On October 27, Keio Corporation (Keio Electric Railway) unveiled its new 2000 series trains, which will begin service on January 31, 2026. A total of 40 cars—four fixed 10-car sets—will be introduced by March 2027, partially replacing the current 7000 series.
This is Keio’s first new model in about eight years since the 5000 series entered service in September 2017. Like the 5000 series, it adopts J-TREC’s lightweight stainless-steel carbody brand “sustina.” The exterior incorporates circle-inspired, rounded design elements on the front end, headlights, and sides to express “reassurance” and “kindness.” Inside, round motifs are used extensively on the seat moquette, seat-end partitions, and the glass of interconnecting doors. Seat width per person has been widened by 10 millimeters compared with previous cars, to 460 millimeters.
Car No. 5 features Keio’s first large free space, called the “Hidamari Space.” To enable people of various ages, genders, and purposes—including stroller and wheelchair users and travelers with large luggage—to ride safely and comfortably, the long seats on the side toward Car No. 6 have been removed, and an S-shaped central partition with handrails and perch seats has been installed in the aisle. The window between the third and fourth doors uses a large single-pane glass measuring 1,240 mm vertically by 1,930 mm horizontally. A handrail is provided at the bottom so small children can more easily see the scenery outside.
In terms of environmental performance, the trains adopt a full-SiC VVVF inverter control system to cut power consumption and reduce weight. Energy-saving performance is said to be about 20% better compared with the current 7000 series.
At the unveiling event held at the Wakabadai Depot in Inagi, Tokyo, Shinichi Inoue, Director and Senior Managing Executive Officer of Keio Corporation, introduced the trains as “developed under the keywords of kindness and excitement, in addition to safety and peace of mind.” Regarding the symbolic Hidamari Space, he explained, “We created it under the concept of producing an exciting space that makes customers with small children want to go out even more.”
▲Shinichi Inoue, Director and Senior Managing Executive Officer of Keio Corporation, explaining the concept of the 2000 series
TV personality Miki Fujimoto, a mother of three, also appeared at the event. Recalling that she had often wondered whether she needed to fold her stroller when boarding trains, she praised the Hidamari Space: “It’s so spacious that you feel you can ride confidently without folding a stroller, and it creates a space where many different people can board with peace of mind.”
▲Guest appearance by TV personality Miki Fujimoto
Notice
This article was generated using automatic translation by GPT-4 API. The translation may not be accurate.
