JR East to Introduce New Inspection Shinkansen Train in FY 2029

Tokyo, Oct. 7 (Jiji Press)–East Japan Railway Co., or JR East, said Tuesday that it will introduce a successor to its East-i inspection train for Shinkansen bullet train lines in fiscal 2029. The next-generation model’s design will be finalized around next summer after ideas are sought from employees across JR East group companies. Launched in 2002, the East-i inspects the tracks and other facilities of the Tohoku, Joetsu, Hokuriku, Yamagata and Akita Shinkansen lines while traveling. While the East-i travels at speeds of up to 275 kilometers per hour, the maximum speed of its successor will be 320 kph, the same as that for trains on the Tohoku Shinkansen Line. Doctor Yellow, a similar inspection train for the Tokaido Shinkansen Line of Central Japan Railway Co., or JR Tokai, and the Sanyo Shinkansen Line of West Japan Railway Co., or JR West, is slated to be retired, and a regular Shinkansen train for passenger transportation is expected to take over its role after being equipped with inspection devices. Meanwhile, JR East will continue using a dedicated Shinkansen train to check the conditions of the tracks and other facilities. “We aim for more precise and efficient inspections using a successor to the East-i,” JR East President Yoichi Kise said at a press conference Tuesday. Also on Tuesday, JR East announced a plan to install platform doors at Tokyo Station’s Shinkansen platforms from the current fiscal 2025. The work is expected to be completed at the end of fiscal 2029. More than 70,000 people board Shinkansen trains at Tokyo Station a day on average. END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]