N700S Series Shinkansen

The N700S series (N700S系, Enu nanahyakuesu-kei) is a Japanese Shinkansen high-speed train with tilting capability operated by JR Central and JR West on the Tokaido and San'yō Shinkansen lines since 2020, and JR Kyushu on the Nishi Kyushu Shinkansen line since 2022.

N700S series
N700S series set J30 on the San'yō Shinkansen in September 2022
In service1 July 2020 (2020-07-01) – present
ManufacturerHitachi, Nippon Sharyo
DesignerEiji Mitooka (N700S-8000 series)
Family nameShinkansen
Replaced700 series, N700 series
Constructed2017–present
Number under constructionJR Central: 19 sets (304 vehicles)
Number in service696 vehicles (46 sets) (as of 1 April 2022)
Formation16 cars per trainset (6 cars per trainset for Nagasaki Shinkansen)
CapacityTokaido/Sanyo 16-car sets (J, H):
1,323 (200 Green + 1,123 ordinary)
Operator(s)
Depot(s)Tokyo, Hakata, Osaka, Omura
Line(s) servedTōkaidō Shinkansen, San'yō Shinkansen, Hakata-Minami Line, Nishi Kyushu Shinkansen
Specifications
Car body constructionAluminium
Car length25.00 m (82 ft 0 in) (intermediate cars)
27.35 m (89 ft 9 in) (end cars)
Width3.36 m (11 ft 0 in)
Height3.60 m (11 ft 10 in), (middle cars and connectors of end cars) (without rooftop equipment)
3.50 m (11 ft 6 in) (end cars excluding connector with middle cars)
Maximum speed285 km/h (177 mph) (Tokaido)
300 km/h (186 mph) (Sanyo, Taiwan High Speed Rail)
260 km/h (162 mph) (Nishi Kyushu)
205 mph (330 km/h) (Texas Central) (planned)
Electric system(s)25 kV 60 Hz AC (nominal) from overhead catenary
Current collector(s)Pantograph
Braking system(s)Pneumatic, regenerative
Track gauge1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) standard gauge

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.[1]

Developed from the earlier N700 series design, the new train incorporates a number of new features. Refinements to the ATC and braking systems enable shorter braking distances in emergencies such as earthquakes.[1] The traction system uses silicon carbide components, and uses 7% less power than the N700A series.[2] 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.[3]

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.[1] This optimization was intended to make the train more flexible for possible export.[4][5]

Green cars use active suspension to further improve ride quality, and ordinary-class cars have AC power outlets for each seat.[1][6] Other features include larger luggage storage, closed-circuit television and "softer, more relaxing" interior lighting.[7] In 2021, the train was awarded the Laurel Prize by the Japan Railfan Club.[8]

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.[9]

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.[4] From 20 March, this set was used for testing and evaluation.[4] High-speed trials at the design speed of 360 km/h (224 mph) were conducted during 2019 on the Tokaido Shinkansen, reaching a maximum speed of 363 km/h (226 mph).[10] This is 28 km/h (17 mph) faster than the fastest speed ever achieved by the N700A, and may indicate plans to raise the maximum operating speed on the line.[11]

The first full-production J set (J1) was delivered to JR Central in April 2020, with trains entering revenue service on 1 July 2020.[6]

JR Central 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).[12][2] 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.[2]

JR Kyushu

For the Nishi Kyushu Shinkansen, four 6-car N700S series trainsets were ordered by JR Kyushu.[13][14] Nicknamed "Kamome", these entered service in September 2022.[15][16]

Taiwan High Speed Rail

On March 15, 2023, Taiwan High Speed Rail announced it will purchase 12 new trains consisting of 12 cars each to replace its older THSR 700T sets.[17] These will be manufactured by an alliance of Hitachi and Toshiba.[17]

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.[18][19] 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 on 23 September 2022.[16][15]

The train is also planned to run on the proposed Texas Central Railway high-speed line connecting Dallas and Houston.[20]

Variants
  • N700S series: 12 x 16-car "J" sets owned by JR Central, introduced from 1 July 2020
  • N700S-3000 series: 2 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]

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.

Formation

The 16-car J sets are formed as follows.

Car No. 12345678910111213141516
Designation TcM2M'wM1M1wM'M2kM1sM'sM2sM'hM1M1wM'M2wT'c
Numbering 743747746-500745745-300746747-400735736737746-700745-600745-500746-200747-500744
Seating capacity 6510085100901007568646863100901008075
Facilities Toilets Toilets / smoking roomTelephoneToilets Toilets / smoking roomConductor's compartment / AEDToilets / telephoneSmoking roomToilets / multi-purpose roomTelephoneToilets Toilets / smoking room / telephone 

Fleet list

As of 28 January 2023, the JR Central N700S series 'J' set fleet is as follows.

