The is an
AC/
DC dual-voltage
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 type operated by
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 since 1997.
Originally used on
Joban Line ''
Fresh Hitachi''
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 between in Tokyo and , they were reallocated to for use on ''
Inaho
The is a limited express train service in Japan operated by East Japan Railway Company (JR East), which runs from to and .JR Timetable, March 2012 issue, p.101/1003 The train runs along the Uetsu Main Line with views on the coast and Dewa Mo ...
'' limited express services from 2013 and on ''
Shirayuki'' limited express services from 2015.
Variants
* E653-0 series: Original (eight 7-car and four 4-car) AC/DC sets built from 1997 for use on
Joban Line ''
Fresh Hitachi'' limited express services
* E653-1000 series: 7-car sets modified from E653-0 series between 2013 and 2014 for use on ''
Inaho
The is a limited express train service in Japan operated by East Japan Railway Company (JR East), which runs from to and .JR Timetable, March 2012 issue, p.101/1003 The train runs along the Uetsu Main Line with views on the coast and Dewa Mo ...
'' limited express services from September 2013
* E653-1100 series: 4-car sets modified from E653-0 series between 2014 and 2015 for use on ''
Shirayuki'' limited express services from March 2015 and on ''Inaho'' services from March 2022
Operations
1997–2013 ''Fresh Hitachi''
From their introduction in 1997, the E653 series trains operated on ''
Fresh Hitachi''
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 between in Tokyo and via the
Joban Line as seven-, seven + four-, and seven + seven-car formations, but were withdrawn from regular scheduled services from the start of the revised timetable on 16 March 2013.
2013- ''Inaho''
From the start of the revised timetable on 28 September 2013, reformed E653 series sets displaced from ''Fresh Hitachi'' services by new
E657 series sets were phased in on ''
Inaho
The is a limited express train service in Japan operated by East Japan Railway Company (JR East), which runs from to and .JR Timetable, March 2012 issue, p.101/1003 The train runs along the Uetsu Main Line with views on the coast and Dewa Mo ...
'' services operating between Niigata and Akita, replacing
JNR-era
485 series
The (and the earlier 481 and 483 series variants) was a Japanese limited express electric multiple unit (EMU) type introduced in 1964 by Japanese National Railways (JNR), and later operated by the East Japan Railway Company (JR East), West Jap ...
EMUs and reclassified E653-1000 series.
The ''Inaho'' fleet consists of eight seven-car E653-1000 series sets modified with the addition of a Green (first class) car and a new livery evoking images of the sunset, rice plants, and the sea.
From the start of the timetable revision on 12 March 2022, four-car E653-1100 series sets began operating on ''Inaho'' services.
2015– ''Shirayuki''
From the start of the revised timetable on 14 March 2015, four-car E653-1100 series sets were introduced on new ''
Shirayuki'' limited express services operating between and .
Formations
, the fleet consists of eight seven-car sets (U101 to U108) and four four-car sets (H201 to H204), all based at Niigata Depot.
''Inaho'' E653-1000 series 7-car sets U101–U108
The reformed seven-car ''Inaho'' E653-1000 series sets (U101 to U108) are based at Niigata Depot and formed as follows, with four motored ("M") cars and three non-powered trailer ("T") cars, and car 1 at the Akita (northern) end.
* Cars 2 and 5 each have one PS32 single-arm
pantograph
A pantograph (, from their original use for copying writing) is a Linkage (mechanical), 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 se ...
.
* Cars 1, 3, 4, and 6 have toilets.
''Inaho'' / ''Shirayuki'' E653-1100 series 4-car sets H201–H204
The reformed four-car ''Inaho'' and ''Shirayuki'' E653-1100 series sets (H201 to H204) are formed as follows, with two motored ("M") cars and two non-powered trailer ("T") cars, and car 1 at the Arai end.
Car 2 is equipped with one PS32 single-arm pantograph.
Original (''Fresh Hitachi'') 7-car sets K301–K308
The original ''Fresh Hitachi'' seven-car sets were formed as follows, with car 1 at the south (Ueno) end.
* Cars 2 and 5 each had one PS32 single-arm pantograph.
* Cars 1, 3, 4, and 6 had toilets.
Original (''Fresh Hitachi'') 4-car sets K351–K354
The original ''Fresh Hitachi'' four-car sets were formed as follows, with car 8 at the south (Ueno) end.
Car 9 was equipped with one PS32 single-arm pantograph.
Interior
E653-0 series
All cars in the original E653-0 series sets were standard class with 2+2 seating and seat pitch.
E653-1000 series
The Green (first class) cars in E653-1000 series sets have 2+1 seating, arranged with pairs of seats on the seaward side and single seats on the landward side.
Seat rows are aligned with the windows, giving a seat pitch of , double that for standard class, and additional privacy is added by partitions between each seat row.
The Green car seats 18 passengers.
History
E653 series were introduced from 1 October 1997.
The refreshment vending machines were discontinued from 31 March 2008.
From 17 March 2012, the E653 series trains were gradually phased out from ''Fresh Hitachi'' services with the introduction of new
E657 series ten-car EMUs.
Original plans were for some E653 series sets to be reassigned to new limited express services operating on the
Jōban Line
The is a railway line in Japan operated by the East Japan Railway Company (JR East). The line officially begins at Nippori Station in Arakawa, Tokyo before the line officially ends at Iwanuma Station in Iwanuma, Miyagi. However, following ...
between and ,
with three four-car sets due to be repainted into a new blue livery for use on services between Iwaki and Sendai and the rest of the fleet transferred elsewhere.
