JR East’s Freight-Only Shinkansen Train Goes into Service

Tokyo, March 23 (Jiji Press)–East Japan Railway Co., or JR East, started operating a freight-only Shinkansen bullet train Monday, transporting goods from Morioka, the capital of Iwate Prefecture, northeastern Japan, to Tokyo. The seven-car train, converted from an E3 series passenger train that had been used for the Yamagata Shinkansen line, is operated on weekdays and convey up to about 1,000 boxes of goods on each travel. It has a maximum loading capacity of 17.4 tons. On Monday, the freight-only train, coupled with a Yamabiko train, left Morioka Station on the Tohoku Shinkansen line shortly after noon and would arrive at Tokyo Station in three hours and 15 minutes. Loading and unloading work takes place at rail yards, and unmanned vehicles are used to transport cargoes within the yards. JR East has so far transported cargoes together with passengers on Shinkansen trains under the “Hakobyun” brand service, delivering specialties from regions including the northernmost prefecture of Hokkaido, the Tohoku northeastern region, and the Hokuriku and Shinetsu central regions, as well as medical equipment, precision machinery and other goods. The company decided to introduce a cargo-only Shinkansen train because demand is expected to increase amid challenges such as shortages of truck drivers and a need to reduce carbon dioxide emissions. END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]