Keio Electric Railway introduced the new Class 2000 EMU
posted on 3rd Nov 2025 19:30
The private railway company Keio Corporation (better known as Keiō Dentetsu - Keio Electric Railway), which has a rail network in the Greater Tokyo metropolitan area, was established in September 1910. The company introduced the new Class 2000 EMU, which are the four ten-car trains are built by the J-TREC Corporation, with the final unit expected to be delivered in August 2027. The trains are planned to enter commercial service on 31 January 2026.
Each ten-car EMU consists of five powered and five non-powered cars. The non-powered end cars have a length of 19,900 mm and the intermediate cars have a length of 19,500 mm. The weight varies between approximately 25 tonnes for the non-powered intermediate cars and 34 tonnes for the powered one. The bodyshell width is 2,800 mm, a car height is 4,080 mm above TOR, including the lowered pantograph. The EMU has an unusual track gauge of 1,372 mm and is fed of a 1,500 V DC catenary. The traction inverters use SiC components.
The reason for the 1,372 mm track gauge is historic. Initially, the company planned to use the Yamanote Line (Tokyo's central circular line) to reach the city centre and connect with the Tokyo tram network (Toden). The track gauge of Tokyo City's tram lines was 1,372 mm, and the last remaining line today of once extensive network still uses it.
Although the connection to the tram network did not happen, the Keio Line now reaches Tokyo city centre via the Toei Shinjuku line of the Tokyo Metro, the only line built using the 1,372 mm gauge to allow through services to and from the Keio network. Other Tokyo Metro lines use 1,067 or 1,435 mm track gauges, each of which connects to private railway networks, allowing trains to pass between metro and railway lines.
The current Keio Electric Railway, celebrating 110 anniversary, was formed through the integration of two companies from different capital groups during wartime under the Land Transportation Business Adjustment Act: the former Keio Electric Railway, which operated the Keio Line; and the former Teito Electric Railway, an Odakyu Electric Railway affiliate that operated the Inokashira Line.
The present-day Keio Electric Railway's history can be traced back to 12 December 1905 (Meiji 38), when Nippon Electric Railway Co. applied to the relevant government authorities for permission to construct an electric railway. At that time, the company applied for permission to construct two lines within Tokyo Prefecture: one running from Kamata Station, operated by the government, through Chofu and Fuchu to Tachikawa Station on the Kobu Railway, and another line branching off at Fuchu to reach Shinjuku.
The list of Keio lines, total network length is 84.7 km with 69 stations.
| Name | Route | Length | Stations |
| The Keio Line (main line) | Shinjuku – Hachiōji | 37.9 km | 33 stations |
| The Sagamihara Line | Chofu - Hashimoto | 22.6 km | 11 stations |
| Takao Line | Kitano – Takaosannguchi | 8.6 km | 6 stations |
| Dobutsuen Line | Takahatahudo – Tamadobutsuen | 2.0 km | 1 station |
| Inokashira Line (1,067 mm) | Shibuya - Kichijōji | 12.7 km | 17 stations |