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Tōyō Rapid 2000 Series / 東葉高速鉄道2000系

The 2000 Series (2000系) is an commuter EMU operated by third sector company Tōyō Rapid Railway.

As minor railway operator, Tōyō Rapid lacked the resources and experience to design and procure vehicles independently, the 2000 Series was thus developed in collaboration with Tokyo Metro's 05N Series 13th edition vehicles. In 2001, the Tokyo Metro Tōzai Line's security equipment was updated to increase operational capacity, as the Tōyō Rapid Railway line functions as a de facto extension of the Tōzai Line, it too adopted the new standards.The company subsequently decided to replace it's entire fleet as it was considered more cost effective to introduce new vehicles than retrofitting the aging 1000 series with new security equipment. The new trains entered service in 2004 with a focus on fire safety in consideration of the recent 2003 Daegu subway fire. Materials which could releases toxic fumes or melt into a solution during a fire was avoided, and rubber originally used for the floor was removed in 2013 to further strengthen fire safety. The 2000 series do not have control and safety equipment compatible with JR Lines, and as a result do not operate past Nakano Station at the terminus of the Tōzai Line. A total of 110 cars were produced, all arranged in 10-car sets.

Operator Background:

Tōyō Rapid Railway is a third sector railway in Chiba prefecture. It is the owner and operator of the 16.2km Tōyō Rapid Line. The entire route is electrified and double tracked with a total of 9 stations. Western Chiba prefecture experienced rapid population growth in the 1970s and 1980s due to it's proximity to Tokyo. As a result, the existing railways in the region such as the Keisei Main Line and JR Sōbu Main Line experienced heavy overcrowding. Eidan Subway, the predecessor of Tokyo Metro, began plans to extend it's Tōzai Line past the terminus at Nishi-Funabashi into the new and rapidly developing cities. However after some consideration it was decided that the planned route would instead be constructed and operated by a new third sector company with investment from local governments. Major shareholders of the company are Chiba Prefecture, Funabashi and Yachiyo cities, and Tokyo Metro, while private railways such as Keisei and Tobu were also investors. The line opened in 1996 after delays caused by a difficult land acquisition process. Operationally, almost all trains through run onto the Tōzai Line, with some services continuing onto the JR Chūō Line, the latter using Tokyo Metro vehicles. While all trains stop at every station on the Tōyō Rapid Line, those marked as 'Rapid' will skip some stops on the Tokyo Metro portion. Financially, the operator suffered from the highest debt burden of all third sector companies as it inherited large debts from construction costs. However, as urban development along the line continues to progress, year on year profits have been increasing. Data from 2011 presented a daily ridership of 264,000 passengers, current numbers are likely higher but no publication could be found.

Basic Information:

Max Speed: 120km/h
Acceleration: 0.92m/s/s
Motor Output: 165kW x 4 per car
Seating: long
In Service: 2004-

The following formations are included:

6 Car (Hypothetical Formation)

Configuration: 3M3T
Max Pax: 1804

8 Car (Hypothetical Formation)

Configuration: 4M4T
Max Pax: 2420

10 Car

Configuration: 5M5T
Max Pax: 3036