From the time of their construction until the privatization of JNR, the 117 series were the workhorses of the Keihanshin and Nagoya regions' rapid and special rapid services. Following privatization, JR-West kept the cars used in the Keihanshin region while JR Central kept those used in Nagoya. Each railway's use of their 117 series trains is explained below.
JR-West From special rapid service to withdrawal and reassignment After the arrival of the
221 series in the Keihanshin region, the maximum speed of special rapid trains was increased to as of the March 10, 1990, timetable. That year, all 117 series cars underwent improvement to their brakes to accommodate this new operating speed. As new 221 series cars entered service, there was an excess of 117 cars, and as the speed of most special rapid services was further increased to , 117s were reassigned to other lines. The 300 subseries entered service on the
Fukuchiyama Line, while shortened consists began running on the
Nara Line,
Kosei Line,
Kusatsu Line, and on the Sanyō Main Line in the Okayama area on the Sunliner service. Cars which became surplus due to the use of shorter configurations were converted into the 115 series 3500 subseries. This was the first reduction in the number of 117 series cars. 117 series cars retained in special rapid service were used only in early morning and late night runs because of their limit and door configuration. With the appearance of the
223 series in the May 11, 1999, timetable, capable of operating at between
Nishi-Akashi and
Kusatsu, 117 series trains were withdrawn from special rapid service. A year later, 221 series cars were also removed from this service. In 2000, due to use of the newer 221 series, some 117 series trains were withdrawn from
Tambaji rapid service on the
Fukuchiyama Line and reassigned to Hineno Depot for operation on the
Wakayama Line. Again in 2001, 117 series cars were replaced by 221 series units on
Miyako rapid service on the Nara Line. In 2005, 100 subseries intermediate cars were reassigned to the Shimonoseki Administrative Office, and later two sets of 300 subseries trains were also sent there to operate in the region on the Sanyō Main Line.
Upgrade to 300 sub-series Having been displaced by the newer 221 series, from 1990 many of 117 series cars had been transferred to the Fukuchiyama Line. These cars retained their original numbers, but had 300 appended to them. Through 1992, 1993, and 1995, a total of 58 cars were refurbished and reassigned to JR-West's Miyahara Depot. In order to increase the capacity of the cars and make boarding and alighting easier, transverse seating immediately inside the doors was converted to longitudinal seating. This helped to reduce the problem of rush hour trains being delayed due to the time needed for passengers to board and alight. Brakes were augmented, and the livery associated with the Fukuchiyama Line, white with green striping, appeared. However, these modifications did not entirely solve the problems with passenger mobility during rush hour, and as a result, the 117-300s were used on outgoing services (bound for Fukuchiyama) and off-peak services. From April 2000, two 4-car sets were dispatched from Hineno Depot for operation on the Wakayama Line and the
Kisei Main Line. Sets which remained on the Fukuchiyama Line until the series' complete withdrawal from the line are now assigned to Kyoto Depot for operation on the
Sanin Main Line (
Sagano Line), Kosei Line, and Kusatsu Line. Some sets have ATS-P train control on board, others have MoHa cars made surplus by the creation of the shorter 100 sub-series sets. :300 sub-series renumbering ::MoHa117/116-3 – 16, 19, 20, 41, 42 → MoHa117/116-303, 316, 319, 320, 341, 342 ::KuHa117/116-2 – 8, 10, 18, 20, 10 → KuHa117/116-302, 308, 310, 318, 320, 321
Reassignment to the Okayama Area In 1992, six 4-car sets were reassigned to Okayama Depot. At this time, the lavatories were upgraded and the
