The is a Japanese

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 ...

high-speed train type on order for '' Tsubasa'' services announced on 3 March 2020. It is intended to replace the E3 series, raising the top speed of the service from to . It is designed by

Ken Okuyama Ken Okuyama (born 1959) is a Japanese industrial designer. He is the owner of the Ken Okuyama Design company. Okuyama formerly worked for Pininfarina, designing and supervising projects such as the Enzo Ferrari and Ferrari P4/5. His given name ...

, in cooperation with

Kawasaki Heavy Industries (or simply Kawasaki) is a Japanese public multinational corporation manufacturer of motorcycles, engines, heavy equipment, aerospace and defense equipment, rolling stock and ships, headquartered in Chūō, Kobe and Minato, Tokyo, Japan. It is ...

. The train is scheduled to enter service in the spring of 2024. Though 17 sets were originally planned to be built, this was reduced to 15 sets due to reduced travel demand caused by the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identi ...

Design

The train was designed to invoke the richness of the landscape of the Yamagata region, and the "weaving together of nature and people". The exterior colouring is unchanged from the reliveried E3 series, also designed by Ken Okuyama. White, evoking the snow of Mount Zaō, deep purple inspired by the

Mandarin duck The mandarin duck (''Aix galericulata'') is a perching duck species native to the East Palearctic. It is medium-sized, at long with a wingspan. It is closely related to the North American wood duck, the only other member of the genus ''Aix'' ...

, the prefectural bird for Yamagata Prefecture, together with yellow and red for the

safflower Safflower (''Carthamus tinctorius'') is a highly branched, herbaceous, thistle-like annual plant in the family Asteraceae. It is commercially cultivated for vegetable oil extracted from the seeds and was used by the early Spanish colonies along ...

, the prefectural flower of Yamagata Prefecture. All cars are equipped with full

active suspension An active suspension is a type of automotive suspension on a vehicle. It uses an onboard system to control the vertical movement of the vehicle's wheels relative to the chassis or vehicle body rather than the passive suspension provided by large sp ...

. The raising of top speed from to is possible to the longer nose at long, longer than the current E3 Series.

Formation

The E8 uses the same 5M2T-formation as the E3 and E6 series mini-shinkansen, meaning that it consists of 5 powered (motor), and 2 non-powered (trailer) cars.

Interior

The 7-car trains have two service classes: ordinary cars and Green cars, with a seating capacity of 355. This is 39 fewer seats than the E3 series trains it replaces. Both seating configurations are 2+2 abreast, but presumably differ in seat pitch, as is the case for all other Shinkansen trains. AC power outlets are available in both classes. Both the cabins and vestibules are equipped with security cameras. The green car has room for one wheelchair user, while each ordinary car has room for 2. All 7 cars are equipped to handle large luggage. The colour scheme of the Green car seating is inspired by the blue waters of the

Mogami River The is a river in Yamagata Prefecture, Japan. Description and history It is 224 km long and has a watershed of 7,040 km2. It is regarded as one of the three most rapid rivers of Japan (along with the Fuji River and the Kuma River). ...

, combined with the lush greenery covering Mount Gassan. The ordinary car seating draws inspiration from the traditional process of extracting the colour of the safflower, which is why the colour gradually becomes less saturated moving from the seat cushion to the headrest. The center aisle carpet was designed based on the image of the safflower, represented by the seats, reflecting on the waters of the Mogami River as it flows between them.

References

External links

Press release (in Japanese)
{{JR East EMU Shinkansen train series East Japan Railway Company Passenger trains running at least at 300 km/h in commercial operations Upcoming products Train-related introductions in 2024

Design

Formation

Interior

See also

References

External links