Background and overview
JR East developed E217 series suburban electric multiple unit (EMU) train
in order to replace superannuated 113-1000 series used on the Sobu rapid
services and the long-distance services of the Yokosuka line, and delivered
pre-production sets in 1994.
Car body
They have 2950mm wide body, incorporating unpainted bead-less light weight
stainless construction developed from the 209 series commuter EMUs. 1st
class bilevel cars have 2900mm wide body to reduce the slant angle of the
lower body to make the lower saloon as wide as possible. They have the
double blue and cream waistline and headline bands running through the
length of each car below and above the windows.
The construction of the body delivered by Kawasaki Heavy Industries is
that the pressed stainless sheet and the outside sheet are combined and
those sheets themselves keep the strength. The construction of the body
delivered by Tokyu car corporation is the outside sheets and inner beams
as usual (Only beams keep strength). 1st class vehicles are equipped with
two 720mm wide single-leaf automatic sliding doors on each side of the
vehicles. Wide fixed windows are fitted between the doors and small fixed
windows per each seat are fitted at the one-story section of each end of
the car. Standard class vehicles are equipped with four 1300mm wide double-leaf
automatic sliding doors on each side of vehicles. Drop windows are fitted
between the doors and fixed windows are at the end of the vehicles. Door
operating equipments are TKE151 for single leaf doors and TKE150 for double
leaf doors fitted above the door header of the sliding doors, featuring
motored screw drive mechanism. Although the distance of each bogie of 209
series EMUs is 13300mm as an optimum value of strength, that of E217 series
EMUs adopts 13800mm to fit the wide body within loading gauge. The bogie
distance of 1st class bilevel cars adopts 14150mm to make the lower saloon
as long as possible. Cab ends are covered by a Fiber Reinforced Plastics
(FRP) painted in silver. A driver's cab is located at as high position
as possible and a cab section employs impact absorbing construction to
protect the motor man against crossing accident. Surroundings of windscreens
are painted in black, with a white "EAST JAPAN RAILWAY COMPANY E217"
logo splashed in front. An emergency gangway is fitted in front of the
end car. Traditional roller-binding destination screens are fitted on the
body. Chiba side end cars of 4-car set and Kurihama side end cars of 11-car
set are equipped with the automatic jumper coupler to ease rush-up operations.
Kurihama side end cars of 4-car set not to be equipped with the automatic
jumper coupler are classified into -1000 sub-class. Two air conditioners,
AU721, rated at 20000kcal/h for 1st class bilevel cars are fitted on the
roof at both end of the body. An air conditioner, AU720A, rated at 42,000kcal/h
for standard class cars is fitted on the centre of their roof. No ventilators
are fitted.
Bogies
Motored bogies are DT61B and trailer bogies are TR246B for standard class cars, and TR246C for 1st class bilevel cars, featuring bolster-less secondary air suspension, axle arm type journal box supporting system, the single link traction device and the yaw dampers to ensure smooth ride characteristics even at 120km/h. TR246C bogies are prepared to fitting anti-rolling stabilizer. Motored bogies employ single tread brake device and trailer bogies employ both single disk brake device and single tread brake device.
Traction unit and auxiliary equipments
Class mohaE217 vehicles are equipped with a 3-step variable frequency drive
traction system, SC41B, employing Gate Turn Off (GTO) thyristor. Their
traction system controls 8 AC asynchronous traction motors, MT68, with
a power output of 95kW of class mohaE217 and class mohaE216 intermediate
cars on vehicle basis. The gear ratio is 6.06 to get the maximum service
speed at 120km/h. On the other hand, their acceleration performance is
limited up to 2.0 km/h/s. Class mohaE217 vehicles are also equipped with
a diamond-shaped current collector, PS28A. Class mohaE216 vehicles are
equipped with and a Constant Voltage Constant Frequency inverter, SC37A,
with a power output of 210kVA for the auxiliary power supply and a motor
driven air compressor, MH3096-C1600S, under the floor. The brake system
is the regenerative electric command pneumatic brake, featuring brake control
of trailer priority. The end cars are equipped with ATC signaling system
under the floor.
Accommodation
1st class cars have reclining seating with 970mm seating pitch featuring
cantilever construction to ease floor cleaning. Standard class cars have
longitudinal bench seating throughout without 3 cars on the Kurihama side
having mixture of longitudinal bench seating and transverse seating bays.
Cars having mixture of longitudinal bench seating and transverse seating
bays are classified into -0 subseries, cars having longitudinal bench seating
and coupled with cars classified into -0 subseries are classified into
-1000 subseries, and the others are classified into -2000 subseries. Roll-down
curtains are not fitted by introducing heat ray absorption windowpanes.
Standard class cars are equipped with a LED display for providing passenger
information and a door chime above the door header of the sliding doors.
1st class cars are equipped with a LED display for providing passenger
information on the wall. Japanese style toilets are located in all end
cars of 11 car set and an Kurihama end car of 4 car set. A western style
toilet is located in a 1st class car, class saroE217. All toilets employ
a chemical holding tank. A wheelchair space is located at the end of the
end cars.
Full-Production sets
The full-production sets began to be delivered from 1995. They differ from
a pre-production set in having some improvements. The platform shape fitted
under the front gangway is modified by introducing a new construction of
a gangway support. Cantilever construction is also introduced to the standard
class transverse seating bay. Poles connecting the transverse seat back
and the luggage rack are discontinued. Their traction system introduced
the constant speed drive function additionally.
Improvement
Some improvements were introduced to the 7th batch and afterward built
from 1998. The centre of side windows employing longitudinal seating accommodation
are changed into fixed. Destination indicators on the body are changed
into LED displays. A gangway fitted at the front of the end cars are discontinued
by law amendment. Their traction motors are changed into MT73 featuring
high speed rotation.
Modification and refurbishment
1st class cars additionally introduced the 1st class seating use management
system and card readers for paying 1st class fee fitted above each seat
from 2004 to 2005.
In March 2006, surplus three 15-car sets occurred by opening the Shonan-Shinjuku
line were reformed as 10+5-car sets and transferred to Kouzu depot for
use from 14 March 2006 on Tokaido line duties out of Tokyo alongside E231-1000
series trains. The sets were repainted into the same Shonan colour scheme
of orange and green bodyside stripes as applied to the E231s. An Automatic
jumper coupler was additionally fitted to class kuhaE217-0 and class kuhaE216-1000
and destination indicators on the body are changed into LED displays. These
sets were all transferred back to Kamakura depot for Yokosuka/Sobu rapid
services by March 2015.
1st class seating was replaced with that of E231 series adopt in 2006.
A programme of refurbishment on the fleet commenced from 2007. Their traction
system was replaced with SC88 employing Intelligent Power Module (IPM),
and their auxiliary supply was replaced with SC89, which adopt Insulated
Gate Bipolar Transistor (IGBT), featuring duplex system. Door operating
equipments were replaced with TKE150E or TKE151A, featuring improved mechanism
and software. Their livery was changed, introducing brighter blue than
original livery.
Latest operation status
Although E217 series EMU had been used on the Sobu rapid services and the
long-distance services of the Yokosuka line, some E217 series vehicles
started to be withdrawn by introducing E235-1000 series for the Sobu rapid
services and the long-distance services of the Yokosuka line in 2020. |
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