2 photos from Wikimedia Commons · credits & licences
- 1. JR Central Shinkansen 700: Sui-setz· Public domain
- 2. JRC 700 series C37: Mitsuki-2368· CC BY-SA 3.0
what is it?
The 700 series (Japanese: 700系, Hepburn: Nana-hyaku-kei) is a Japanese Shinkansen high-speed train type built between 1997 and 2006, and entering service in 1999. Originally designated as "N300" during the development phase, they formed the next generation of Shinkansen vehicles jointly designed by JR Central and JR West for use on the Tokaido Shinkansen, Hakata Minami Line and the San'yō Shinkansen. Though it has since been withdrawn from service on the Tokaido Shinkansen, it continues to operate on the San'yō Shinkansen and Hakataminami Line.
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 27 years ago, in 1999.
- Top speed is 2.3× a car on the Dutch motorway (130 km/h).
- At full speed it would cover Amsterdam–Utrecht (≈ 40 km) in 8 minutes.
- 13.2 MW is about 155 family cars (~85 kW each) flat out.
- 25 m long: about 6 cars parked nose to tail.
- Still in service after 27 years.
high-speed train: Built for 200–350 km/h on dedicated lines, like the TGV, ICE or Shinkansen.
spec sheet
- built
- 1999
- in service from
- 1999
- status
- in service
- number built
- 1,328
- kind
- Electric multiple unit
- traction
- electric
- origin
- 🇯🇵 Japan
- builders
- Hitachi, Kawasaki Heavy Industries, Kinki Sharyo, Nippon Sharyo
- operators
- Central Japan Railway Company, West Japan Railway Company
- top speed
- 300 km/h
- power
- 13.2 MW
- gauge
- 1,435 mm standard gauge
- formation
- 8/16 cars per trainset
- length
- 25 m
From the Wikipedia infobox and Wikidata. Blank means the sources don't say.
Sources: Wikidata Q927319, Wikipedia: 700 Series Shinkansen (CC BY-SA 4.0).Updated 2026-10-25.