The is a Japanese
Shinkansen
The , colloquially known in English as the bullet train, is a network of high-speed railway lines in Japan. It was initially built to connect distant Japanese regions with Tokyo, the capital, to aid economic growth and development. Beyond lon ...
high-speed train
High-speed rail (HSR) is a type of rail transport network utilising trains that run significantly faster than those of traditional rail, using an integrated system of specialised rolling stock and dedicated tracks. While there is no single def ...
with
tilting capability operated by
JR Central
is the main railway company operating in the Chūbu (Nagoya) region of central Japan. It is officially abbreviated in English as JR Central and occasionally as JR Tokai (). The term ''Tōkai'' refers to the southern portion of Central Japan, ...
and
JR West
, also referred to as , is one of the Japan Railways Group (JR Group) companies and operates in western Honshu. It has its headquarters in Kita-ku, Osaka. It is listed in the Tokyo Stock Exchange, is a constituent of the TOPIX Large70 index, ...
on the
Tokaido and
San'yō Shinkansen
The is a line of the Japanese Shinkansen high-speed rail network, connecting Shin-Osaka in Osaka with Hakata Station in Fukuoka, the two largest cities in western Japan. Operated by the West Japan Railway Company (JR West), it is a westward co ...
lines since 2020, and
JR Kyushu
The , also referred to as , is one of the seven constituent companies of Japan Railways Group (JR Group). It operates intercity rail services within Kyushu, Japan. It formerly operated the Beetle hydrofoil service across the Tsushima Strait be ...
on the
Nishi Kyushu Shinkansen
The is a Japanese Shinkansen high-speed rail line on the northwest part of Kyushu Island that is operated by the Kyushu Railway Company (JR Kyushu). The line is informally known as the Nagasaki Shinkansen.
The section of the line between and ...
line since 2022.
History
In June 2016, JR Central announced plans to build a new prototype "N700S" 16-car trainset (with "S" standing for "Supreme") for evaluating new technology and features on the Tokaido and Sanyo Shinkansen lines from March 2018.
Developed from the earlier
N700 Series design, the N700S trains incorporate a number of new features. Refinements to the
ATC and braking systems enable shorter braking distances in emergencies such as earthquakes.
The traction system uses
silicon carbide
Silicon carbide (SiC), also known as carborundum (), is a hard chemical compound containing silicon and carbon. A wide bandgap semiconductor, it occurs in nature as the extremely rare mineral moissanite, but has been mass-produced as a powder a ...
components, and uses 7% less power than the
N700A series. Toshiba SCiB LTO batteries are installed so that the train can operate at low speed in the event of a disruption to overhead power, as well as keep toilets in operation.
Optimized underfloor equipment layout allows the same standard design to be used to easily produce 12, 8 and 6-car trainsets in addition to the Tokaido Shinkansen 16-car trainsets.
This optimization was intended to make the train more flexible for possible export.
Green cars use active suspension to further improve ride quality, and ordinary-class cars have AC power outlets for each seat.
Other features include larger luggage storage,
closed-circuit television
Closed-circuit television (CCTV), also known as video surveillance, is the use of closed-circuit television cameras to transmit a signal to a specific place on a limited set of monitors. It differs from broadcast television in that the signa ...
and "softer, more relaxing" interior lighting. In 2021, the train was awarded the
Laurel Prize
The is an award presented annually in Japan since 1961 by the Japan Railfan Club. It is awarded for railway vehicles that entered service in the previous year and voted by the selection committee as having the most outstanding functional and des ...
by the Japan Railfan Club.
Future plans
In an announcement by JR Central, JR West, and JR Kyushu made on 17 October 2023, the companies stated that all onboard smoking rooms on the Tokaido, San'yo, and Kyushu Shinkansen lines would be abolished by Q2 2024.
JR Central
A 16-car prototype set (J0), assembled at the Nippon Sharyo Toyokawa plant, was unveiled at JR Central's Hamamatsu depot on 10 March 2018.
From 20 March, this set was used for testing and evaluation.
