4 photos from Wikimedia Commons · credits & licences
- 1. JRE 953-5 953-1: Rsa· CC BY-SA 3.0
- 2. STAR21 952-1 Maibara 20060727: Orangelunchbox at Japanese Wikipedia aka ja:user:Ariake· CC BY-SA 3.0
- 3. JRE 952 953 Star21 SpeedRecord425km: Rsa· CC BY-SA 3.0
- 4. STAR21 953-1 Sendai 20020825: DAJF· CC BY-SA 3.0
what is it?
"STAR21" was the name given to the Class 952/953 (952・953形) 9-car experimental Shinkansen train developed in 1992 by the East Japan Railway Company (JR East) in Japan to test technology to be incorporated in next-generation shinkansen trains operating at speeds of 350 km/h (217 mph) or higher. The name was an acronym for "Superior Train for the Advanced Railway toward the 21st Century".
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 34 years ago, in 1992.
- Top speed is 2.7× a car on the Dutch motorway (130 km/h).
- At full speed it would cover Amsterdam–Utrecht (≈ 40 km) in 7 minutes.
- Served for 6 years (1992–1998).
high-speed train: Built for 200–350 km/h on dedicated lines, like the TGV, ICE or Shinkansen.
spec sheet
- built
- 1992
- in service from
- 1992
- retired
- 1998
- status
- retired
- number built
- 9
- kind
- high-speed train
- traction
- electric
- origin
- 🇯🇵 Japan
- builders
- Hitachi, Kawasaki Heavy Industries, Nippon Sharyo
- operators
- East Japan Railway Company
- top speed
- 350 km/h
- power
- —
- gauge
- 1,435 mm standard gauge
- electric system
- 25 kV AC, 50 Hz Overhead catenary
- formation
- 9 cars
From the Wikipedia infobox and Wikidata. Blank means the sources don't say.
Sources: Wikidata Q752961, Wikipedia: STAR21 (CC BY-SA 4.0).Updated 2026-10-25.