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Slated to start running on the Hakodate Main Line between Otaru and Oshamambe at the spring timetable revision in March of next year. These will eventually replace the kiha 40 type. Delivery of 6 units back in September. Various southern Hokkaido locales:

Regional operator Shizuoka Railway has announced that it has ordered new rolling stock for the first time in 40 years. Delivery will begin in Spring 2016 and extend over eight years, and totals 24 units organized in 12 sets of two units each. Carbodies will be stainless steel, VVVF inverter equipped, AC motors. Service speed will be 70km/h, the same as current units. Energy consumption will be 50% of current units. http://response.jp/article/2014/11/28/238503.html http://train.shizutetsu.co.jp/shingata-syaryou.html

Not really news anymore, but on Ompuchaneru I just noticed this pdf (dated March 27th) from JR Central: http://jr-central.co.jp/news/release/_pdf/000021810.pdf In the zairai line section, there's news about more 313 series EMUs and KIHA25 series DMUs, which look exactly like 313s. Electrification of the Taketoyo Line should be complete in spring of next year, and service will be operated by EMUs starting in June according to English Wikipedia. 28 new 313s will be built this year in preparation for this. On the DMU side of things, only 5 2-car sets of KIHA25s have been built, but they're getting 52 more, 16 this year and the remaining 36 next year. These will replace KIHA40s, of which JRC has 59, according to both English and Japanese Wikipedias. So, either 7 KIHA40s are safe or they're reducing numbers a bit. KIHA11s are post-privatization (1988), so if what I read is correct, they're safe. I've read that over the long term, electrics are cheaper to operate than diesels. Assuming that's true, I often wonder why there isn't more electrification when significantly large fleets of DMUs are ready for retirement. If electricity is more expensive in the last 3 years, surely that isn't expected to be permanent, and you can't depend on the cost of diesel fuel anyway.

This is a day or two old now, but JR Hokkaido President Nojima said to the MLIT committee of the upper house of the Diet (doing my best here, not really sure about this ) that JRH will buy 28 new express DMUs and 60 new commuter EMUs by 2016. These will replace some old cars as well as provide new capacity. It will be decided later exactly how many cars will be scrapped, and what lines/areas will get the new equipment. One specific thing mentioned is that some of the new cars will be 733s to replace the 48 711s in service, all of which are to be retired by the end of this year. http://www.hokkaido-np.co.jp/news/donai/507045.html http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/711_series

Just saw this linked on Ompuchaneru. A new express EMU for JR Shikoku, but it doesn't tilt like the 8000 series. Looks a bit like a British Rail design, particularly the 350, as mentioned in the discussion. Not bad. This illustrations are often quite accurate, but I'll wait to see the real thing. On this page, click the link for the pdf, it has the illustration: http://www.jr-shikoku.co.jp/03_news/press/13-11-25/01.htm from this thread on Ompuchaneru: http://rail-uploader.khz-net.com/index.php?id=1124914

JR East's factory at Niitsu has turned out a green car for use with the SL Ban'etsu Monogatari steam excursion. Its first run will be this Saturday April 6. It is based on SUHAFU 12-102. They've also got a pdf available http://www.jrniigata.co.jp/press/20130124sl4-9-g.pdf with some artist's renderings of the interior. I'm looking forward to some photos and video of the real thing. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Banetsu_Monogatari_SuRoFu_12_102_Niigata_20130406.jpg

In a post today by quashlo on SSC, he mentioned 3 new cars for the Sanriku Railway to be delivered by February 23. I had to have a look around for this, and indeed they are to take delivery of 3 36-700 class DMUs from Niigata Transys, paid for by Kuwait, apparently. In fact, Sanriku's webpage already has a photo. Scroll to the bottom for a high resolution image of the new rolling stock: http://www.sanrikutetsudou.com/2013/02/%E4%B8%89%E9%99%B8%E9%89%84%E9%81%93%E5%8D%97%E3%83%AA%E3%82%A2%E3%82%B9%E7%B7%9A%E7%9B%9B%EF%BD%9E%E5%90%89%E6%B5%9C%E9%96%93%E9%81%8B%E8%BB%A2%E5%86%8D%E9%96%8B%E3%81%AE%E3%81%8A%E7%9F%A5%E3%82%89.html On Niigata Transys's homepage you can see a gallery of photos of this type of DMU: http://www.niigata-transys.com/03jr_rs/photo_rs/index.html I'm looking forward to test run videos of these, and later of course some cab view videos. Sanriku's full network is to be restored by April 2014 and that will certainly call for some video documentation!