Sunliner livery appeared, and some of these sets operated at speeds of . In 1999, fare collection boxes were installed to support driver-only operation without a conductor on board. These consists were designated as: ::E1: KuHa117-9 – MoHa117-18 – MoHa116-18 – KuHa116-9 ::E2: KuHa117-11 – MoHa117-22 – MoHa116-22 – KuHa116-11 ::E3: KuHa117-13 – MoHa117-26 – MoHa116-26 – KuHa116-13 ::E4: KuHa117-15 – MoHa117-30 – MoHa116-30 – KuHa116-15 ::E5: KuHa117-17 – MoHa117-34 – MoHa116-34 – KuHa116-17 ::E6: KuHa117-19 – MoHa117-38 – MoHa116-38 – KuHa116-19 Later, three 4-car sets were borrowed from the Miyahara Depot and designated E11, E12, and E13. These were used in the region on local services and also served as the primary units for
Sunliner rapid service. These were run as far north as the Yonago area for special services during periods of high ridership. 100 sub-series cars at the Okayama Depot without upgraded lavatories were mothballed at the Gotō Depot in Yonago until reassignment to Shimonoseki in October 2005. :3500 sub-series renumbering ::MoHa117/116-17, 21, 23, 25, 27, 29, 31, 33, 35, 37, 39, 303, 315, 316 → MoHa115/114-3501 – 3514
Reassignment to Kisei Main Line and Wakayama Line In March 2000, two 4-car sets of 300 sub-series trains were reassigned to Hineno Depot for operation on the Wakayama Line. These sets were classified as G801 and G802. Until the reassignment, 113 series trains (sets G416 and G417) in the
Shōnan green/orange livery were used for the line's morning rush services. In March 2001, the 117 series trains assigned to Miyahara Depot were removed from the
Nara Line's
Miyakoji rapid service. One 6-car set from Miyahara Depot was reassigned to Hineno Depot as G803 and used to replace 113 series units out of service for inspection. In December of the same year, two surplus 300 subseries end cars and two MoHa units not in the G803 set were modified for driver-only operation and painted ocean green with a lavender stripe. These entered service as G804 in January 2002. Subsequently, all 117 sets received the same treatment. In March 2002, Miyahara Depot's 4-car set C12 was returned from Shimonoseki to Hineno, and the inventory of five 4-car sets was complete. At this time, the operating area of the Hineno Depot 117s was enlarged on the Hanwa Line from Hineno Station to Wakayama Station, and on the Kisei Main Line from Wakayama Station to Kii-Tanabe Station. In November 2002, after reassignment to Shin-Wakayama Depot, they were removed from service on the
Hanwa Line and on the Kisei Main Line between Gobo and Kii-Tanabe. In August 2008, they were transferred back to Hineno Depot and are currently operating on the Wakayama Line. :117 series trains operating on the Kisei Main Line and Wakayama Lines are classified as: ::G1(G805): KuHa117-12 – MoHa117-24 – MoHa116-24 – KuHa116-12 ::G2(G803): KuHa117-14 – MoHa117-28 – MoHa116-28 – KuHa116-14 ::G3(G804): KuHa117-308 – MoHa117-40 – MoHa116-40 – KuHa116-308 ::G4(G801): KuHa117-318 – MoHa117-305 – MoHa116-305 – KuHa116-318 ::G5(G802): KuHa117-320 – MoHa117-341 – MoHa116-341 – KuHa116-320 :::Numbers in parentheses were used by Hineno Depot until March 2002
JR Central Immediately after the privatization of JNR, the 117 series was JR Central's primary workhorse. However, replacement on the western
Chūō West Line by the then-new
211-5000 series cars began in 1988, and all 117 series cars were reassigned to Ōgaki Depot. On the Tōkaidō Main Line, the 117 series was replaced on special rapid service by the
313 series. The maximum operating speed on the Tōkaidō Line was raised to in 1999. Interiors had longitudinal seats installed at the ends of the cars and directly behind the driver's cab. From October 2006, midday operation between Ōgaki and Maibara made up the majority of the 117 series' use by JR Central. From March 2008, departures from Okazaki Station on special rapid service increased. From about 1999, all cars appeared in a simplified version of their previous livery. A single, thick orange stripe below the windows replaced a thin stripe on the rain gutter along the sides of the roof, a thick orange band below the windows, and a thin orange band immediately below that. The headboard, which originally had "Rapid" written in yellow on a white background, had a black border added to its lettering to improve legibility. The remaining 117 series sets operated by JR Central were withdrawn from regular services by spring 2013, with the exception of the
Joyful Train Train117 trainset. ==Joyful Train sets==