The Japan Railway Friendship Association announced the 2025 Blue Ribbon Award and Laurel Award winners on Thursday, May 22, 2025, to recognize outstanding domestic railway vehicles.
The association is an organization of approximately 3,000 railway enthusiasts from across the country, and has been selecting the Blue Ribbon Award and Laurel Award winners annually since 1958 and 1961, respectively, with the aim of contributing to the progress and development of Japanese railway vehicles. The candidates this time are 11 new models of vehicles that began commercial operation in 2024, and were selected by a nine-member selection committee with extensive knowledge of railway vehicles based on the results of member votes.
The winner of the Best Vehicle Blue Ribbon Award is the 273 series, which JR West operates as the Yakumo express train that runs from Okayama Prefecture to Tottori and Shimane Prefectures. Developed as a successor to the 381 series, which is over 40 years old, the new car employs a newly developed “natural pendulum system with on-board control” that tilts the car body at the optimal timing when passing through curves to improve ride comfort.
Designer Yasuyuki Kawanishi listened to the needs of JR West employees in a workshop and created a highly unique exterior with an original color, “Yakumo Bronze,” that reflects the nature, history, and culture of the area. Based on the opinions of the employees’ families, new semi-compartments and free spaces have been added that are easy to use even for those with children. The 273 series, which was highly praised for its advanced equipment configuration and design, won the award with a number of votes from members that far exceeded the number of other candidates.
Two types of cars were selected for the Laurel Award for Excellent Vehicles. Kintetsu Railway’s new general train, the “8A series,” is versatile enough to be coupled with conventional trains, and was also evaluated for its high level of passenger compartment, including the “Yasashiba” single-seater seat that meets the needs of those with strollers and large luggage. The Fukuoka City Transportation Bureau’s “4000 series” was described as a next-generation subway car with simple functional beauty, equipped with comfortable facilities such as a free space with a large window that allows you to enjoy the sea view, and the latest technology such as a highly efficient motor with the world’s highest level of energy saving performance.
