E4 Series Shinkansen

Infobox EMU
name = E4 Series Shinkansen


imagesize = 240px
caption = E4 Series Shinkansen at Takasaki Station, January 2006
InService = 1997 - Present
Manufacturer = Hitachi, Kawasaki HI
Family = Max
Built = 208 vehicles (26 sets)
Refurbishment =
Formation = 8 cars per trainset
Operator = JR East
Depots = Sendai
LinesServed = Tōhoku Shinkansen, Jōetsu Shinkansen, Nagano Shinkansen
CarBody = Aluminium
CarLength = 25,000 mm (intermediate cars), 25,700 mm (end cars)
CarWidth = 3,380 mm
CarHeight =
MaxSpeed = 240 km/h
Weight =
Capacity = 817 (54 Green + 763 Standard)
Acceleration = 1.65 km/h/s
Deceleration = 2.69 km/h/s (service),
4.04 km/h/s (emergency)
Traction = 16 x 420 kW
Power = 6.72 MW
Gauge = 1,435 mm
Voltage = 25 kV AC, 50 Hz overhead
Brakes =
SafetySystem = DS-ATC

The E4 Series Shinkansen were the second series of completely bi-level Shinkansen high-speed trainsets to be built in Japan (the other being the E1 Series; the 100 Series also featured two bi-level cars per trainset in some configurations). They operate on the Tōhoku, Jōetsu Shinkansen and Hokuriku Shinkansen. E4 trains feature double-decker cars to accommodate additional commuter traffic around Tokyo and other urban areas. They are often coupled to 400 Series trains on the Tōhoku Shinkansen at Fukushima.

Two eight-car sets can be coupled together for extra capacity: the sixteen-car E4 trainset is the highest-capacity high speed rail trainset in the world, carrying a total of 1,634 passengers.

26 units were built between 1997 and 2003. As with the earlier E1 series trains, maximum speed is 240 km/h.

In order to minimize trackside noise, large sections of the Tōhoku and Jōetsu Shinkansen track are built in elevated concrete viaducts. The sides of the viaduct generally obstruct the view of passengers sitting in the lower floors of bi-level shinkansen.

External links

* [http://www.jreast.co.jp/train/shinkan/e4.html E4 Series "Max Yamabiko/Max Nasuno/Max Toki/Max Tanigawa"] ja icon