2 photos from Wikimedia Commons · credits & licences
- 1. Shinkansen 500 series W2 formation: JobanLineE531 at Japanese Wikipedia· CC BY 3.0
- 2. JRW-500-nozomi: Mitsuki-2368· CC BY-SA 3.0
what is it?
The 500 series (500系, Go-hyaku-kei) is a Shinkansen high-speed train type operated by West Japan Railway Company (JR-West) in Japan on the Tōkaidō Shinkansen line from 1997 until 2010, and the San'yō Shinkansen line since 1997. They were designed to be capable of 320 km/h (199 mph) but operated at 300 km/h (186 mph), until they were retired from the primary Nozomi service in 2010. The trainsets were then refurbished and downgraded to the all-stations Kodama service between Shin-Ōsaka and Hakata.
who runs it
base stats
Bars compare against all trains: 600 km/h (maglev), 1,700 seats; power, weight and number built on a log scale up to 20 MW, 1,000 t and 20,000 built.
fun facts
- First built 29 years ago, in 1997.
- Top speed is 2.5× a car on the Dutch motorway (130 km/h).
- At full speed it would cover Amsterdam–Utrecht (≈ 40 km) in 8 minutes.
- 18.2 MW is about 215 family cars (~85 kW each) flat out.
- 25 m long: about 6 cars parked nose to tail.
- Still in service after 29 years.
high-speed train: Built for 200–350 km/h on dedicated lines, like the TGV, ICE or Shinkansen.
spec sheet
- built
- 1997
- in service from
- 1997
- status
- in service
- number built
- 144
- kind
- Electric multiple unit
- traction
- electric
- origin
- 🇯🇵 Japan
- builders
- Hitachi, Kawasaki Railcar Manufacturing, Kinki Sharyo, Nippon Sharyo
- designer
- Alexander Neumeister
- operators
- West Japan Railway Company
- top speed
- 320 km/h
- power
- 18.2 MW
- gauge
- 1,435 mm standard gauge
- electric system
- 25 kV AC, 60 Hz overhead catenary
- formation
- 8 (originally 16) cars per trainset
- length
- 25 m
- Dutch name
- Shinkansen reeks 500
From the Wikipedia infobox and Wikidata. Blank means the sources don't say.
Sources: Wikidata Q930406, Wikipedia: 500 Series Shinkansen (CC BY-SA 4.0).Updated 2026-10-25.