Sagami Railway has announced that its new #13000 series train will enter commercial service in spring 2026.
Sagami Railway (also called “Sotetsu”) is a private railway company operating three lines in Kanagawa Prefecture, with through services that travel as far as Tokyo and Saitama. In an effort to reduce the environmental impact of its services, Sagami Railway is introducing a train using an energy-saving inverter control device that reduces energy consumption by up to 39% per car.
The new Sotetsu #13000 series train
The exterior of the new train will be painted in a deep shade of blue called “Yokohama Navy Blue.” Its streamlined profile is meant to resemble that of an elegant “sea creature cutting through water,” and the distinctive headlights are meant to resemble “eyes gazing into the future.”
A design image of the front of the train
The interior is gray with yellow highlights, and has transparent partitions, luggage racks and connecting doors to create an open feeling. The LED lighting changes color and the level of brightness according to the time of day, and all cars have space designated for strollers and wheelchairs.
The Sotetsu #13000 series train interior
Like other Sagami Railway trains, the #13000 series will have oval-shaped hand straps, which are specially designed to be comfortable over long periods of use. These hand straps actually won a Good Design Award in 2016. In addition, security cameras are installed inside the train and each car is equipped with an air purifier.
Priority seating
Some of the priority seats employ a universal design that have been raised slightly to make it easier for people to stand up and sit down. Each train set will also have 12 seats more than the previous #12000 series.
According to Sagami Railway, the introduction of the #13000 series train will reduce annual CO2 emissions by approximately 33.3 tons compared to existing vehicles.
Article by Michael Lambe. Images courtesy of Sagami Railway. All rights reserved.
