Introduced in 1994 to replace the 113 series EMUs running on the Sōbu Line (Rapid) and Yokosuka Line, the E217 series was the first outer-suburban train type in Japan to feature four pairs of doors per side per car. The basic design was developed from the 209 series commuter EMUs. It replaced all the Yokosuka Line 113 series trains by 1999. The trains were built jointly by Kawasaki Heavy Industries, Tokyu Car, and JR East (Niitsu and Ofuna factories).[3]
For traction, they use Mitsubishi Electric-manufactured VVVF inverters with IGBT (formerly GTO) switching devices which control Mitsubishi MT68/73 traction motors. The gear ratio is 97:16.
As of 14 June 2024[update], 14 11-car sets are based at Kamakura Depot and formed with four motored ("M") cars and seven non-powered trailer ("T") cars.[5]
← Kimitsu, Narita Airport
Kurihama →
Car No.
11
10
9
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
Designation
Tc
T
M
M'
T
Tsd
Tsd'
M
M'
Tc'
Numbering
KuHa E217
SaHa E217
MoHa E217
MoHa E216-1000
SaHa E217-2000
SaRo E217
SaRo E216
MoHa E217-2000
MoHa E216-2000
KuHa E216-2000
Cars 3 and 9 each have one scissors pantograph.
Cars 1 and 11 have an accessible/priority "free space".
As of 14 June 2024[update], 11 four-car sets are based at Kamakura Depot and formed with two motored ("M") cars and two non-powered trailer ("T") cars.[5]
← Kimitsu, Narita Airport
Kurihama →
Car No.
+4
+3
+2
+1
Designation
Tc
M
M'
Tc'
Numbering
KuHa E217-2000
MoHa E217-2000
MoHa E216-2000
KuHa E216-1000/2000
Car +3 has a scissors pantograph.
Cars +1 and +4 have an accessible/priority "free space".
Car 14 had a mix of longitudinal and transverse box seating.
E217 series in Shōnan livery, April 2007
Interior
E217 series longitudinal seating
E217 series transverse seating
Green car upper saloon, October 2021
Green car lower saloon, October 2021
History
The E217 series trains entered revenue service from 3 December 1994.[43]
From December 2001, 11-car trains were used on the Shōnan–Shinjuku Line between Shinjuku and Zushi. This continued until October 2004 when Shōnan–Shinjuku Line services were unified using E231-1000 series trains.
In March 2006, three 15-car trains were reformed as 10+5-car sets and transferred to Kōzu depot for use from 14 March 2006 on Tōkaidō Main Line duties out of Tokyo alongside E231-1000 series trains. The sets were repainted into the same Shonan color scheme of orange and green bodyside stripes as applied to the E231s. These sets were all transferred back to Yokosuka/Sōbu Line services by March 2015.
A program of refurbishment on the fleet commenced in 2008 and was completed in 2012. Externally, sets received lighter blue and cream stripes.
Following the introduction of newer E235-1000 series sets, withdrawals commenced in fiscal 2020.[44] The first withdrawn set was transferred to Nagano between 5 and 6 January 2021.[21] As of 14 June 2024, only 14 11-car sets and 11 4-car sets remain in fleet.[1]
In September 2022, Indonesian state railway operator Kereta Api Indonesia (KAI) filed for permission to import 348 used E217 series cars between 2023 and 2024 to replace older trainsets in its subsidiary commuter network KAI Commuter. This request was rejected by the Indonesian Ministry of Industry in January 2023, resulting in domestic controversy.[45] Following meetings with government ministries, KAI later announced in June 2023 that they would buy new trainsets from Japan and Indonesia instead of used E217 series sets.[46]
^JR全車輌ハンドブック2009 [JR Rolling Stock Handbook 2009]. Japan: Neko Publishing. 2009. pp. 269–270. ISBN978-4-7770-0836-0.
^Saka, Masahiro (March 2014). "JR第1世代の車両・現況と概要" [JR 1st-generation rolling stock: Current situation and overview]. Tetsudō Daiya Jōhō Magazine (in Japanese). Vol. 43, no. 359. Japan: Kōtsū Shimbun. p. 23.
