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 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 in Japanese as JR Tōkai ( ja, JR東海, links=no). ''Tōkai'' is a reference to the geographical ...

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, and ...

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 cont ...

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 and the JR Kyushu Jet Ferry Beetle hydrofoil service across the Tsushima Strait ...

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). A segment of the line that connects Nagasaki to commenced service on 23 September 2022. The ...

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 new train will incorporate a number of new features. Refinements to the ATC and braking systems will enable shorter braking distances in emergencies such as earthquakes. Optimized underfloor equipment layout will allow 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. The optimization is intended to make the train more flexible for possible export. The optimization further allows Toshiba SCiB LTO batteries to be installed so that the train can operate at low speed in the event of a disruption to overhead power. Green cars will use active suspension to further improve ride quality, and ordinary-class cars will have AC power outlets for each seat. A 16-car prototype set (J0), assembled at the Nippon Sharyo Toyokawa plant, was unveiled at Hamamatsu depot on 10 March 2018. Beginning from 20 March, this set has been used for testing and evaluation. The first full-production J set (J1) was delivered to JR Central in April 2020, with trains entering revenue service on 1 July 2020. High-speed trials at the design speed of 360 km/h 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 Sanyo Shinkansen, it forms a continuous high-speed railway through the Taiheiyō Belt, also known as the Tokaido corridor. Opened in 1964, ...

, reaching 362 km/h. This is 28 km/h faster than the fastest speed ever achieved by the N700A, and may indicate plans to raise the maximum operating speed on the line.

announced in May 2022 that it would add 19 trainsets (304 vehicles) to their current N700S fleet. The first two of these trainsets are scheduled to enter service in 2023.

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

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 railroad company that is proposing 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 an ...

high-speed line connecting Dallas and Houston.

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 on order for JR Kyushu, planned to be introduced on the Nishi Kyushu Shinkansen from autumn 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

Overall fleet history

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

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

History

Operations

Variants

16-car J sets

Formation

Fleet list

16-car H sets (N700S-3000 series)

Formation

Fleet list

Overall fleet history

See also

References