Shinano Railway SR1 series

Data (as of 12 Oct 2024)

History

The SR1 series have been introduced to Shinano Railway since 2020 to replace JNR 115 series, many of which are nearly 45 years old. The SR1 series is largely based on JR East E129 series with minor changes. Each unit of the SR1 series is formed of two coaches, and they can be classified to three groups: variants 100, 200 and 300.

The variant 100 is officially called "liner trains". Three units painted blue were introduced in 2020 with convertible seating (longitudinal and transverse) with power outlets and free Wi-Fi devices. The variant 200 and 300 are standard trains with transverse seating, and units of the variant 300 do not have a spare pantograph for defrosting.

The SR1 series can be formed of up to six coaches so far, and all variants can be coupled to each other. However, no regular service consists of the "liner train" and standard train units has been set.

Current Operations & Future Prospects

The variant 100 is used for Special Rapid services Shinano Sunrise (Komoro to Nagano) and Shinano Sunset (Nagano to Ueda) on weekdays, Karuizawa Resort (Karuizawa - Myoko-Kogen) on Saturdays, Sundays and holidays, and other stopping services. Variants 200 and 300 are used for stopping services.

The company revised its plan of SR1 series introduction due to COVID-19 pandemic. At present, 23 two-car units are to be introduced by 2027.

Photo

The variant 200. The variant 300 looks almost the same.