These plans were abandoned following the suspension of services north of Iwaki on the Joban Line after the
2011 Tohoku earthquake and tsunami
Eleven or 11 may refer to:
*11 (number)
* One of the years 11 BC, AD 11, 1911, 2011
Literature
* ''Eleven'' (novel), a 2006 novel by British author David Llewellyn
*''Eleven'', a 1970 collection of short stories by Patricia Highsmith
*''Eleven'' ...
.
From the start of the revised timetable on 28 September 2013, reformed E653-1000 series seven-car sets were introduced on ''
Inaho
The is a limited express train service in Japan operated by East Japan Railway Company (JR East), which runs from to and .JR Timetable, March 2012 issue, p.101/1003 The train runs along the Uetsu Main Line with views on the coast and Dewa Mo ...
'' services, operating between Niigata and Akita.
Set U102 was the first E653-1000 series to enter revenue service, being used on a special charter service between Niigata and Sakata on 14 September 2013.
The sub-fleet of four four-car sets were renumbered as E653-1100 series sets for use on new ''
Shirayuki'' limited express services operating between and from the start of the revised timetable on 14 March 2015.
These sets received a new livery consisting of ivory white with vermillion and blue stripes intended to evoke an image of the sunset over the Sea of Japan.
The interiors were refitted with new seat covers, similar to those used in the
E7 series
The and Shinkansen are Japanese High-speed rail, high-speed electric multiple unit train types operated on the Hokuriku Shinkansen, Hokuriku and Jōetsu Shinkansen lines, and jointly developed by East Japan Railway Company (JR East) and West ...
and
W7 series
The and Shinkansen are Japanese high-speed electric multiple unit train types operated on the Hokuriku and Jōetsu Shinkansen lines, and jointly developed by East Japan Railway Company (JR East) and West Japan Railway Company (JR West) resp ...
shinkansen trains.
E653 series livery changes
The fleet of E653-1000 series sets used on ''Inaho'' services is undergoing a programme of reliverying beginning in 2017, with sets each receiving different colour liveries.
Set U106 received an all-over ultramarine livery, returning to service in October 2017,
and set U107 received an all-over deep pink () livery, returning to service in December 2017.
On 19 October 2018, JR East announced that one E653-1000 series seven-car set would be reliveried to the
Japanese National Railways
The , abbreviated JNR or , was the business entity that operated Japan's national railway network from 1949 to 1987.
Network Railways
As of June 1, 1949, the date of establishment of JNR, it operated of narrow gauge () railways in all 46 pre ...
limited express livery
485 series
The (and the earlier 481 and 483 series variants) was a Japanese limited express electric multiple unit (EMU) type introduced in 1964 by Japanese National Railways (JNR), and later operated by the East Japan Railway Company (JR East), West Jap ...
trains previously used on ''Hitachi'' limited express services. The set involved was U108, which completed conversion and repainting work on 7 November 2018 and was subsequently renumbered as set K70 upon transfer to Katsuta Depot. This set returned to service on 2 February 2019 on a charter service between Mito and Iwaki stations on the Jōban Line.
On 4 August 2023, JR East announced that one more seven-car set would be repainted into a light blue ''Fresh Hitachi'' livery and be used for special services primarily in the Greater Tokyo area.
Set U102 received the new livery and was transferred to Katsuta Depot as set K71. It re-entered service on 14 October 2023.
File:Series-E653-1000 K70.jpg, Set K70 (formerly U108) in JNR limited express livery in August 2023
File:E653 K71.jpg, Set K71 (formerly U102) in light blue ''Fresh Hitachi'' livery in April 2024
To commemorate the 120th anniversary of
Niigata Station
is a major railway station in Chūō-ku, Niigata, Japan, operated by East Japan Railway Company (JR East). The station is in the center of Niigata City, the largest city on the Sea of Japan coast in Honshu. It forms the central station for the ...
in May 2024 and the 100th anniversary of the full opening of the
Uetsu Main Line
The is a railway line in the Tohoku and Chubu regions of Japan. Part of the East Japan Railway Company (JR East) system, it connects Niitsu Station in the city of Niigata, Niigata, Niigata and Akita Station in Akita, Akita, Akita. The name "Uet ...
in July of the same year, E653-1100 series set H202 was repainted in the ''Kaminuttari'' livery used by 485 series trains formerly operated in the Niigata area, returning to service on 21 April 2024.
Fleet histories
The manufacturers and build dates for the fleet are as shown below.
7-car sets
4-car sets
File:E653 K305 Tomobe 20080524.JPG, Red livery 7-car set K305 in May 2008
Jreast 653.jpg, Blue livery 7-car set K302 in April 2003
File:JR East E653yellow.jpg, Yellow livery 7-car set K303 in April 2006
File:JREast-E653-K304.jpg, Green livery 7-car set K304 in May 2008
File:JREastE653K352.JPG, Orange livery 4-car set K352 in March 2007
File:E653-1000 Inaho 5 Sakamachi 20140322.jpg, 7-car E653-1000 series EMU set U101 in March 2014
File:E653-1100 H202 20150302.jpg, 4-car E653-1100 series set H202 in March 2015
References
External links
*
{{JR East EMU
Electric multiple units of Japan
East Japan Railway Company
Train-related introductions in 1997
Hitachi multiple units
20 kV AC multiple units
1500 V DC multiple units of Japan
Kinki Sharyo multiple units
Tokyu Car multiple units