The is a Japanese Shinkansen

Shinkansen

The , also known as THE BULLET TRAIN, is a network of high-speed railway lines in Japan operated by four Japan Railways Group companies. Starting with the Tōkaidō Shinkansen in 1964, the network has expanded to currently consist of of lines with maximum speeds of , of Mini-shinkansen with a...

 high-speed train type on order by East Japan Railway Company

East Japan Railway Company

is the largest passenger railway company in the world and one of the seven Japan Railways Group companies. The company name is officially abbreviated as JR East in English, and as in Japanese. The company's headquarters are in Yoyogi, Shibuya, Tokyo....

 (JR East) for use on Komachi 'mini-shinkansen

Mini-shinkansen

is the name given to the concept of converting narrow gauge railway lines to standard gauge for use by Shinkansen train services in Japan. Two mini-shinkansen routes have been constructed: the Yamagata Shinkansen and Akita Shinkansen.-Concept:...

' services on the Tōhoku Shinkansen

Tohoku Shinkansen

The is a Japanese high-speed Shinkansen rail line, connecting Tokyo with Aomori in Aomori Prefecture for a total length of 674 km, Japan's longest Shinkansen line. It runs through the more sparsely populated Tōhoku region of Japan's main island Honshu. It has two spur lines, Yamagata...

 and Akita Shinkansen

Akita Shinkansen

The is a Mini-shinkansen high-speed rail line in Japan. Serving the Kantō and Tōhoku Regions of the country, it links Tokyo and Akita in Akita prefecture with direct service. From Tokyo to Morioka in Iwate prefecture, it operates on the Tōhoku Shinkansen tracks. From there to Ōmagari, it uses the...

 from Tokyo to Akita

Akita Station

is a railway station in Akita, Akita, Japan, operated by the East Japan Railway Company .-Platforms:- Limited express trains :* Komachi * Tsugaru * Inaho * Akebono * Nihonkai -Surrounding area:...

 commencing in March 2013. The new 7-car trains will operate in conjunction with newly introduced E5 series

E5 Series Shinkansen

The is a Japanese Shinkansen high-speed train type operated by East Japan Railway Company on Tōhoku Shinkansen services since 5 March 2011. A total of 59 10-car sets are on order, with three sets in service in time for the start of new Hayabusa services to Shin-Aomori in March...

 trains, initially on just two or three return services daily. They will replace all the existing E3 series

E3 Series Shinkansen

The is a Japanese Shinkansen high-speed train type built for Komachi services which commenced on 3 June 1997, coinciding with opening of the new Akita Shinkansen 'mini-shinkansen' line, a regular narrow-gauge line between Morioka and Akita upgraded to . Later versions of the E3 series were also...

 trains on Komachi services by March 2014.

Technology incorporated in these trains is derived from the experimental Fastech 360Z train previously tested by JR East. The E6 series trains are formed of seven cars, to provide the same seating capacity as six-car E3 series trains, due to the reduced seating capacity in the end cars. All cars feature active suspension

Active suspension

Active or adaptive suspension is an automotive technology that controls the vertical movement of the wheels with an onboard system rather than the movement being determined entirely by the road surface...

 with tilting

Tilting train

A tilting train is a train that has a mechanism enabling increased speed on regular rail tracks. As a train rounds a curve at speed, objects inside the train experience centrifugal force. This can cause packages to slide about or seated passengers to feel squashed by the outboard armrest due to...

 up to 1.5 degrees.

Formation

The pre-production train, S12, is formed as follows.

Car No.	11	12	13	14	15	16	17
Designation	M1sc	Tk	M1	M1	M1	T	M1c
Numbering	E611	E628	E625	E625-100	E627	E629	E621
Weight (t)	45.7	44.4	42.5	43.1	42.5	44.5	43.8
Seating capacity	23	35	60	60	68	60	32

Cars 11 to 14 were built by Kawasaki Heavy Industries

Kawasaki Heavy Industries

is an international corporation based in Japan. It has headquarters in both Chūō-ku, Kobe and Minato, Tokyo.The company is named after its founder Shōzō Kawasaki and has no connection with the city of Kawasaki, Kanagawa....

, and cars 15 to 17 were built by Hitachi

Hitachi

Hitachi is a multinational corporation specializing in high-technology.Hitachi may also refer to:*Hitachi, Ibaraki, Japan*Hitachi province, former province of Japan*Prince Hitachi and Princess Hitachi, members of the Japanese imperial family...

.

Exterior

The overall styling was overseen by Japanese industrial designer Ken Okuyama

Ken Okuyama

Ken Okuyama is an automobile designer who worked for Pininfarina designing or supervising projects such as the Enzo Ferrari and Ferrari P4/5. His given name is Kiyoyuki Okuyama but goes by Ken Okuyama outside Japan...

, and is intended to evoke images of the Namahage

Namahage

is a Japanese ritual which is observed throughout Oga Peninsula, Akita Prefecture in northern Honshū, Japan. It is said to have originated as a ritual for cleansing people's souls, and for blessing the new year. It is a kind of toshigami....

demons and kantō festival lanterns for which Akita Prefecture

Akita Prefecture

is a prefecture of Japan located in the Tōhoku Region of northern Honshu, the main island of Japan. The capital is the city of Akita.- History :The area of Akita has been created from the ancient provinces of Dewa and Mutsu....

is famous. The main body colour is white with crimson roof and "arrow silver" bodyside stripe. The end cars are 23075 millimetre long with the tapered nose accounting for approximately 13 m (compared with approximately 6 m for the E3 series).

Interior

The new trains feature similar improvements to passenger accommodation as featured on the E5 series trains, including AC power outlets, and security cameras in vestibule areas. Seating in both Standard class and Green (first class) cars is in the standard 2+2 arrangement for mini-shinkansen trains. Seat pitch is 1160 mm (45.7 in) in Green class and 980 mm (38.6 in) in Standard class, the same as for the E3 series trains.

History

The pre-production set, S12, was delivered to Sendai Depot in June 2010. Test running commenced on the Tōhoku Shinkansen in July 2010.

Revenue service is scheduled to commence in March 2013, running at a maximum speed of 300 km/h (186 mph) on the Tōhoku Shinkansen. From March 2014, the maximum speed will be raised to 320 km/h (199 mph) on the Tōhoku Shinkansen, with the maximum speed on the Akita Shinkansen tracks remaining at 130 km/h (81 mph), allowing journey times between Tokyo and Akita to be reduced by between 10 and 15 minutes.

External links

• JR East press release (2 February 2010)