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JR Hokkaido KiHa 261 Series / JR北海道キハ261系

The KiHa 261 Series (キハ261系) is a limited express type DMU operated by JR Hokkaido.

Connecting various outlying cities with Sapporo, the KiHa 261 series represents the flagship intercity vehicle of JR Hokkaido. The type was initially designed in the late 1990s for minor trunk lines, adopting Kawasaki's air spring type tilting system to reduce costs compared to those found on the previous KiHa 281 and KiHa 283 series. Although the performance was inferior, it required no major changes in the car body or bogies. 14 0-series vehicles were manufactured from 1998 to 2001 for service on the Soya Main Line, which also underwent speed improvement works at the same time. The 0-series was designed to in anticipation of joint operations with the 785 series EMUs, it was thus equipped with powerful engines and improved hydraulic transmission, allowing it's acceleration performance to match limited express type EMUs. The 1000 series was produced intermittently from 2006 to 2022, the exterior design was changed to approximate the 789-1000 series developed at the same time. It was initially produced for Tokachi and Ozora and selected over the KiHa 283 series for greater cost effectiveness. In 2014, JR Hokkaido gave up development on the next generation KiHa 285 series due lack of funds, and announced that additional KiHa 261 series vehicles would be produced instead. The latest addition to the fleet comes in the form of the 5000 series, which are multipurpose express cars designed to operate as tourist trains and accommodate group tours, of which there are two sets. In total, 178 cars were produced across all variants, the most numerous for any limited express DMU in Japan. The 0-series remain on Soya and Sarobetsu services on the Soya Main Line, the 1000 series serve Tokachi and Ozora on the Sekisho / Nemuro Main Line, in addition to Hokuto (Sapporo-Hakodate) since 2015. The KiHa 261 series currently operates all JR Hokkaido intercity diesel trains except those on the Sekihoku Main Line.

Basic Information:

Max Speed: 140km/h, 130km/h (0 Series)
Acceleration: 0.61m/s/s
Engine Output: 460PS x 2 per car
In Service: 2000- (0 series), 2007- (1000 series), 2020- (5000 series)

The following formations are included:

KiHa 261-0 Series (4 Car)

Max Pax: 204

KiHa 261-0 Series (2+4 Car)

Max Pax: 311

KiHa 261-1000 Series (4 Car)

Max Pax (1st-6th Batch): 186
Max Pax (7th Batch): 178

KiHa 261-1000 Series (5 Car)

Max Pax (1st-6th Batch): 242
Max Pax (7th Batch): 232

-7th Batch vehicles can also have additional cars inserted into the formation, up to 9 cars for 448 capacity.

KiHa 261-5000 Series (5 Car)

Max Pax: 226