Japan railway news – Page 8
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Metro Report InternationalOsaka’s Hankai Line expands low-floor tram fleet
JAPAN: A three-section low-floor tram supplied by Alna Sharyo has entered service on the Hankai Tramway in Osaka, where it is operating alongside the oldest trams in the country which are still in commercial service rather than run as heritage vehicles. The two-line Hankai Tramway serves the ...
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NewsHakone Tozan replaces funicular trainsets
JAPAN: Hakone Tozan Railway launched its fifth generation of rolling stock for its 1·2 km funicular line into revenue service on March 20, having unveiled the two new trains on March 18.
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NewsTakanawa Gateway opens
JAPAN: East Japan Railway opened its Takanawa Gateway suburban station in Tokyo for revenue service on March 14.
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NewsATO tested on JR West’s Osaka Loop Line
JAPAN: West Japan Railway has successfully tested automated train operation on a section of the Osaka Loop Line, as a precursor to introducing ATO on its busiest routes in the Osaka region.
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NewsKintetsu prepares to launch luxury Hinotori EMUs
JAPAN: Kinki Nippon Railway has started driver training with the first of 11 Series 80000 EMUs that it has ordered from sister company Kinki Sharyo to operate limited express services between Nagoya and Osaka-Namba.
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NewsJR East tests Saphir Odoriko luxury EMUs
JAPAN: East Japan Railway has started driver training with the first of two Series E261 EMUs which are being supplied by Kawasaki Heavy Industries to operate the Super Odoriko service linking Tokyo to the scenic Izu peninsula, where the Fuji-Hakone National Park is famed for its hot springs.
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News‘Earthquake mode’ battery packs to be fitted to N700S Shinkansen fleet
Nick Kingsley reports from WCRR 2019
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NewsNagoya Railway updates EMU fleet
JAPAN: Nagoya Railway Co has updated its regional rolling stock fleet by introducing four Series 9500 EMUs on the 444 route-km, 1 067 mm gauge Meitetsu network radiating from the city. The Series 9500 sets have been supplied by Nippon Sharyo and the first was placed into traffic on October ...
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NewsJR East to trial fuel cell multiple-unit
JAPAN: East Japan Railway has started work on a new generation of hydrogen fuel cell trainsets, a decade after early experiments with its prototype New Energy Train. The railway set an objective to ‘diversify energy’ as part of its ‘Move Up 2027’ 10-year vision adopted last year, and it hopes ...
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NewsCompleted ALFA-X test train unveiled
JAPAN: East Japan Railway has formally unveiled its Series 956 ALFA-X high speed test train, which is due to start trial running at up to 400 km/h later this month. The completed 10-car trainset was displayed at its Sendai Shinkansen rolling stock workshops on May 9. Launched in July 2017, ...
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NewsKeio Railway special marks start of Reiwa Era
JAPAN: Among the special events to mark the abdication of Emperor Akihito and the accession of Emperor Naruhito, the Keio Electric Railway running west from the capital operated a commemorative limited express service over the transition from April 30 to May 1. Departing from Tokyo’s Shinjuku station at 23.45, in ...
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NewsSotetsu – JR East link completed
JAPAN: Ceremonies were held in western Yokohama on March 28 to mark the completion of a new link between Sotetsu’s Sagami Railway and JR East tracks, which will allow the operation of through services from the Sagami Main Line and Izumino Line to Shinjuku station in Tokyo. Under the project, ...
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NewsThird rail route to Tokyo Haneda Airport finalised
JAPAN: East Japan Railway expects to start work in May on its Haneda Airport Access Line, which would provide a third rail link to Tokyo’s largest airport. This is currently served by the Tokyo Monorail from Hamamatsucho and the independent Keikyu Airport Line. Announcing the project on February 15, ...
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NewsLaview EMUs are ready to roll
JAPAN: The first of seven Laview luxury EMUs which will operate Seibu Railway’s premier Limited Express services between Tokyo’s Ikebukuro station and Seibu-Chichibu from March 16 was formally presented at the operator’s Kotesashi depot on February 14. Intended as the railway’s flagship, the 1 067 mm gauge Series 001 trainsets ...
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NewsALFA-X nose is 22 m long
JAPAN: East Japan Railway has unveiled the second driving car for its experimental ALFA-X Shinkansen trainset, which features a 22 m long aerodynamic nose designed to mitigate the sonic boom effect of entering and passing through tunnels at very high speed. Built at Hitachi's Kasado plant, Car 10 has a ...
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NewsSeries 2700s to refresh Shikoku express services
JAPAN: Regional operator JR Shikoku unveiled its two pre-series Series 2700 diesel multiple-units on January 23. Now undergoing test running, the two-car units are expected to enter service later this year, working Limited Express services on the island’s principal non-electrified main lines. Serving Japan’s fourth-largest island, the JR Shikoku network ...
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NewsJR Central to test N700S at 360 km/h
JAPAN: President of Central Japan Railway Shin Kaneko announced on January 6 that the N700S prototype trainset will be tested at up to 360 km/h later this year. Running trials with the 16-car N700S prototype began in March last year, and the train has since achieved a maximum speed of ...
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NewsEast Japan Railway tests driverless operation
JAPAN: East Japan Railway is testing automatic train operation on the Yamanote Line in Tokyo, with a view to assessing the feasibility of converting routes to driverless operation. The 34·5 km circular route was selected for testing because it does not share tracks with other lines. JR East envisages that ...
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NewsJR East unveils first ALFA-X driving car
JAPAN: The first driving car bodyshell for East Japan Railway’s Series 956 high speed test train was unveiled in Kobe on December 12. Being manufactured by Kawasaki Heavy Industries, the 10-car trainset is expected to begin test running in May. Designated ALFA-X for Advanced Labs for Frontline Activity in rail ...
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News400 km/h ALFA-X experimental train to roll in 2019
JAPAN: East Japan Railway's ALFA-X experimental Shinkansen trainset is on course to start test running in May 2019, the railway announced on October 3. Designated Series 956, the ALFA-X is intended to pave the way for a new fleet of high speed trains as part of the railway’s Transform 2027 ...