#4456
203 series
🇯🇵 Japan ·built by Kawasaki Heavy Industries· from 1982· Japanese electric multiple unit train type
1 photo from Wikimedia Commons · credits & licences
- 1. JRE 203: Jet-0· CC BY-SA 3.0
what is it?
The 203 series (203系) is an electric multiple unit (EMU) train type operated in Japan between 1982 and 2011 by Japanese National Railways (JNR) and later by East Japan Railway Company (JR East), formerly operated by KAI Commuter between 2011 and 2025, and currently operated by the Philippine National Railways since 2011.
who runs it
base stats
Bars compare against all trains: 600 km/h (maglev), 1,700 seats; power, weight and number built on a log scale up to 20 MW, 1,000 t and 20,000 built.
fun facts
- First built 44 years ago, in 1982.
- 20 m long: about 4 cars parked nose to tail.
- Seats 528: 11 full city buses (~50 seats each).
- Served for 28 years (1982–2010).
multiple unit: A self-propelled train: motors are spread under the passenger cars, so no separate locomotive.
spec sheet
- built
- 1982
- in service from
- 1982
- retired
- 2010
- status
- retired
- number built
- 170
- kind
- multiple unit
- traction
- electric
- origin
- 🇯🇵 Japan
- builders
- Kawasaki Heavy Industries, Kinki Sharyo, Japan Transport Engineering Company
- operators
- Japanese National Railways, East Japan Railway Company, KRL Commuterline, Philippine National Railways
- top speed
- 100 km/h
- power
- 256 kW
- gauge
- 1,067 mm Cape gauge
- electric system
- 1,500 V DC overhead catenary (JNR, JR East and KAI Commuter)
- formation
- 10 cars per trainset (JNR, JR), 8, 10 and 12 cars per trainset (KAI Commuter), 5 cars per trainset (PNR)
- length
- 20 m
- capacity
- 528 passengers
From the Wikipedia infobox and Wikidata. Blank means the sources don't say.
Sources: Wikidata Q865951, Wikipedia: 203 series (CC BY-SA 4.0).Updated 2026-10-25.