1 photo from Wikimedia Commons · credits & licences
- 1. Series-E2-1000-J70: MaedaAkihiko· CC BY-SA 4.0
what is it?
The E2 series (Japanese: E2系) is a Japanese high-speed Shinkansen train type introduced in 1997 by East Japan Railway Company (JR East) for use on the Tōhoku and Hokuriku Shinkansen high-speed lines in Japan. They are formed in 8- and 10-car sets. The 8-car sets were used on the Hokuriku Shinkansen, and the 10-car sets have been used on Tōhoku Shinkansen services.
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 2.1× a car on the Dutch motorway (130 km/h).
- At full speed it would cover Amsterdam–Utrecht (≈ 40 km) in 9 minutes.
- 9.6 MW is about 113 family cars (~85 kW each) flat out.
- 25.7 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
- 502
- kind
- high-speed train
- traction
- electric
- origin
- 🇯🇵 Japan
- builders
- Hitachi, Kawasaki Heavy Industries, Nippon Sharyo, Japan Transport Engineering Company
- operators
- East Japan Railway Company
- top speed
- 275 km/h
- power
- 9.6 MW
- gauge
- 1,435 mm standard gauge
- electric system
- 25 kV AC, 50/60 Hz overhead catenary
- formation
- 8/10 cars per trainset
- length
- 25.7 m
From the Wikipedia infobox and Wikidata. Blank means the sources don't say.
Sources: Wikidata Q285159, Wikipedia: E2 Series Shinkansen (CC BY-SA 4.0).Updated 2026-10-25.