"7300 Series" Railway Carriages Win "Good Design Award 2014"

The award-winning "7300 Series" carriages were created to replace the "7000 Series" model that has been in service on the Yurikamome, a line that serves the Tokyo waterfront area, since the line’s inauguration in 1995. Three trains featuring the new carriages have been in service since January 18, 2014, and plans call for gradual expansion to 18 trains (108 carriages) by the end of 2016.

The "7300 Series" carriages were designed to offer a total response to the diverse needs of both users and people living or working along the Yurikamome Line: increased transportation capacity, improved riding comfort, reduced burden on the environment, barrier-free facilities, universal design, etc. The trains feature MHI's proprietary 4-guide-wheel bogies and a side guiderail system. They operate fully unmanned, carrying between 49 and 52 passengers per car. Car dimensions are 9,000mm in length, 2,550mm in width and 3,340mm in height.

In 2020 the Yurikamome Line will serve the principal venues of the Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics. In view of the publicity the line will generate as a symbol of the host city, the "7300 Series" carriages feature an aluminum body ensuring minimal burden on the environment, a white front face suggestive of a seagull, which is an insignia of Tokyo, and rainbow-colored accents in keeping with the waterfront area's image. The multitudes of visitors who will throng this area in 2020 are sure to be favorably impressed by the new carriages and their stylish design.

The "7300 Series" carriages feature longitudinal seats that achieve a maximum 10% increase in passenger capacity. Adoption of the longitudinal seats and doors opening on both sides contribute to faster boarding and alighting time, thus supporting on-time operation. To please the many tourists who visit the waterfront zone, the area of the front window glass has been expanded and viewing ease out the side windows has been improved. To please commuters using the line, MHI's "G-Fit" semi-high-back bucket type seats, providing outstanding body support, have been adopted, delivering enhanced seating comfort. Riding comfort during peak crowded times has also been enhanced through the adoption of duct type air-conditioning - a first in automated guideway transit system - and installation of full-scale baggage racks. Thin-panel LED lighting contributes to reducing the feeling of oppression typically generated by railcar ceilings.

In selecting the "7300 Series" carriages for a "Good Design Award 2014," the JDP judging panel cited their innovative contributions to significantly enhancing the overall design image of the Yurikakome Line. The cars were acclaimed for the way the fundamental elements of the carriage design were totally reconsidered, enabling the realization of space to accommodate passengers in wheelchairs, and for the expansive new front face design affording passengers a broad view of the local scenery. The judges were quoted as saying that the new "7300 Series" carriages have a superb design that completely updates the image of this transit system ahead of the 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

The "7300 Series," together with other 2014 Good Design Award winners, will be introduced at the "Good Design Exhibition 2014" to be held at Tokyo Midtown from October 31 (Fri) through November 4 (Tue).

The Good Design Awards are Japan’s only comprehensive design evaluation and commendation program. The system has roots tracing back to the "Good Design Products Selection System" launched in 1957, and in its more than half-century in operation over 39,000 awards have been granted in recognition of designs that make positive contributions to the enhancement of Japanese industry or everyday living. Today the Good Design Awards program enjoys global scale with participation of numerous businesses, organizations, etc. from all around the world. The "G Mark," the symbol only award winners can display, is a widely familiar logo indicative of outstanding design.