Set No. Manufacturer Date delivered Remarks
J0 Hitachi/Nippon Sharyo 25 March 2018 Pre-series set
J1 Nippon Sharyo 14 April 2020 Fiscal 2020 batch
J2 Hitachi 16 June 2020
J3 Nippon Sharyo 20 May 2020
J4 Hitachi 9 September 2020
J5 Nippon Sharyo 23 June 2020
J6 Hitachi 30 November 2020
J7 Nippon Sharyo 26 August 2020
J8 2 October 2020
J9 11 November 2020
J10 Hitachi 11 January 2021
J11 Nippon Sharyo 19 December 2020
J12 Hitachi 23 February 2021
J13 Nippon Sharyo 3 April 2021 Fiscal 2021 batch
J14 Hitachi 11 May 2021
J15 Nippon Sharyo 23 May 2021
J16 Hitachi 10 July 2021
J17 Nippon Sharyo 3 July 2021
J18 3 September 2021
J19 1 October 2021
J20 Hitachi 1 November 2021
J21 Nippon Sharyo 12 November 2021
J22 Hitachi 14 December 2021
J23 Nippon Sharyo 7 January 2022
J24 Hitachi 1 March 2022
J25 Nippon Sharyo 15 February 2022
J26 1 April 2022
J27 Hitachi 19 April 2022 Fiscal 2022 batch
J28 Nippon Sharyo 20 May 2022
J29 Hitachi 24 June 2022
J30 Nippon Sharyo 8 July 2022
J31 24 August 2022
J32 4 October 2022
J33 Hitachi 8 November 2022
J34 Nippon Sharyo 18 November 2022
J35 Hitachi 20 January 2023
J36 Nippon Sharyo 11 January 2023
J37 Hitachi 6 March 2023
J38 Nippon Sharyo 20 February 2023
J39 Hitachi 18 April 2023
J40 Nippon Sharyo 4 April 2023

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.

Car No. 12345678910111213141516
Designation TcM2M'wM1M1wM'M2kM1sM'sM2sM'hM1M1wM'M2wT'c
Numbering 743-3000747-3000746-3500745-3000745-3300746-3000747-3400735-3000736-3000737-3000746-3700745-3600745-3500746-3200747-3500744-3000
Seating capacity 6510085100901007568646863100901008075
Facilities Toilets Toilets / smoking roomTelephoneToilets Toilets / smoking roomConductor's compartment / AEDToilets / telephoneSmoking roomToilets / multi-purpose roomTelephoneToilets Toilets / smoking room / telephone 

Fleet list
Set No. Manufacturer Date delivered Remarks
H1 Hitachi 3 February 2021 Fiscal 2020 batch
H2 Nippon Sharyo 17 March 2021
H3 Hitachi 27 July 2023 Fiscal 2023 batch
H4

6-car Y sets (N700S-8000 series)
N700S-8000 series set Y4 on the Nishi Kyushu Shinkansen in October 2022

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 design of the variant was done by Eiji Mitooka, who had previously designed several trains for JR Kyushu.[21] 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.[21]

Formation

The 6-car Y sets are formed as follows.

Car No. 123456
Designation M'wcM2M1hM1M2wM'c
Numbering 721-8000727-8000725-8000725-8100727-8100722-8100
Facilities Toilets / multi-purpose room

Interior
  • Car 1 (Reserved)
    Car 1 (Reserved)
  • Car 2 (Reserved)
    Car 2 (Reserved)
  • Car 3 (Reserved)
    Car 3 (Reserved)
  • Car 4 (Non-Reserved)
    Car 4 (Non-Reserved)
  • Information display
    Information display
  • Toilets and washroom in Car 4
    Toilets and washroom in Car 4

Fleet list
Set No. Manufacturer Date delivered Remarks
Y1 Hitachi 1 June 2022 Fiscal 2022 batch
Y2 1 June 2022
Y3 1 July 2022
Y4 1 September 2022

Overall fleet history

The annual totals for the fleet sizes (number of vehicles as of 1 April each year) are as follows.

