By AYATERU HOSOZAWA/ Staff Writer
October 30, 2019 at 18:15 JST
Offering relaxing seats and lockable luggage space, a new N700S Shinkansen sped between Tokyo and Toyohashi, Aichi Prefecture, on Oct. 30, with the media along for the test ride.
An N700S hit 362 kph during a test run in June, breaking records. But this time, the focus was more on showing off the design.
The train is scheduled to debut in July 2020, ahead of the Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics.
The N700S, whose “S” stands for “Supreme,” is the first bullet train on the Tokaido Shinkansen Line to undergo a full-model change in 13 years.
Their design is similar to the current-generation N700A, but both sides of the N700S's lead car are angular.
The N700S has been given a few interior upgrades as well.
Passengers in ordinary seating can enjoy some amenities previously only available in the premium green car seats.
The armrests of all seats are equipped with electrical outlets, and the seats are lowered automatically by tilting their backrests.
There's also more room for luggage.
Coinciding with the introduction of an advance booking system for large luggage in mid-May 2020, a lockable luggage space will be offered that can accommodate two large suitcases.
The space is in the deck areas connecting train cars.
The N700S, which matches the N700A's top speed of 285 kph on the Tokaido Shinkansen Line between Tokyo and Shin-Osaka, boasts newly installed lithium-ion batteries under the floor. These enable it to keep running even if its power source is cut in the event of an earthquake.
To make it more versatile to sell abroad, the Shinkansen's previous design that had eight types of cars was reduced to four for the N700S.
The change makes it easier to rearrange the standard 16-car configuration used in Japan into trains that are 12- or eight-cars long in other markets.
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