INTERVIEW: JR Tokai to Test 360 Kph for N700S Shinkansen Train

January 6, 2019

Nagoya--Shin Kaneko, president of Central Japan Railway Co. <9022>, better known as JR Tokai, has said that the company plans to conduct test runs of the new N700S Shinkansen bullet train model at a maximum speed of 360 kilometers per hour this year.

The N700S is slated to debut on the Tokaido Shinkansen Line in the fiscal year from April 2020.

Currently, the maximum operating speed is 285 kph for trains on the Shinkansen line, which links Tokyo Station and Shin-Osaka Station in Osaka Prefecture, western Japan.

Pointing out that the N700S train was able to travel at a maximum speed of 330 kph in past test runs, Kaneko said in a recent interview, "We aim to carry out test runs at 360 kph this year so that we can demonstrate safety when we export the train to such markets as the United States and Taiwan."

He noted that about one third of reserved seat passengers on the Tokaido Shinkansen Line and the Sanyo Shinkansen Line, which connects Shin-Osaka and Hakata Station in Fukuoka

Prefecture, southwestern Japan, use the "smartEX" ticketless service and reserve their seats via smartphone. SmartEX was introduced for the two Shinkansen lines in autumn 2017.

"Ticketless travel relieves passengers of stress," Kaneko said, adding that it is also a plus for railway operators because it does not require commission fees.

"Personally, I hope that a ticketless system will be introduced also for the Chuo Shinkansen Line," which is slated to open in 2027 to link Tokyo and Nagoya, the capital of the central

Japan prefecture of Aichi. Magnetic levitation trains will be used on the ultrahigh-speed railway.

Kaneko said that JR Tokai has made steady progress in construction work for the maglev Shinkansen line.

"We have secured more than 50 pct of land needed for the maglev work on the west side of Nagoya Station, and are now in talks with landowners for the east side of the station," he explained.

"We'll continue making all-out efforts" on the maglev Shinkansen project, Kaneko said, indicating that the schedule is tight as JR Tokai has a lot to do until the launch of the line. Jiji Press