CENTRAL and West Japan Railways have unveiled a mock-up of the planned Series N700 trainset being developed for the Tokaido and Sanyo Shinkansen.
JR-Central has ordered a pre-production trainset which is now under construction and due for completion in March 2005. After two years of test running, the train is expected to enter revenue service in 2007.
Derived from the Series 700, the N700 will feature an evolution of the aerostream nose design designated ’aero double-wing’. It will be the first Shinkansen trainset with active tilt. The bogies will be fitted with semi-active suspensions, and elastic shrouds will enclose the gangway area between the cars, helping to reduce interior and exterior noise.
The 16-car train will have 14 motored vehicles, compared to 12 on the Series 700, and will be able to run at up to 300 km/h rather than 285 km/h. Continuous rating will increase from 13200 kW to 17080 kW for a 700 tonne trainset.
The three Green Cars will have a new ergonomic ’comfort seat’ with LED reading lamps and large tray tables. They will also have luggage racks for larger suitcases. The ordinary cars will have lighter seats with improved cushion springs, larger toilet compartments with baby-changing facilities and some seats will have computer power sockets. Enhanced information displays will make use of multi-coloured LEDs.
