International Railroad Discussion > Faces of Different MUs at Kamakura Japan 10/14/25

At Kamakura Station (Japan)  on October 14, 2025, two very different trains meet. On the left, a JR East E235-1000 series EMU arrives on its way to Chiba on the Yokosuka–Sōbu Rapid Line—a modern commuter design introduced in 2020 to replace the aging E217 fleet. On the right, an E257-2000 series limited express set (formation OM-91) waits on the siding to let the Chiba train pass, operating a special “school excursion” service. The E257-2000s were rebuilt between 2019 and 2021 from early-2000s E257-0s, originally built by Hitachi and Tokyu Car, and now serve various limited-express and charter duties on the Tōkaidō and Shōnan corridors. Charles Freericks

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Nice catch of E235 and E257 side by side.

E257 was the mainstay of Chuo Line (Chuo East Line between Matsumoto and Tokyo area) for most of Heisei Era, used on Limited Express trains (Kaiji, Azusa). They officially "retired" from Chuo Line service in 2021, but are still used on the Chiba + Boso Peninsula area Limited Express trains (Shiosai, Wakashio, Sazanami, others). They still sneak into Chuo Line for extras and seasonal runs, as I've documented a handul here on TO.