735 series

The 735 series is an electric multiple unit train type built in 2010 and run by the Hokkaido Railway Company, known as JR Hokkaido, on suburban services around Sapporo in Hokkaido, Japan. It was made as an experimental type to test whether aluminium-bodied rolling stock suits the cold climate of Hokkaido, although the cab ends use steel. Two three-car sets were delivered from the Hitachi factory in Yamaguchi Prefecture in March 2010 and were tested in winter conditions from 2010 to 2011. They first entered revenue service on 1 May 2012. The floor is 100 millimetres lower than on earlier trains for better accessibility, the seating is longitudinal as on the 731 series, and the sets can run in multiple with the 721, 731 and 733 series trains.