International Railroad Discussion > Shinkansen N700S (Japan)

Unlike the N700 in 2005, I was not lucky enough to catch the first prototype of N700S (numbered "J0") being tested betwen 2018-2020. In July of 2020, N700S started revenue service.

When I visited Japan in 2021, railfan media and JR Central (Central Japan Railway) were promoting the N700S's running schedules, to try to wake people up (economically) after the pandemic. I took the bait and went to Odawara to document them, since I did not have a JR Rail Pass, and wanted to stay close to Tokyo to save money.

I didn't post a report then, as I doubt anyone would have found that trip interesting.

Recently, while returning to Tokyo on the sleeper limited express Sunrise Izumo/Seto, an N700S set was running side-by-side with the Sunrise into Tokyo. After I arrived at Tokyo Station, I scrambled over to the platform for Track 15 to document that particular set.

- Saw "Test Run" from the rainy day window onboard Sunrise Limited Express.
- Departure board, Track 15, "Out of Service" Train 993.
- Video described next.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/03/25 00:38 by cchan006.

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First two clips are at Odawara, August of 2021. N700A passes a stopped N700S ("J11"), both going outbound (westward toward Shin-Osaka). J11 departs after that.

N700S "J17" passes a N700A, going inbound (eastward to Tokyo). Time elapsed between those clips? 7 minutes. I studied the schedules to minimize the time needed to catch 2x N700S at one location.

Next clip was taken this year, 2025. Sunrise Limited Express I rode was deadheading to Shinagawa Yard, so I recorded that from Shinkansen platform for Tracks 14 and 15. Seconds after, second newest N700S set, "J51" as Train 993 departs Tokyo, presumably for more testing. As of now (end of May), J52 is the newest set, also undergoing testing.

J35 arrives into Tokyo soon after, and you can compare the noses of N700A (background) and N700S. From this angle, the "ridged" nose of the N700S definitely has a narrower aerodynamic profile = less drag (around 3:06 in the video). Since the N700A and N700S operate at similiar revenue speeds (300 km/h or 186 mph maximum), this was a refinement for less energy consumption?

I pan the camcorder at the end to show the two "turfs" on the Shinkansen side of Tokyo station, JR Central's Track 14 in the foreground (with another N700S), and JR East's (East Japan Railway) E7 parked on Track 22.

From west to east, Track numbers are 20, 21, 22, 23, then "resets" to 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19. To the west of Track 20 is non-HSR Track 10 for Ueno-Tokyo Line.

20-23 belongs to JR East (Shinkansen trains departing north) and 14-19 belongs to JR Central, trains departing south, and eventually heads west toward Shin-Osaka.

I responded to symph1 two years ago regarding the weird track numbering on the Shinkansen side of Tokyo station:

https://www.trainorders.com/discussion/read.php?6,5620077,5620418#5620418

Anyway, former JNR (Japan National Railway) split into 7 groups, and here are 2 separate groups, JR Central and JR East having separate "turfs." They aren't direct competitors, but separate organizations. JR Central's N700S and JR East's E7 are dissimilar in many ways: 300 km/h vs. 275 km/h top speed; E7's emphasis on horsepower for handling steeper grades; N700S 16 car set vs. E7 12 car set...

- 747-51, 747 is the car type, and 51 of J51. All curtains were closed.
- "Ridged" nose of N700S J51.
- Another N700S arriving at Tokyo - too far to see which J set.

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As before, I'll end the report with toys.

N-scale-ish Class 0 Shinkansen toy, I found at a "Gachapon" vending machine last year. Not a Plarail, a static display. 

The smaller N700S "shorty" toy was embedded inside a carbonated bath tablet. I might have bought that to cover the minimum 600 yen when I collected a stamp rally prize as described several days ago. I didn't know what I got until I took a bath (regular hot water, not from hot springs). The toy is abourt the size of a thumbnail, Z scale "shorty" size. Official Plarail product.

A pleasant aroma and bubbles emit when the tablet is dissolved in hot water.

Since some of the action happened at Tokyo Station, here's a Tokyo Station tape measure I bought about 11 years ago, while Tokyo Station was celebrating its Centennial. The tape measure itself has the graphic of an E7 end car, which was brand new at the time.

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Thanks for sharing. Airline Jets on rails!

Victor Baird

Makes me wonder whether we are transitioning to a third world country.

RRBMail Wrote:
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> Makes me wonder whether we are transitioning to a
> third world country.

We already have, regardless of whether you like the current political party in power or not (ditch the bias, and you might see things more clearly).

American railroad planners acted properly when soon after the Shinkansen went into service in 1964, the Penn Central came up with the 125 mph capable Budd Metroliner. Regardless of whether the Budd cars were successful or not, that "can do" spirit is mostly gone now, thanks to mediocre people in charge going back about two decades.

French followed suit with the TGV. Tough to dispute that it is wildly successful.

I'm waiting for an "untransition" to stop the bleeding. The lame "data-driven society" is guaranteeing that Third World-ism can't be stopped.