The 19.5m-long stainless-steel-bodied 9000 series vehicles will be formed into three-car sets, and the first trains are due to enter service next March replacing 5000 series EMUs, which date from 1975-1991. Production will take place at Kawasaki's Hyogo works near Kobe.

The vehicles will be equipped with silicon carbide (SiC) inverters and VVVF control, LED interior and exterior lighting, and an advanced passenger information system, which will display journey information in Japanese, English, Chinese, and Korean. The trains are expected to reduce energy consumption by 50% compared with the 5000 series trains.

Each driving car will accommodate up to 124 passengers, while intermediate vehicles will accommodate 137.

Nishi Nippon railway interior