included in the pre-series train, luggage racks are installed in cars 1, 3, 5, 7, 9, 10, and 12. Inside, the floors feature rubber coverings to reduce the noise of footsteps. Individual seat numbers are written in braille and each seat has an individual air diffuser for passenger comfort. The cars also feature air purifiers using ozone to reduce unpleasant odors. File:E353 series economy car interior.jpg, The interior of an ordinary-class car in January 2018 File:E353 series economy car outlet.jpg, AC power outlets inside an ordinary-class car in January 2018 File:E353 series green car interior.jpg, The interior of a Green car in January 2018

Toilets

Cars 1, 2, 4, 6, 8, 9, and 11 have toilet facilities as follows.

History

Details of the new trains on order were first officially announced by JR East in February 2014. The first trainset, consisting of one nine-car and one three-car set, was delivered from the

Japan Transport Engineering Company is a manufacturer of heavy rail cars in Japan, formerly known as . The company is based in Kanazawa-ku, Yokohama, and a member of East Japan Railway Company (JR East) group. J-TREC manufactures rail vehicles not only for JR East and Tokyu Corpo ...

(J-TREC) factory in Yokohama to Matsumoto Depot in July 2015. Mainline test running started on 29 July 2015. The pre-series train was formally shown off to the media on 2 August 2015. , the train was still undergoing test running. In October 2017, JR East announced that the first trains would enter revenue service on ''Super Azusa'' services from 23 December 2017, by which date three pairs of (9+3-car) trainsets would be available. The trains were awarded the 2018

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 ...

by the Japan Railfan Club. From the start of the revised timetable on 17 March 2018, all ''Super Azusa'' services were operated by E353 series trains. Beginning on 1 July 2018, E353 series trains began replacing the

E257 series The is a DC electric multiple unit (EMU) train type operated in Japan for limited express services by East Japan Railway Company (JR East) and built jointly by Hitachi, Kinki Sharyo, and Tokyu Car Corporation. Variants * E257-0 series: ''Azu ...

trainsets used on ''Azusa'' and ''

Kaiji Kaiji may refer to: People *, Japanese manga artist whose works include ''Eagle'' and ''Zipang'' *, Japanese voice actor; see List of Ultraman manga characters * Kaiji Tang, (born 1984) an American voice actor *, Japanese ceramist of the Showa er ...

'' services. With the start of the 16 March 2019 timetable revision, all ''Azusa'' and ''Kaiji'' services were operated with E353 series trains. In addition, three-car E353 series trainsets were deployed on ''

Fuji Excursion The is a regular limited express service operated by East Japan Railway Company (JR East) and Fuji Kyuko, between Shinjuku on the Chūō Line (some services extended to Chiba on the Chūō-Sobu Line) and Kawaguchiko on the Fujikyuko Line. ...

'' services, which operate between and on the

Fujikyuko Line The is a Japanese private railway line in Yamanashi Prefecture, between Ōtsuki Station in Ōtsuki and Kawaguchiko Station in Fujikawaguchiko. It is the only railway line operated by Fuji Kyuko. The railway line officially consists of th ...

. These services are coupled with nine-car ''Kaiji'' services between Shinjuku and .

Build details

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

References

External links

JR East press release announcing new trains

E353 series design details on Ken Okuyama Design website
{{JR East EMU East Japan Railway Company Electric multiple units of Japan Tilting trains Train-related introductions in 2016 1500 V DC multiple units of Japan J-TREC multiple units