Engineering:ALFA-X

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The Class E956 (Japanese: E956形), branded "ALFA-X", is a ten-car experimental Japanese Shinkansen high-speed train operated by the East Japan Railway Company (JR East) in Japan capable of operating at up to 400 kilometres per hour (250 mph) to test technologies for future trains capable of operating at speeds of up to 360 kilometres per hour (225 mph). The name is an acronym for "Advanced Labs for Frontline Activity in rail eXperimentation".[1] The train was unveiled on 9 May 2019.[2] Test runs are conducted primarily on sections of the Tōhoku Shinkansen between Sendai and Shin-Aomori, and occasionally on the Hokkaido Shinkansen.

Design

The ALFA-X experimental trainset is being tested at speeds of up to 400 km/h (250 mph) to evaluate technologies intended for future trains operating in revenue service at speeds of up to 360 km/h (225 mph). These include vibration-damping systems designed to reduce oscillation and the risk of derailment during major earthquakes, as well as body designs intended to reduce snow adhesion.[3] Some design features have not been publicly disclosed in order to protect ongoing technical research.[4]

Much of the design changes and experimentation conducted with the ALFA-X focuses on reducing noise at very high operating speeds.[4]

Fastech 360 experimental trains.[5] The nose of car 1 is 16 metres (52 ft) long, comparable in length to that of the E5 series, but features a new, more angular profile. By contrast, the nose of car 10 uses the same “arrow-line” profile as the E5 series but is extended to 22 metres (72 ft), leaving only 4.5 metres (15 ft) for the passenger compartment, which accommodates three rows of seating.[6] The differing designs are intended to compare aerodynamic drag and pressure-wave noise generated during tunnel entry and exit.

The ALFA-X evaluates two different end-car nose profiles, similar to those used on the earlier Fastech 360 experimental trains.[7] The nose of car 1 is 16 metres (52 ft) long, comparable in length to that of the E5 series, but features a new, more angular profile. By contrast, the nose of car 10 uses the same "arrow-line" profile as the E5 series but is extended to 22 metres (72 ft), leaving only 4.5 metres (15 ft) for the passenger compartment, which accommodates just three rows of seating.[8] The differing designs are intended to compare aerodynamic drag and the "tunnel boom" noises generated by pressure waves as trains enter and exit tunnels.[9]

Cars 1–6 were manufactured by Kawasaki Heavy Industries, while cars 7–10 were manufactured by Hitachi. Among the intermediate cars, cars 3 and 7 have smaller windows to evaluate wind resistance, while car 5 has no windows. These cars are used to assess vehicle structure and interior environmental conditions based on window size and configuration. Car 8, a prototype Gran Class car, is divided into two compartments to allow comparative evaluation of passenger comfort. Testing equipment is installed in both lead cars (cars 1 and 10) as well as the central car (car 5).[4][9]

The trainset is also equipped with different pantograph and sound-insulation fin configurations to assess noise generation and aerodynamic performance. Cars 3 and 7 are fitted with functional pantographs and sound-insulation fins, cars 4 and 6 are equipped with pantograph bases only, and car 5 carries a non-power-collecting pantograph.

The E956 incorporates eddy current brakess and an aerodynamic braking system mounted on the roof, commonly referred to as air brakes or spoilers.[10]

  • Car 1, with angular nose
    Car 1, with angular nose
  • Car 2
    Car 2
  • Car 3, with smaller windows
    Car 3, with smaller windows
  • Car 4
    Car 4
  • Car 5, with no windows
    Car 5, with no windows
  • Car 6
    Car 6
  • Car 7, with smaller windows
    Car 7, with smaller windows
  • Car 8, prototype Gran Class car
    Car 8, prototype Gran Class car
  • Car 9, prototype Green car
    Car 9, prototype Green car
  • Car 10, with 22-metre (72 ft) nose
    Car 10, with 22-metre (72 ft) nose

History

JR East officially announced its plans to build a ten-car ALFA-X test train on 4 July 2017, to be delivered in spring 2019 for extensive testing and evaluation.[1]

The body of car 1 was unveiled at Kawasaki Heavy Industries' Hyogo Works on December 12, 2018. The body of car 10 was unveiled at Hitachi's Kasado Works on February 8, 2019.

The finished train was unveiled on 9 May 2019.[2]

The train reached a speed of 320 km/h (200 mph) in May 2019, matching the top operating speed of the fastest services on the line.[11] By June that same year, the train was regularly measured to be running at 360 km/h (225 mph) by rail enthusiasts.[12]

The train was first observed running at the announced top planned test speed of 400 km/h (250 mph) on 14 December 2019.[13]

The train was observed in Hokkaido for cold weather testing on 12 February 2020[14] and 3 February 2021.[15]

E10 Series Shinkansen

The E10 Series Shinkansen, which will enter commercial service in FY2030, will be developed based on the technology demonstrated in the ALFA-X, but its commercial service at 360 km/h has been postponed because the extension of the Hokkaido Shinkansen line to Sapporo has been postponed until the late 2030s. The trains to be introduced when the line is extended to Sapporo will be based on the E10 series.[16][17]

In January 2025, The Hindustan Times reported, citing anonymous sources, that the production version of the ALFA-X, known as the E10, may simultaneously enter service in Japan and on the Mumbai-Ahmedabad high-speed rail corridor in 2029 or 2030.[18] The International Railway Journal, however, claimed on the contrary that Japan was "reportedly unwilling to offer the new-generation Shinkansen to India".[19]

