New trains for Semboku Rapid Railway in Osaka

Semboku Rapid Railway, a private "third sector" railway company based in Osaka, unveiled its new Class 9300 on 30 June 2023. Founded in 1965, the company (Senboku Kōsoku Tetsudō in Japanese) is part of the Nankai Group. It operates the Semboku Rapid Transit Line as a railway business and Distribution Centre truck terminals as a logistics business in Osaka.

Formerly known as Osaka Prefectural Urban Development, the company was funded by Osaka Prefecture and others. On 1 July 2014, it became a subsidiary of Nankai Electric Railway, a member of the Nankai Group, and changed its name to its current one. The line it operates is the 14.3 km long Senboku Rapid Railway Line, which branches off from Nakamozu Station on the Nankai Koya Line and connects to Izumi-chuo Station.

The 1,067 mm gauge line was opened in 1971, it has a 1,500 V DC overhead line and a maximum speed of 110 km/h. The line has a through service to Nankai, the terminal station of which is Nanba, the terminal station of southern Osaka. Two new four-car EMUs were built by Kinki Sharyo using parts supplied by Mitsubishi Electric, Hitachi and Toyo Electric.

The new Class 9300s reduce energy consumption by around 50 % through the use of hybrid SiC traction equipment and LED lighting. The basic design of the stainless steel bodyshells is based on Nankai Electric Railway's Class 8300. The interiors are wood-patterned, using two different colour seats for easy recognition of each compartment.

The train consists of two powered end cars with a length of 20,765 mm and two intermediate car with a length of 20,665 mm. The bodyshell width is 2,830 mm and the height is 4,140 mm above TOR. Total traction power is 8,190 kW and the top speed is 120 km/h. Acceleration is 2.5 m/s², deceleration 3.7 m/s² and 4.0 m/s² in case of emergency braking. The capacity is 176 seats and space for 412 standies. Senboku plans to gradually renew its fleet of 24 Class 3000 EMUs.