Year■ JR Central■ JR West■ JR KyushuTotal
2018160016
2019160016
2020160016
2021208320240
2022432320464
20236083224664
Current6403224696

 

See also

References
  1. 次期新幹線車両「N700S」を新造、JR東海 [JR Central to build "N700S" next-generation shinkansen train]. Tetsudo.com (in Japanese). Japan: Asahi Interactive Inc. 24 June 2016. Archived from the original on 25 June 2016. Retrieved 25 June 2016.
  2. Smith, Kevin (27 May 2022). "JR Central to expand N700S fleet through $US 900m investment". International Railway Journal. Retrieved 21 March 2023.
  3. Nick Kingsley (30 October 2019). "'Earthquake mode' battery packs to be fitted to N700S Shinkansen fleet". Railway Gazette International. Retrieved 4 December 2019.
  4. "JR Central unveils 'Supreme' N700S". Railway Gazette International. 13 March 2018. Retrieved 13 March 2018.
  5. Yoshino, Keisuke (12 March 2018). "'Supreme' Shinkansen unveiled prior to 2020 debut". asahi.com. The Asahi Shimbun. Retrieved 13 March 2018.
  6. Briginshaw, David (17 June 2020). "JR Central to introduce N700S Shinkansen train on July 1". International Railway Journal. Retrieved 21 March 2023.
  7. Wong, Maggie Hiufu (2 July 2020). "Japan debuts new bullet train that can run during an earthquake". CNN. Retrieved 21 March 2023.
  8. "2021年 ブルーリボン・ローレル賞選定車両 – 鉄道友の会". Japan Railfan Club (in Japanese). 2021. Retrieved 21 March 2023.
  9. Kinoshita, Kenji (17 October 2023). "東海道・山陽・九州新幹線の車内喫煙ルーム、2024年春にすべて廃止" [All smoking rooms on Tokaido, Sanyo, and Kyushu Shinkansen trains will be abolished in spring 2024.]. MyNavi Corporation. Archived from the original on 18 October 2023. Retrieved 19 October 2023.
  10. "360km/h試験、次世代新幹線「N700S」の確認試験車で実施へ JR東海". 乗りものニュース (in Japanese). 25 March 2019. Retrieved 27 March 2019.
  11. "JR東海N700S、速度向上試験で362km/h - 米原～京都間を18分で走行". ライブドアニュース (in Japanese). Retrieved 14 July 2021.
  12. "JR東海，「N700S」を2023年度から2026年度にかけて19編成導入" [JR Central introduces 19 trains of "N700S" from 2023 to 2026]. Japan Railfan Magazine Online (in Japanese). 28 May 2022. Archived from the original on 28 May 2022. Retrieved 29 May 2022.
  13. 九州新幹線（武雄温泉・長崎間）新幹線の名称と導入車両が決定！！ [The name of the Kyushu Shinkansen (between Takeo-Onsen and Nagasaki) and cars to be introduced are decided!!] (PDF). News release (in Japanese). Japan: East Japan Railway Company. 28 October 2020. Retrieved 22 September 2022.
  14. 長崎新幹線、名前は「かもめ」 特急は「リレーかもめ」 [Nagasaki Shinkansen, named "Kamome" Limited Express is "Relay Kamome"]. Asahi Shimbun Digital (in Japanese). 28 October 2020. Retrieved 22 September 2022.
  15. Megumi, Nojito (24 September 2022). "何が起きた？西九州新幹線｢開業初日｣の一部始終" [What happened? The story of the Nishi Kyushu Shinkansen's first day of service]. Toyo Keizai Online (in Japanese). Retrieved 29 September 2022.
  16. "Nishi Kyushu Shinkansen line to open on Sept. 23". The Japan Times. 12 September 2022. Retrieved 21 March 2023.
  17. Thomson, Jono (18 March 2023). "Taiwan sticks with Japanese high-speed trains, confirms NT$28 billion purchase". Taiwan News. Retrieved 18 March 2023.
  18. "Japan's fastest bullet train to squeeze out trip every 5 minutes". Nikkei Asia. Retrieved 3 October 2020.
  19. "Faster cleaning helped Japan railway boost shinkansen train operations". Mainichi Daily News. 7 August 2020. Retrieved 3 October 2020.
  20. "High speed rail promoter Texas Central selects planning and construction contractors". Railway Gazette. 14 August 2017. Retrieved 3 August 2018.
  21. Trains Evolving by Design. Japan Railway Journal. 28 April 2022. Event occurs at 17:45—23:45. NHK World-Japan. Archived from the original on 2 May 2022. Retrieved 2 August 2023.
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