Wireless communication experiment

On January 28, 2021, JR East and NTT Docomo announced that they conducted a demonstration experiment of 5G wireless communication services on the Tohoku Shinkansen between Sendai Station and Shin-Aomori Station from October to December 2020, traveling at a speed of 360 km/h.[20] 5G has the problem of unstable communication quality due to the Doppler effect and the influence of obstacles around the tracks, so NTT Docomo had been conducting demonstration experiments since 2017.[20] Equipment compliant with 3GPP international standard specifications was used for the demonstration experiment, and as a result, high-speed communication with 5G was sufficient, and high-definition 4K and 8K video was stably transmitted via 5G.[20]

In media

The ALFA-X is featured in the film Bullet Train Explosion.[21]

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 "JR East to build ALFA-X 360 km/h Shinkansen testbed". Railway Gazette. 7 July 2017. http://www.railwaygazette.com/news/single-view/view/jr-east-to-build-alfa-x-360-kmh-shinkansen-testbed.html. 
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Geuss, Megan (10 May 2019). "Japanese railway company starts testing 249mph bullet train speeds" (in en-us). Ars Technica. https://arstechnica.com/cars/2019/05/japanese-railway-company-starts-testing-249mph-bullet-train-speeds/. 
  3. ↑ Kusamachi, Yoshikazu (4 July 2017). "Error: no |title= specified when using {{Cite web}}" (in ja). Response. Japan: IID Inc.. https://response.jp/article/2017/07/04/296972.html. 
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 The Tohoku Shinkansen: Full Speed Ahead, Japan Railway Journal (television program). NHK World. 13 April 2023. Event occurs at 7:44. Retrieved 13 April 2023.
  5. ↑ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named ref3
  6. ↑ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named ref4
  7. ↑ Ueshin, Daisuke (4 July 2017). "Error: no |title= specified when using {{Cite web}}" (in ja). Mynavi News. Japan: Mynavi Corporation. http://news.mynavi.jp/news/2017/07/04/215/. 
  8. ↑ "ALFA-X nose is 22 m long". DVV Media International Ltd. 14 February 2019. https://www.railwaygazette.com/news/news/asia/single-view/view/alfa-x-nose-is-22nbspm-long.html. 
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 "JR東日本E956形「ALFA-X」新幹線の試験車両を報道公開 - 写真84枚 | マイナビニュース" (in ja). 2019-05-09. https://news.mynavi.jp/article/20190509-e956alfax/. 
  10. ↑ ALFA-X: The Next Generation Shinkansen Experimental Train. Railvolution, no. 1, 2019, p. 28.
  11. ↑ "JR East shinkansen ALFA-X prototype hits 320 km/h in test run in northeastern Japan" (in en-US). The Japan Times Online. 2019-05-16. ISSN 0447-5763. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2019/05/16/business/corporate-business/jr-east-shinkansen-alfa-x-prototype-hits-320-kph-test-run-northeastern-japan/. 
  12. ↑ (in en) ALFA-X(E956) 360km/h走行へ－ 2019.6.8-9, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZbAvKcJ4oYQ, retrieved 2019-09-22 
  13. ↑ (in en) ALFA-X(E956) 400km/h走行へ 2019.12.14-15, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T9Vma8SeBfQ, retrieved 2019-12-16 
  14. ↑ 次世代新幹線、試験車両が道内初走行　新函館北斗で報道陣に公開 - Hokkaido Shinbun (02/15/2020)
  15. ↑ "【4K】ALFA-X(E956) 北海道遠征まとめ 2021.2.3-11". https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zJoUYZZY0Bg&fbclid=IwAR2pZmWz1TeKf2r2WbV94q7xkyY85R0OMyoDwiEeCy6-xzJV6YGKAxWQjCo. 
  16. ↑ "Error: no |title= specified when using {{Cite web}}" (in ja). JR East. 4 March 2025. https://www.jreast.co.jp/press/2024/20250304_ho03.pdf. 
  17. ↑ "Error: no |title= specified when using {{Cite web}}" (in ja). Tabirisu. https://tabiris.com/archives/e10-glanclass/. 
  18. ↑ "India may get newer, faster bullet train — at the same time as Japan" (in en-us). Hindustan Times. 2025-01-21. https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/india-may-get-newer-faster-bullet-train-at-the-same-time-as-japan-101737398784690.html. 
  19. ↑ Jha, Srinand (January 21, 2025). "India and Japan in deadlock over high-speed rolling stock contract". International Railway Journal (Simmons-Boardman Publishing). https://www.railjournal.com/passenger/high-speed/india-and-japan-in-deadlock-over-high-speed-rolling-stock-contract/. 
  20. ↑ 20.0 20.1 20.2 "5G communication successfully achieved on ALFA-X traveling at 360 km/h ~ Aiming for a comfortable mobile communication environment and high added value travel space on high-speed railways". NTT Docomo, East Japan Railway Company. 28 January 2021. https://www.jreast.co.jp/press/2020/20210128_ho01.pdf. 
  21. ↑ "Shinkansen Explosion from Netflix may look like Speed rip-off, but its roots go farther back【Vid】". SoraNews24 -Japan News-. 5 March 2025. https://soranews24.com/2025/03/05/shinkansen-explosion-from-netflix-may-look-like-speed-rip-off-but-its-roots-go-farther-back%E3%80%90vid%E3%80%91/. 

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