Chichibu Railway and Sangi Railway will operate electric locomotives (EL), which are mainly used for freight transport, with interchangeable paint.
Both companies are one of the few private railways in Japan that transport both passengers and freight, with the Chichibu Railway transferring two ELs to Sangi Railway in 2000. The aim of this collaborative paint project is to raise awareness that rail freight can transport large amounts of freight, over 500 tons, at one time and is a mode of transport that can contribute to reducing CO2 emissions.
On the Chichibu Railway, limestone is mined at the Kanoyama Mine (Kanna Town, Gunma) and the Miwa Mine (Chichibu City, Saitama), transported by conveyor belt, and loaded onto freight cars at Bushu-Haratani Station and Kagemori Station, respectively. The freight trains loaded with limestone enter the freight-only Mikajiri Line from Takekawa Station, and are handed over to the Pacific Cement Kumagaya Plant at Mikajiri Station.
On the other hand, Sangi Railway transports powdered cement from the Pacific Cement Fujiwara Plant at Higashi-Fujiwara Station to Yokkaichi Port, and calcium carbonate to the Hekinan Thermal Power Plant (Hekinan City, Aichi Prefecture) by freight car via the Sangi Line. In addition, coal ash generated at the power plant is loaded onto the same freight car and transported to the Fujiwara Plant, where it is used as a cement improver.
Chichibu Railway’s EL 303 is already painted in the Sangi EL color of brown base with yellow stripes, and will begin operating on the Chichibu Main Line and Migajiri Line from mid-June 2025. Sangi Railway ED 454 will be repainted with the Chichibu Railway’s standard EL color of blue base with white stripes, and is scheduled to begin operating on the Sangi Line in July. The collaborative paint will continue for the time being, but inquiries about operating times cannot be answered because it will be operated in common with other locomotives.
