N700 Series Shinkansen
| N700 series | |
|---|---|
N700 series set F20 on the Tōkaidō Shinkansen, September 2021 | |
| In service | 1 July 2007 – present |
| Manufacturer | Hitachi, Kawasaki Heavy Industries, Kinki Sharyo, Nippon Sharyo |
| Replaced | 300, 500, and 700 series |
| Constructed | 2005–2020 |
| Scrapped | 2019– |
| Number in service | 2,624 vehicles (179 sets, as of 1 April 2022) |
| Number preserved | 3 vehicles |
| Number scrapped | 365 vehicles |
| Successor | N700S series |
| Formation | 8 or 16 cars per trainset |
| Capacity |
|
| Operators | |
| Depots |
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| Lines served | Tōkaidō, San'yō, Kyūshū, Hakataminami |
| Specifications | |
| Car body construction | Aluminium |
| Car length |
|
| Width | 3.36 m (11 ft) |
| Height | 3.5 m (11 ft 6 in) without rooftop equipment |
| Maximum speed |
|
| Weight | 16-car set: 715 t (1,576,000 lb) |
| Traction motors | 56 × 305 kW (409 hp) AC |
| Power output | 17,080 kW (22,900 hp) |
| Acceleration | 2.6 km/(h⋅s) (1.6 mph/s) |
| Electric system(s) | Overhead line, 25 kV 60 Hz AC |
| Current collection | Pantograph |
| UIC classification |
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| Braking system(s) | Regenerative, pneumatic |
| Safety system(s) | ATC-NS, KS-ATC (R and S sets) |
| Track gauge | 1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) standard gauge |
| Notes/references | |
This train won the 51st Blue Ribbon Award in 2008. | |
The N700 series (Japanese: N700系, Hepburn: Enu nana-hyaku-kei) is a Japanese Shinkansen high-speed train with tilting capability developed jointly by JR Central and JR West for use on the Tōkaidō and San'yō Shinkansen lines. Constructed between 2005 and 2020, the type entered revenue service on 1 July 2007, replacing the earlier 300, 500, and 700 series. The N700 series is also operated by JR Kyushu on the Kyushu Shinkansen.
A total of 172 16-car sets (2,752 cars) and 30 8-car sets (240 cars) were built. N700 series trains have a maximum operating speed of 300 kilometres per hour (186 mph), and their tilting mechanism—up to one degree—allows sustained operation at 270 km/h (168 mph) on 2,500-metre (8,202 ft) radius curves, which were previously limited to 255 km/h (158 mph). Compared with the 700 series, the N700 also features faster acceleration, with a maximum rate of 2.6 km/(h⋅s) (1.6 mph/s), enabling it to reach 270 km/h (168 mph) in approximately three minutes.
Further refinements led to the development of the N700A, an incremental evolution that permits operation at 285 km/h (177 mph) on 3,000-metre (9,843 ft) radius curves, raising the maximum operating speed on the Tōkaidō Shinkansen to 285 km/h (177 mph). All N700 series sets were subsequently retrofitted with most N700A improvements.
These enhancements reduced end-to-end travel times, enabling the fastest Nozomi services between Tokyo and Osaka to complete the journey in as little as 2 hours and 22 minutes.
A successor design with additional refinements, the N700S, entered service in 2020 and is planned to gradually replace the N700 series; the first four sets began operation on 1 July 2020.