A passenger Shinkansen train has been converted to carry high-value freight.
EAST Japan Railway (JR East) will introduce Japan’s first high-speed freight service on March 23. It will operate on the Tohoku Shinkansen high-speed line using a repurposed passenger train.
JR East has converted a seven-car E3-series train formerly deployed on the Yamagata Shinkansen by removing all the seats and fitting a non-slip floor, guide rails and restraining straps. Automated trolleys carrying parcels move along the platform and stop at the appropriate train door. They are then manoeuvred manually onto the train and secured in position.
The train will carry a maximum of 17.4 tonnes of freight, which equates to around 1000 packages. The train will operate one round trip per day on weekdays between Morioka and Tokyo. Most of the freight is expected to be fresh fish and vegetables, and precision electronic and mechanical equipment.
JR East will operate the service as an expansion of JR’s Hakobyun Shinkansen shipping service. Japan faces a shortage of truck drivers which has cast doubt on the ability to maintain logistics and distribution networks, so JR East sees the potential to plug a gap in the market.
