International Railroad Discussion > Boso View Express (Class 255, Japan)

I can go off on many tangents related to the Class 255 Limited Express EMU, which was supposed to retire from regular service on March 16 of this year. Good thing I didn't rush to post this, as the "retirement" was postponed until end of June, although until I visit Japan again, I don't know the current status of the Class 255 in regular service.

The story that's been consisent regardless, is that the Class 255 is being assigned to extras and specials, so the train sets won't be scrapped anytime soon.

First, an English wikipedia entry to get started with the basics:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/255_series

This post is an indirect response to the recent New Narita Express Paint discussion started by symph1, so I'll get right to the point regarding its design. It is a low cab design. Just 2 years before the Class 255, the first generation Narita Express, Class 253 also had a low cab design. It's interesting that Class E257 also had a low cab design, although it started service much later, in 2001:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/253_series
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/E257_series

Japan was going through its "Lost Decade" after the economic bubble burst in the early 1990s, and the train sets mentioned started service in that era. Whether the low cab design was proposed during the economic "boom" or a result of "scaling back" as a response to the recession, we can only speculate.

The nickname for Class 255, "Boso View Express" came from its initial service to the Boso Peninsula, which is located on the east side of Tokyo Bay. Two main lines serve the Peninsula, Uchibo Line on the west shore, and Sotobo Line on the east shore. They connect toward the southern tip of the Peninsula.

Thanks to a highway mega project called the Tokyo Bay Aqua-Line, which started service in 1997, Boso View Express never had the chance to obtain ridership on the Uchibo Line, where highway buses and the automobile have made a killing on train ridership. I may post a report later on obscenely high Operating Ratio (losing money) on the western side of the Boso Peninsula when appropriate. Lots of tangent stories already!

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tokyo_Bay_Aqua-Line

Regardless of Boso Peninsula's proximity to Tokyo, 20 to 30 miles depending on how one measures the distance, it is NOT easy competing against the highways, even in Japan.

(more next, including a description of the video)
 

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Uchibo Line hosts the Sazanami Limited Express, only 3-4 roundtrips a day, commute direction only. Inbounds to Tokyo in the morning, and outbounds to Boso Peninsula in the evening. No weekend service.

FYI, Japanese people living in or near urban areas tend to own cars for weekend trips, and use buses/trains for commuting. That might explain the no weekend service of Sazanami.

Sotobo Line hosts the Wakashio Limited Express, farther away from Tokyo Bay Aqua-Line, and have 11 roundtrips a day and they run on weekends.

Until the recent takeover of second generation Narita Express E259 sets on the above services, both Class 255 and Class E257 were used for Sazanami and Wakashio.

Class 255 has been used on Limited Express Shiosai, which traverses just above the Boso Peninsula along the Sobu Line to Choshi, about 7 roundtrips a day, also on weekends.

Video first clip: Eastbound Shiosai arriving at Chiba.
Second clip: Running at speed at Hirai (near Tokyo), eastbound Shiosai.
Third clip: Information board at Oami Station, Sotobo Line.
Fourth clip: Westbound Wakashio arriving, heading to Tokyo.
Fifth clip: Joyriding on the Wakashio, departing Soga.

That's it for the report.