215 series

The 215 series was a bilevel suburban electric multiple unit train type run by the East Japan Railway Company, known as JR East, in the Kanto region of Japan from 1992 to 2021. Hitachi and Nippon Sharyo built the trains jointly. They were developed for the growing number of long-distance commuters on the Tokaido Main Line, to give seated and express services over the parallel freight lines, and their bilevel design drew on the Green car of the 211 series. Every car except the leading cars was bilevel, and a ten-car set could carry up to 1,010 passengers. Because the type had only two doors a side, boarding was slow and caused delays. The fleet was withdrawn on 12 March 2021 and no cars were preserved.