The Tokyo Waterfront Area Rapid Transit inaugurated the Class 71-000 EMU
posted on 6th Oct 2025 17:11
The railway company TWR on 1 October 2025 formally started service of the new Class 71-000 EMU at Tokyo Teleport station. TWR is a third-sector railway company whose shares are held by the Tokyo Metropolitan Government (91.32 %), JR East (2.41 %), Shinagawa Ward (1.77 %), and many more.
It operates the 12 km Rinkai line, which runs between Ōsaki and Shin-Kiba. Most of this line is underground, passing under Tokyo Bay and the Port of Tokyo, the final segment is elevated. The line connects developing areas on artificial land (islands) acquired from Tokyo Bay with the city centre. At Ōsaki, the Rinkai line connects to the JR East network, enabling trains to run through to major hubs such as Shibuya and Shinjuku.
Services are operated by both TWR and JR East trains. Through services continue from Shinjuku and Ikebukuro to the JR Saikyo line to Omiya. Some trains continue further to Kawagoe on north outskirts of the Tokyo urban area.
The Type 71-000 train's design 'connect the sea, the city and the future'; its colours evoke images of the sea and the city. The floor height has been lowered by 50 mm to reduce the difference between the train floor and the platform. There is a multipurpose space in all cars to improve convenience for passengers using wheelchairs or pushchairs. Luggage racks and handrails have been lowered to a height that is more accessible for passengers compared to older trains.
The new 1,067 mm gauge Class 71-000 10-car EMUs consist of six powered cars and two each of intermediate and non-powered end cars. Each powered car is equipped with four 140 kW traction motors fed by an IGBT inverter with VVVF control. The maximum speed is 120 km/h. The train operates under a 1,500 V DC overhead wire. The stainless steel bodyshells are 20,000 mm long, 2,998 mm wide and 4,016 mm high above the top of rail (TOR). The train has a capacity of 1,188 passengers of which 384 can be seated.