The , branded "ALFA-X", is a ten-car experimental

Shinkansen The , colloquially known in English as the bullet train, is a network of high-speed railway lines in Japan. Initially, it was built to connect distant Japanese regions with Tokyo, the capital, to aid economic growth and development. Beyond l ...

train operated by

East Japan Railway Company The is a major passenger railway company in Japan and is the largest of the seven Japan Railways Group companies. The company name is officially abbreviated as JR-EAST or JR East in English, and as in Japanese. The company's headquarters are ...

(JR East) in Japan to test technology to be incorporated into future trains operating at speeds of up to . The name is an acronym for "Advanced Labs for Frontline Activity in rail eXperimentation". The first train was unveiled on May 9, 2019. The

Plarail , pronounced in English as ''Play rail'' is a toy train and plastic track system made by Tomy and introduced in Japan in 1959. It was expanded into a battery-operated electric toy train system in October 1961. Plarail is not compatible with ...

(series of toy trains) "Ippai Tsunago" Shinkansen Test Train ALFA-X began to be sold on December 26, 2019. Its test run is mainly performed in sections between

Sendai is the capital Cities of Japan, city of Miyagi Prefecture, the largest city in the Tōhoku region. , the city had a population of 1,091,407 in 525,828 households, and is one of Japan's 20 Cities designated by government ordinance of Japan, desig ...

and Shin-Aomori of the Tohoku Shinkansen line, and, in some cases, on the

Hokkaido Shinkansen The is a Japanese high-speed Shinkansen rail line that links up with the Tōhoku Shinkansen in northern Aomori Prefecture in Honshu and continues on into the interior of Hokkaido through the undersea Seikan Tunnel. Construction started in May ...

line.

Design

The experimental trainset is being tested at speeds of up to around to evaluate new technologies to be incorporated into new trains to operate in revenue service at speeds of up to . These technologies include dampers to reduce vibration and the likelihood of derailment in major earthquakes. It also tests body designs that reduce snow adherence. The E956 train evaluates two different end car nose profiles, just like the earlier

Fastech 360 Fastech 360 is the name given to a pair of former experimental high-speed EMU trainsets developed by East Japan Railway Company (JR East) to test technology for the next-generation Shinkansen rolling stock. The name is a portmanteau of Fast, Techn ...

. The nose of car 1 is long, and is a brand new design, while the nose of car 10 is similar to the

E5 Series Shinkansen The and the related are Japanese Shinkansen high-speed train types built by Hitachi Rail and Kawasaki Heavy Industries. The E5 series is operated by East Japan Railway Company (JR East); it was introduced on Tohoku Shinkansen services on 5 Ma ...

and

H5 Series Shinkansen The and the related are Japanese Shinkansen high-speed train types built by Hitachi Rail and Kawasaki Heavy Industries. The E5 series is operated by East Japan Railway Company (JR East); it was introduced on Tohoku Shinkansen services on 5 M ...

, but is long, with only remaining for passengers with three rows of seating. The E956 features

eddy current brake An eddy current brake, also known as an induction brake, electric brake or electric retarder, is a device used to slow or stop a moving object by generating eddy currents and thus dissipating its kinetic energy as heat. Unlike friction brakes, wh ...

s and an aerodynamic braking system attached to the car's roof, called air brakes or spoilers.

History

JR East officially announced its plans to build a ten-car ALFA-X test train on 4 July 2017, to be delivered in spring 2019 for extensive testing and evaluation. The finished train was unveiled on May 9, 2019. The train reached a speed of in May 2019, matching the top operating speed of the fastest services on the line. By June that same year, the train was regularly measured to be running at by rail enthusiasts. The train was first observed running at the announced top planned test speed of on December 14, 2019. The train was observed in Hokkaido for cold weather testing on February 12, 2020 and February 3, 2021.

References

External links

JR East 2017 news release

JR East E956 data sheet
{{High-speed rail experimental Experimental and prototype high-speed trains Shinkansen train series Train-related introductions in 2019 Hitachi multiple units Kawasaki multiple units 25 kV AC multiple units Non-passenger multiple units