Japan just can't get enough shiny, new trains. While California is up to its eyeballs in legal battles over its proposed high-speed railway, Japan is adding another branch to its extensive bullet train network, which celebrates its 50th anniversary next year.
Operator JR East has begun tests of its swishy new Series E7 bullet train, which starts runs from Tokyo to Nagano in the spring, then the Sea of Japan coastal area in 2015, and possibly Osaka after 2025.With a top speed of only 160 mph, the E7 is far from the fastest in the bullet train fleet, but it tries to make up for that with gorgeous looks.
JR East, a regional operator, put the trainset through its paces on the weekend, running it from Nagano to Karuizawa, a mountain resort northwest of Tokyo on the Nagano Shinkansen Line. It's the first part of the planned Hokuriku Shinkansen Line that may eventually connect Japan's mountainous hinterland with Osaka.
The Series E7 is set to debut in March with service from Tokyo to Nagano, then to Kanazawa near the Sea of Japan coast in 2015.
Source: CNET
JR East, a regional operator, put the trainset through its paces on the weekend, running it from Nagano to Karuizawa, a mountain resort northwest of Tokyo on the Nagano Shinkansen Line. It's the first part of the planned Hokuriku Shinkansen Line that may eventually connect Japan's mountainous hinterland with Osaka.
The Series E7 is set to debut in March with service from Tokyo to Nagano, then to Kanazawa near the Sea of Japan coast in 2015.
Source: CNET
