The is an AC

Alternating current

In alternating current the movement of electric charge periodically reverses direction. In direct current , the flow of electric charge is only in one direction....

 electric multiple unit

Electric multiple unit

An electric multiple unit or EMU is a multiple unit train consisting of self-propelled carriages, using electricity as the motive power. An EMU requires no separate locomotive, as electric traction motors are incorporated within one or a number of the carriages...

 type operated on limited express

Limited express

A limited express is a type of express train service. It refers to an express service that stops at a limited number of stops in comparison to other express services on the same or similar routes.- Japan :...

 services by Kyushu Railway Company

Kyushu Railway Company

The , also referred to as , is one of the constituent companies of Japan Railways Group . It operates intercity rail services in Kyushu, Japan and the JR Kyushu Jet Ferry Beetle hydrofoil service across the Tsushima Strait between Fukuoka and Busan, South Korea.When Japan Railways was divided in...

 (JR Kyushu) in Japan

Japan

Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...

. The type is part of Hitachi

Hitachi

Hitachi is a multinational corporation specializing in high-technology.Hitachi may also refer to:*Hitachi, Ibaraki, Japan*Hitachi province, former province of Japan*Prince Hitachi and Princess Hitachi, members of the Japanese imperial family...

's A-train family of multiple units.

Operations

The 885 series is operated on two of JR Kyushu's named trains:

• Kamome
  Kamome
  is a limited express train operated by JR Kyushu in Japan. It operates between Hakata and Nagasaki on the Kagoshima Main Line and the Nagasaki Main Line. Kamome means seagull in Japanese.-History:...
  
  between Hakata
  Hakata Station
  Hakata Station , located in Hakata-ku, is the main railway terminal of the city of Fukuoka, Japan. It is the largest and busiest station on Kyūshū, and is a gateway to other cities in Kyūshū for travellers from Honshū. The Sanyō Shinkansen from Osaka ends at this station...
  
   and Nagasaki
  Nagasaki Station (Nagasaki)
  is a railway station in Nagasaki, Nagasaki Prefecture, Japan, operated by Kyushu Railway Company . It forms the terminus of the Nagasaki Main Line....
  
   on the Kagoshima
  Kagoshima Main Line
  The is a major railway line operated by the Kyushu Railway Company between Mojikō in Kitakyūshū, and Kagoshima Station in Kagoshima City, at the southern end of Kyushu...
  
   and Nagasaki lines. The Shiroi Kamome fleet entered service on 11 March 2000.
• Sonic
  Sonic (train)
  is the name used by Kyushu Railway Company for the limited express train service operating between Hakata and Ōita via Kokura and Beppu along the Kagoshima Main Line and Nippō Main Line in Kyūshū, Japan...
  
  between Hakata
  Hakata Station
  Hakata Station , located in Hakata-ku, is the main railway terminal of the city of Fukuoka, Japan. It is the largest and busiest station on Kyūshū, and is a gateway to other cities in Kyūshū for travellers from Honshū. The Sanyō Shinkansen from Osaka ends at this station...
  
   and Ōita
  Oita Station
  is a JR Kyushu railway station located in Ōita, Ōita Prefecture, Japan.The station opened on November 1, 1911.-Limited Express Trains:* Sonic * Nichirin * Yufuin-no-mori, Yufu...
  
   using the Kagoshima
  Kagoshima Main Line
  The is a major railway line operated by the Kyushu Railway Company between Mojikō in Kitakyūshū, and Kagoshima Station in Kagoshima City, at the southern end of Kyushu...
  
   and Nippō
  Nippo Main Line
  frame|Nippō Main LineThe is a railway line in Kyūshū, in southern Japan. Part of the Kyushu Railway Company system, it follows the east coast of the island. The line originates at Kokura Station in Kokura, Kitakyushu, Fukuoka...
  
   lines. The Sonic fleet entered service on 3 March 2001.

Formations

The Shiroi Kamome (White Seagull) fleet was built and entered service as six-car units. The Sonic fleet entered service as five-car units, but were extended to six cars in 2003 to allow interchangeability between the two fleets.

Shiroi Kamome sets SM1–7

These sets are formed as follows.

Car No.	1	2	3	4	5	6
Designation	Thsc	M1	T1	T	M	Mc
Numbering	KuRoHa 884	MoHa 885-100	SaHa 885-100	SaHa 885	MoHa 885	KuMoHa 885

Cars 2 and 5 are each fitted with one PS401KA single-arm pantograph.

Sonic sets SM8–11

These sets are formed as follows.

Car No.	1	2	3	4	5	6
Designation	Thsc	M2	T2	T	M	Mc
Numbering	KuRoHa 884	MoHa 885-200	SaHa 885-300	SaHa 885	MoHa 885	KuMoHa 885

Cars 2 and 5 are each fitted with one PS401KA single-arm pantograph.

Interior

Seating is covered in leather in both standard class and Green class. The interior flooring is made of wood.

Exports

The 885 series has also been used as the basis for six new 8-car trains for use on the route between Taipei

Taipei

Taipei City is the capital of the Republic of China and the central city of the largest metropolitan area of Taiwan. Situated at the northern tip of the island, Taipei is located on the Tamsui River, and is about 25 km southwest of Keelung, its port on the Pacific Ocean...

 and Hualien in Taiwan

Taiwan

Taiwan , also known, especially in the past, as Formosa , is the largest island of the same-named island group of East Asia in the western Pacific Ocean and located off the southeastern coast of mainland China. The island forms over 99% of the current territory of the Republic of China following...

. Deliveries of the trains began in late 2006, with the first public test of the new trains in March 2007.