^JR東日本、東海道線E217系の営業運転終了 – 「湘南色」の帯で活躍した車両 [JR East E217 series withdrawn from Tōkaidō Line]. Mynavi News (in Japanese). Japan: Mynavi Corporation. 19 March 2015. Retrieved 30 March 2015.
^"E217系Y-2編成が長野へ" [E217 series set Y-2 sent to Nagano]. Japan Railfan Magazine Online (in Japanese). Japan: Koyusha Co., Ltd. 13 September 2023. Retrieved 14 June 2024.
^"E217系Y-18編成が長野へ" [E217 series set Y-18 sent to Nagano]. Japan Railfan Magazine Online (in Japanese). Japan: Koyusha Co., Ltd. 9 November 2023. Retrieved 14 June 2024.
^"E217系Y-20編成が長野へ" [E217 series set Y-20 sent to Nagano]. Japan Railfan Magazine Online (in Japanese). Japan: Koyusha Co., Ltd. 19 October 2023. Retrieved 14 June 2024.
^"E217系Y-23編成が長野へ" [E217 series set Y-23 sent to Nagano]. Japan Railfan Magazine Online (in Japanese). Japan: Koyusha Co., Ltd. 6 June 2024. Retrieved 14 June 2024.
^"E217系Y-24編成が長野へ" [E217 series set Y-24 sent to Nagano]. Japan Railfan Magazine Online (in Japanese). Japan: Koyusha Co., Ltd. 11 April 2024. Retrieved 14 June 2024.
^"クラY-25編成長野へ" (in Japanese). Japan. 8 December 2021. Retrieved 9 December 2021.
^ abcd"3週連続でE217系が減った…「クラY-26編成」…長野へ廃車にともなう配給輸送" [The number of E217 series trains has decreased for the third week in a row... "Kura Y-26 train"... Distributed to Nagano due to scrapping]. RM News (in Japanese). Japan: Neko Publishing. 3 June 2024. Retrieved 12 June 2024.
^"クラY-43編成長野へ" (in Japanese). Japan. 7 April 2021. Retrieved 7 April 2021.
^ ab"クラY-44編成長野へ" (in Japanese). Japan. 6 January 2021. Retrieved 21 January 2021.
^"クラY-45編成長野へ" (in Japanese). Japan. 28 April 2021. Retrieved 29 April 2021.
^"E217系Y-46編成が長野総合車両センターへ" [E217 series set Y-46 sent to Nagano General Rolling Stock Center]. Japan Railfan Magazine Online (in Japanese). Japan: Koyusha Co., Ltd. 17 February 2024. Retrieved 14 June 2024.
^"クラY-47編成長野へ" (in Japanese). Japan. 1 September 2021. Retrieved 3 September 2021.
^"クラY-48編成長野へ" (in Japanese). Japan. 3 February 2021. Retrieved 4 March 2021.
^"クラY-49編成長野へ" (in Japanese). Japan. 3 March 2021. Retrieved 4 March 2021.
^"クラY-50編成長野へ" (in Japanese). Japan. 17 November 2021. Retrieved 22 November 2021.
^"クラY-51編成長野へ" (in Japanese). Japan. 25 April 2021. Retrieved 25 August 2021.
^ ab"クラY-105・Y-107編成長野へ" (in Japanese). Japan. 21 January 2021. Retrieved 21 January 2021.
^ ab"E217系Y-108編成とY-110編成が長野へ" [E217 series sets Y-108 and Y-110 sent to Nagano]. Japan Railfan Magazine Online (in Japanese). Japan: Koyusha Co., Ltd. 25 January 2024. Retrieved 14 June 2024.
^ ab"E217系Y-133編成とY-113編成が長野へ" [E217 series sets Y-133 and Y-113 sent to Nagano]. Japan Railfan Magazine Online (in Japanese). Japan: Koyusha Co., Ltd. 13 June 2024. Retrieved 14 June 2024.
^Koyama, Kei (7 June 2020). "実はレア 引退時期が迫る横須賀・総武快速線E217系 どんな車両? 少数生産のワケ" [The rare, near-retirement Yokosuka-Sobu Rapid Line E217 series – what kind of vehicle is it, and what was the reason for low production numbers?]. Traffic News (in Japanese). Japan: Mediavague Co., Ltd. Retrieved 28 October 2022.