Sotetsu 8000 series

Data (as of 6 Jul 2024)

History

The 8000 series was developed in 1990, when Sotetsu became one of the major private railways in eastern Japan. The series at the time of introduction had more lamps onboard than any other older trains so that it is said that passengers felt it bright. According to the company, designers of the train called it "a running drawing room". The 8000 series was the first Sotetsu train to have lectronically controlled pneumatic brakes. In short, this series was completely different from any other trains.

13 ten-carriage units were built by Hitachi, like other Sotetsu trains at that time. They were repainted white with blue and orange bands in 2007-14, and some of them have been refurbished since 2020. However, those introduced in the early-90s have been replaced with 20000 series.

Current Operations & Future Prospects

The 8000 series trains are used on the entire Sotetsu network, but not for through-services. The eighth through thirteenth units were supposed to be refurbished and repainted YOKOHAMA NAVYBLUE by 2025, but no sign of the progress of it since 2021. The company plans to make all of its trains to be the dark blue livery by around 2030, indicating that the 8000 series will be withdrawn by then.

Photos

Since 2022, Sotetsu has been refurbishing the remaining 8000 series without repainting, though headlights are different from what was used to be.

Before the dramatic refurbishment.

The original livery.