High-speed trials at the design speed of were conducted during 2019 on the
Tokaido Shinkansen
The is a Japanese high-speed rail line that is part of the nationwide Shinkansen network. Along with the San'yō Shinkansen, it forms a continuous high-speed railway through the Taiheiyō Belt, also known as the Tokaido corridor. Opening in 19 ...
, reaching a maximum speed of . This is faster than the fastest speed ever achieved by the N700A, and may indicate plans to raise the maximum operating speed on the line.
The first full-production J set (J1) was delivered to JR Central in April 2020, with trains entering revenue service on 1 July 2020.
JR Central
is the main railway company operating in the Chūbu (Nagoya) region of central Japan. It is officially abbreviated in English as JR Central and occasionally as JR Tokai (). The term ''Tōkai'' refers to the southern portion of Central Japan, ...
announced in May 2022 that it would add 19 trainsets (304 vehicles) to their current N700S fleet at a cost of 114 billion yen ($897m).
The first two of these trainsets are scheduled to enter service in 2023, with seven trainsets delivered in 2024 and 2025, and three more delivered in 2026.
In June 2024, JR Central announced that the
Doctor Yellow
is the nickname for a series of high-speed diagnostic trains that are used on Central Japan Railway Company, JR Central's Tokaido Shinkansen and West Japan Railway Company, JR West's San'yō Shinkansen lines. The trains have special equipment ...
inspection trains would be replaced by stock-standard N700S trainsets with special monitoring equipment.
JR Kyushu
, the Nishi Kyushu Shinkansen is operated by a fleet of five 6-car JR Kyushu N700S series trainsets.
For the commencement of the
Nishi Kyushu Shinkansen
The is a Japanese Shinkansen high-speed rail line on the northwest part of Kyushu Island that is operated by the Kyushu Railway Company (JR Kyushu). The line is informally known as the Nagasaki Shinkansen.
The section of the line between and ...
, four 6-car N700S series trainsets were ordered by
JR Kyushu
The , also referred to as , is one of the seven constituent companies of Japan Railways Group (JR Group). It operates intercity rail services within Kyushu, Japan. It formerly operated the Beetle hydrofoil service across the Tsushima Strait be ...
.
Nicknamed "
Kamome
is a limited express train service 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.
As of 23 September 2022, the name was inhe ...
", these entered service in September 2022.
Two trains are required during the day, with three trains in operation in the afternoon/evening. One train is kept as a spare.
In August 2023, another 6-car set was delivered to allow for one train to be out of service during regular inspections.
Taiwan High Speed Rail
On March 15, 2023,
Taiwan High Speed Rail
Taiwan High Speed Rail (THSR) is a high-speed railway network in Taiwan, which consists of a single line that runs approximately along the western coast of the island, from the capital Taipei in the north to the southern city of Kaohsiung. Its c ...
announced it will purchase 12 new 12-car trains based on N700S to supplement its older
THSR 700T
The THSR 700T ( zh, t=台灣高鐵700T型電聯車) is a high-speed electric multiple unit trainset derived from the Japanese Shinkansen for Taiwan High Speed Rail (THSR). The THSR 700T is based primarily on the 700 Series EMU that currently op ...
sets.
These will be manufactured by an alliance of Hitachi and
Toshiba
is a Japanese multinational electronics company headquartered in Minato, Tokyo. Its diversified products and services include power, industrial and social infrastructure systems, elevators and escalators, electronic components, semiconductors ...
.
Operations
The first N700S sets replaced
700 series trains, and added more rolling stock needed to realize the increased amount of services on the Tokaido Shinkansen planned from 2020.
The N700S series is expected to gradually replace N700 series sets on the Sanyo, Tokaido, and Kyushu Shinkansen lines. A 6-car variant started operations on the
Nishi Kyushu Shinkansen
The is a Japanese Shinkansen high-speed rail line on the northwest part of Kyushu Island that is operated by the Kyushu Railway Company (JR Kyushu). The line is informally known as the Nagasaki Shinkansen.
The section of the line between and ...
on 23 September 2022.
