Kawasaki to Make New Rail Cars for Kobe Electric Railway

Tokyo, June 9, 2015 – Kawasaki Heavy Industries, Ltd. announced today that it has been selected as the manufacturer for Kobe Electric Railway Co., Ltd.'s new Series 6500 electric train. Three of the new train's rail cars will be manufactured at Kawasaki's Hyogo Works in Kobe before being delivered to Kobe Electric Railway in the spring of 2016.

Building on the success of the Series 6000 that Kawasaki delivered in 2010, the three-car train is designed to be both passenger and environment friendly, as it takes safety, comfort, and service to new heights. This latest model boasts a highly efficient energy-saving motor housed totally within an enclosure designed to reduce noise, as well as a VVVF inverter controller employing the latest semiconductor devices for optimal energy efficiency. All lighting equipment, including passenger cabin lights, employs LEDs, which consume about 60% less power than lighting on the existing (resistance controlled) Series 1000 car.

Hanging straps in passenger cabins are installed at three different heights to make them more accessible to riders. It is also equipped with vertical handrails to help elderly passengers get up from their seats more easily while large divider panels installed at the ends of the seating rows ensure passenger safety and comfort. Featuring large displays for enhanced visibility, interior digital signage above the doors provides information in Japanese, English, Chinese, and Korean to make the train more passenger friendly to international travelers.

Since delivering the Series 200 to Kobe Electric Railway' predecessor, Shinyu Miki Denki Tetsudo, in 1948, Kawasaki has been a regular supplier of rail cars to the company. Kobe Electric Railway's most recent order came six years ago when Kawasaki delivered the Series 6000 in 2010.

Kawasaki will continue to enhance its credibility with its technological expertise by providing environmentally friendly modes of transportation to markets around the world.