Seibu Railway’s Series 20000 Trains to Return to Their Original Manufacturing Site for Modernization

Further Enhancing Safety, Comfort and Convenience

• Service will begin sequentially from 2028.
• In addition to major equipment upgrades, the exterior and interior designs will be refreshed while preserving the trains’ original concept.
• Modernization work at Hitachi, the original manufacturer, will shorten the construction period and further improve quality.

Tokorozawa and Tokyo, September 2, 2026 – Seibu Railway Co., Ltd. (“Seibu Railway”) and Hitachi, Ltd. (“Hitachi”) today announced that modernization work will be carried out on 144 Seibu Railway Series 20000 cars. The modernized trains will enter service sequentially from 2028. Through this modernization, Seibu Railway aims to further enhance the value of the Series 20000 trains, which it has operated for many years, by leveraging Hitachi’s design and manufacturing expertise, enabling passengers to continue using the trains safely and comfortably.

Seibu Railway’s initiatives

Seibu Railway places the highest priority on providing safe and comfortable transportation services and has been introducing new rolling stock and upgrading equipment on existing trains. As part of its efforts to reduce environmental impact, the company has also been modernizing its fleet in line with its social responsibilities, including by effectively utilizing rolling stock transferred from other railway operators as “Sustainable Cars”^*1.

The Series 20000 trains, which debuted in February 2000 under the theme of being “friendly to the environment and people,” have been used by many passengers for commuting to work and school over the years.

To further enhance safety and improve ride comfort and convenience, Seibu Railway will carry out modernization work on all Series 20000 cars. By conducting the work at Hitachi’s Kasado Works, the original manufacturing site, the companies aim to shorten the construction period and further improve quality.

Hitachi’s initiatives

Located in Kudamatsu City, Yamaguchi Prefecture, Hitachi’s Kasado Works is one of Japan’s largest railway rolling stock manufacturing sites, where Hitachi develops, designs and manufactures a wide variety of rolling stock, including Shinkansen trains and monorails. In addition to manufacturing all of Seibu Railway’s former limited express trains, the site has a strong track record in manufacturing many of Seibu Railway’s mainstay trains.

This will be the first initiative in which trains manufactured at Kasado Works return to the site for modernization work. Through this project, Hitachi will work to enhance safety and comfort and ensure reliable delivery by strengthening its work structure and quality control, including installing dedicated facilities for modernization work.

Going forward, Hitachi will continue to support the enhancement of lifecycle value^*2 so that existing rolling stock can be used safely and comfortably over the long term through modernization and upgrades, thereby contributing to the realization of sustainable railway services.

Series 20000 modernization details

Through this modernization, seats, flooring and other items used by passengers will be updated, while components that can still be used, such as luggage racks, will be retained. Based on the “simple and clean” design concept from the trains’ original manufacture, the new design will evolve while inheriting the original design. In addition, free spaces will be installed in all cars to meet diverse mobility needs.

Seibu Railway and Hitachi will continue enhancing facilities and improving quality so that the Series 20000 trains remain familiar and well-loved by passengers.

［Appendix］

Series 20000 Modernization Details

1. Target rolling stock

Series 20000 cars: 144 cars in total (eight 10-car trainsets and eight 8-cars trainsets)

2. Introduction schedule

Sequentially from 2028

3. Modernization details

(1) Equipment upgrades

・ Major equipment such as SIV units^*3, air-conditioning equipment and monitoring equipment will be upgraded.

・ Auxiliary equipment, including public address systems and emergency communication systems, will also be upgraded.

(2) Interior design modernization

・ Woodgrain flooring and deep-blue seat moquette will be introduced to create a “gentle” space that reflects Seibu Railway’s character.

・ Larger side partitions will be installed, and free spaces will be provided in all cars to meet the needs of diverse passengers. The design also pursues a sense of connection.

(3) Exterior design modernization

・ The corrugated area at the front of the train will be changed to silver. The side design will be based on stripes and Seibu Railway’s corporate colors.

・ Modernization work location

Kasado Works, Railway Systems Business Unit, Hitachi, Ltd.

• 1 “Sustainable Cars” is a proprietary name assigned by Seibu Railway to VVVF inverter controlled railway carriages transferred from other companies..
• 2 Lifecycle value refers to the overall performance and utility demonstrated throughout the period from the introduction of rolling stock to its modernization and retirement, including safety, reliability and comfort, as well as ease of maintenance and operation.
• 3 An SIV, or Static Inverter, is a device that converts high-voltage electricity supplied from overhead lines into the voltages required by various onboard equipment and supplies power to those systems.

[Reference]

About the Series 20000

Introduction at Hitachi Social Innovation Forum 2026 JAPAN

Hitachi and Seibu Railway will introduce this modernization project at “Hitachi Social Innovation Forum 2026 JAPAN,” hosted by Hitachi on Thursday, September 3 and Friday, September 4, 2026, during the business session “BS02-06: Sustainable Railway Operations Enabled by Existing Assets and Digital Technology,” scheduled from 15:00 on Friday, September 4.

During the session, Hitachi and Seibu Railway plan to discuss their approach to enhancing safety and comfort through the modernization of Seibu Railway’s Series 20000 trains, inheriting and evolving the value of trains that are 26 years old since manufacture, enhancing the lifecycle value of railway rolling stock, and realizing sustainable railway operations.

For more information on "Hitachi Social Innovation Forum 2026 JAPAN", please visit the official website at: https://www.service.event.hitachi/en/regist/