The 651 series is an AC/DC dual-voltage electric multiple unit type operated byEast Japan Railway Company in Japan since March 1989. Trains originally operated as 7+4-car formations on Super Hitachilimited express services between in Tokyo and via the Jōban Line, but were withdrawn from regular scheduled services from the start of the revised timetable on 16 March 2013. The majority of the fleet was subsequently modified to become the 651-1000 series, and re-employed on Akagi and Kusatsu limited express services from March 2014.
Variants
651-0 series: Original AC/DC sets built from 1989
651-1000 series: 7-car and 4-car DC-only sets modified from 651-0 series between 2013 and 2014
Izu Craile: Rebuilt 4-car resort trainset entering service in July 2016
Operations
, a four-car 651-0 series set operates as a local service on a segment of Jōban Line between Iwaki and Tomioka, making 2 round trips a day. The 651-1000 series sets are used on Akagi, Swallow Akagi, and Kusatsu limited express services.
Formations
651-0 series
, the fleet of original 651-0 series trainsets consists of three seven-car sets and five four-car sets, based at Katsuta Depot.
7-car sets
The seven-car sets, K101 to K109, are formed as follows, with four motored cars and three non-powered trailer cars, and car 1 at the Ueno end.
Car No.
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
Designation
Tc2
M'2
M2
Ts
M'1
M1
Tc1
Numbering
KuHa 650
MoHa 650-100
MoHa 651-100
SaRo 651
MoHa 650
MoHa 651
KuHa 651
Cars 2 and 5 are each fitted with one PS26 lozenge-type pantograph.
Cars 1, 3, 4, and 6 have toilets.
4-car sets
The four-car sets, K201 to K209, are formed as follows, with two motored cars and two non-powered trailer cars, and car 8 at the Ueno end.
Car No.
8
9
10
11
Designation
Tc2
M'1
M1
Tc1
Numbering
KuHa 650
MoHa 650
MoHa 651
KuHa 651-100
Car 9 is fitted with one PS26 lozenge-type pantograph.
Cars 8 and 10 have toilets.
651-1000 series
, the fleet consists of six seven-car sets and three four-car sets, all based at Omiya Depot.
7-car sets
The seven-car sets, OM201 to OM206, are formed as follows, with four motored cars and three non-powered trailer cars, and car 1 at the Ueno end.
Car No.
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
Designation
Tc2
M'2
M2
Ts
M'1
M1
Tc1
Numbering
KuHa 650-1000
MoHa 650-1100
MoHa 651-1100
SaRo 651-1000
MoHa 650-1000
MoHa 651-1000
KuHa 651-1000
Seating capacity
52
64
58
36
68
64
56
Cars 2 and 5 are each fitted with one PS33D single-arm pantograph.
Cars 1, 3, 4, and 6 have toilets.
4-car sets
The four-car sets, OM301 to OM303, are formed as follows, with two motored cars and two non-powered trailer cars, and car 8 at the Ueno end.
Car No.
8
9
10
11
Designation
Tc2
M'1
M1
Tc
Numbering
KuHa 650-1000
MoHa 650-1000
MoHa 651-1000
KuHa 651-1100
Seating capacity
52
68
64
56
Car 9 is fitted with one PS33D single-arm pantograph.
Cars 8 and 10 have toilets.
''Izu Craile'' 4-car set IR01
The converted four-car set IR01 is formed as follows, with two motored cars and two non-powered trailer cars, and car 1 at the southern end.
Car No.
1
2
3
4
Designation
Tsc2
M'1
Ms1
Tsc
Numbering
KuRo 650-1007
MoHa 650-1007
MoRo 651-1007
KuRo 651-1101
Former number
KuHa 650-1007
MoHa 650-1007
MoHa 651-1007
KuHa 651-1101
Weight
36.3
41.1
37.8
31.1
Seating capacity
24
-
22
52
Car 2 is fitted with one PS33D single-arm pantograph.
Interior
Internally, Green car accommodation is arranged 2+1 abreast with a seat pitch of, and Standard class is arranged 2+2 abreast with a seat pitch of.
History
The 651 series trains were introduced on new Super Hitachi limited services between Ueno and Sendai on 11 March 1989, and the trains received the 33rd Blue Ribbon Award presented annually in Japan since 1958 by the Japan Railfan Club. From 2 December 2000, the Green car was made entirely non-smoking, and the internal partitions were removed between December 2000 and January 2001. Three seats were added to the Green car in June 2004, increasing the seating capacity to 36. All cars became no-smoking from the start of the revised timetable on 18 March 2007. The refreshment vending machines were discontinued from 31 March 2008. From the start of the revised timetable on 17 March 2012, six pairs of 651 series trains were removed from service and put into storage, replaced by new 10-car E657 series EMUs on Super Hitachi services. The entire fleet was replaced by the start of the revised timetable on 16 March 2013, but the sets were however retained for seasonal and additional workings. From 1 October 2013, one 11-car 651 series formation was brought back into service for use on two Fresh Hitachi services daily while the E657 series fleet undergoes modification work to add LED seat reservation status indicators above each seat. This continued until March 2015.
651-1000 series conversions
Between late 2013 and early 2014, a number of 651 series sets were modified and renumbered 651-1000 series for use on Akagi and Kusatsu limited express services from the start of the revised timetable on 15 March 2014, replacing ageing 185 series EMUs. The modifications included disconnecting the original AC electrical equipment, replacing the original PS26 lozenge-type pantographs with the same PS33D single-arm pantographs used on E233 series suburban EMUs, and adding an orange bodyside stripe below the windows. No changes were made to the interiors.
''Izu Craile'' resort train
Four-car set OM301 was rebuilt as a resort train set named Izu Craile between November 2015 and April 2016, and entered service on the Ito Line and a section of the Tokaido Line between and from 16 July 2016. The name is a portmanteau formed from "Cresciuto", "train", and the suffix "-ile". Car 1 has window-facing counter seats on the seaward side, car 2 has a bar counter and lounge, car 3 has semi-open compartments, and car 4 has conventional unidirectional 2+2-abreast seating. based at Kōzu Depot. On January 30 2020, with the introduction of the E261 series on Saphir Odoriko services, JR East announced that the Izu Craile service would no longer be necessary, and that it would be retired. The train is scheduled to have its last run on June 28 2020. JR East is still considering whether to scrap the singular trainset used..
Fleet details
The delivery, refurbishment, and conversion dates for the fleet are as shown below. All sets were originally built by Kawasaki Heavy Industries in Hyogo.
