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Plarail Narita Airport Express

First written May 4, 2025

In 1991 the the 253 series JR East trains began to service a direct express line to and from Narita International Airport. This line became known as the Narita Express or N'EX.

Narita Express (1991)

Plarail 253-series trains were first released in sixth generation boxes on April 20, 1991 as the Narita Express (成田エクスプレス). I believe these trains were all manufactured in Thailand from their introduction.

Narita Express (1994)

In 1994 production shifted to the new style of seventh generation box as shown here.

The Narita Express has a nice white and red design and yellow wheels (classic). The body paint is applied nicely and the carriages are large and boxy.

This train was manufactured in July 1995. The black sections of the cars surround separate translucent window pieces which can be seen inside.

This version of the Narita Express was produced until 2003 when the new S series of trains was introduced and a new updated 253 series with grey wheels was released as the S-15 Narita Express. In October 2009 the new E259 series trains began operating on the line and the Plarail Narita Express was replaced with a new updated train in the S-15 slot.