Subscribe to download
Keisei 3500 Series / 京成3500形

The 3500 Series (3500形) is a commuter EMU operated by Keisei Electric Railway since 1973.

Widely seen across the Keisei network for the last 50 years, the 3500 series is the first Keisei train to be installed with air conditioning. It was also the company’s first stainless steel train, as the air conditioning equipment was heavy and would’ve exceeded the weight limits of Keisei lines if installed on the ordinary steel vehicles of that time. Specifically, the Edogawa bridge on the Main Line was a point of concern, and the maximum weight per car was restricted to 33t until the bridge was rebuilt in the late 1970. The 3500 series has a chopper control system and is divided into two vehicle categories. The M2 vehicles are ‘0.5M’ with 2 motors per car, they are not equipped with pantographs, and were originally only used as leading cars, while the M1’ vehicles have the 4 motors per car and have pantographs. There are no trailer cars in the 3500 series, and therefore all cars are of the MoHa 3500 type. A total of 96 cars were manufactured in sets of 4, and they operated across the Keisei network, including through services on the Asakusa Line system. From 1996, renovation works were carried out on around half the fleet, including significant changes to the leading cars’ exterior. The M2 vehicles also had their powered and unpowered bogies swapped, as the original layout did not meet the regulations of Keikyu, and thus could not operate on their lines. But as a result, mixed formations of renewed and unrenewed vehicles became impossible. Vehicles that did not undergo renovation began to be scrapped in 2003 and were fully phased out in 2017. The withdrawal of the remaining fleet had also started in 2018, and currently there are 42 cars in service. The 3500 series still see service on the entire Keisei network except the Oshiage Line, but it’s not used for any through running outside of Shibayama Railway. It now operates as 4 car and 6 car formations, with regular 8 car formations phased out, although it still sometimes used as a spare vehicle for 8 car trains. In addition, a single 4-car set has been leased to Shibayama Railway since 2013, being the only vehicle belonging to that company.

Basic Information:

Max Speed: 120km/h
Acceleration: 0.97m/s/s
Motor Output: 100kW x 4 per car (M’), x 2 per car (M2)
Seating: long
In Service: 1973-

The following formations are included:

3500 Series (4 Car)

Configuration: equivalent to 3M1T
Max Pax: 1020

3500 Series (6 Car)

Configuration: equivalent to 4.5M1.5T
Max Pax: 1552

-can also be operated as a 4+4 formation.