The train is also planned to run on the proposed
Texas Central Railway
Texas Central or Texas Central Partners, LLC, is a private company that is proposing to build a high-speed rail line between Dallas/Fort Worth and Houston. It plans to use technology based on that used by the Central Japan Railway Company and ...
high-speed line connecting Dallas and Houston.
Variants
* N700S series: 40 x 16-car "J" sets owned by JR Central, introduced from 1 July 2020
* N700S-3000 series: 3 x 16-car "H" sets owned by JR West, introduced from 13 March 2021
*N700S-8000 series "Kamome": 4 x 6-car "Y" sets owned by JR Kyushu on the Nishi Kyushu Shinkansen, introduced from 23 September 2022
16-car J sets
The J sets were the first to be introduced, and include the pre-series J0 set used for testing between 2018 and 2020.
JR Central N700S Front Kyoto 20180727.jpg
JR Central N700S logo and destination indicator Kyoto 20180727.jpg
JR Central N700S logo Kyoto 20180727.jpg
JR Central N700S unit number Kyoto 20180727.jpg
Formation
The 16-car J sets are formed as follows.
Fleet list
, the JR Central N700S series 'J' set fleet is as follows.
16-car H sets (N700S-3000 series)
These are 16-car N700S series sets owned by JR West and classified as N700S-3000 series sets.
Formation
The 16-car H sets are formed as follows.
Fleet list
6-car Y sets (N700S-8000 series)
These are 6-car N700S series sets owned by JR Kyushu and classified as N700S-8000 series sets. Four sets provide service on the
Nishi Kyushu Shinkansen
The is a Japanese Shinkansen high-speed rail line on the northwest part of Kyushu Island that is operated by the Kyushu Railway Company (JR Kyushu). The line is informally known as the Nagasaki Shinkansen.
The section of the line between and ...
.
The design of the variant was done by
Eiji Mitooka
is a Japanese industrial designer, illustrator, and managing director of the industrial design company . He also works as a design consultant for Kyushu Railway Company (JR Kyushu).
Biography
Mitooka graduated from Okayama Technical High Sch ...
, who had previously designed several trains for JR Kyushu.
He could not make any modifications to the exterior shape or equipment. He sought to make the ride "more fun and relaxing" through the inclusion of colors and shapes to the train's design. He presented JR Kyushu with four livery concepts, with a red and white one being chosen. Headlights were given black outlines and the center of the nose was painted black in order to have the front of the train resemble a face. The interior is also decorated with illustrations made by Mitooka.
These 6-car sets are completely mono-class without Green Car (first class) accommodation. In regular service, cars 1-3 are reserved seat cars, and cars 4-6 are non-reserved seat cars. Seats on cars 1-3 are arranged in four wide (2+2) abreast configuration instead of a five wide (2+3) configuration seen in normal reserved cars of JR West and JR Central N700S variants, and similar to reserved seat cars on JR Kyushu's N700 Series Shinkansen variants. This was done to make the Shinkansen more attractive to tourists.
Formation
The 6-car Y sets are formed as follows.
Interior
N700S_721-8004_Inside.jpg, Car 1 (Reserved)
N700S_727-8004_Inside.jpg, Car 2 (Reserved)
N700S_725-8004_Inside.jpg, Car 3 (Reserved)
N700S_725-8104_Inside.jpg, Car 4 (Non-Reserved)
N700S_725-8004_Inside-LCD.jpg, Information display
N700S_727-8104_Toilet-outside.jpg, Toilets and washroom in Car 4
Fleet list
Overall fleet history
The annual totals for the fleet sizes (number of vehicles as of 1 April each year) are as follows.
See also
*
List of high-speed trains
The following is a list of high-speed trains that have been, are, or will be in commercial service.
A high-speed train is generally defined as one which operates at or over in regular passenger service, with a high level of service, and often c ...
References
{{JR Kyushu rolling stock
Central Japan Railway Company
West Japan Railway Company
Kyushu Railway Company
Shinkansen train series
Hitachi multiple units
Nippon Sharyo multiple units
Train-related introductions in 2020
Tilting trains
Passenger trains running at least at 300 km/h in commercial operations
Electric multiple units of Japan
25 kV AC multiple units
High-speed trains of Taiwan