305 series

The 305 series is a direct current electric multiple unit commuter train type run by the Kyushu Railway Company, known as JR Kyushu, on the Chikuhi Line and on through services onto the Fukuoka City Subway Airport Line in Kyushu, Japan. It entered service on 5 February 2015. The whole fleet is six six-car sets, 36 vehicles in all, which Hitachi built at a cost of about 5.7 billion yen, with the styling overseen by the industrial designer Eiji Mitooka. The trains were designed for better accessibility, and they use fully enclosed permanent-magnet synchronous motors that cut noise and use about 57 percent less power than the older 103 series trains they replaced on these services. The first set was delivered from the manufacturer in Kudamatsu, Yamaguchi, in November 2014, and a public preview run was held on 31 January 2015.