700 Series Shinkansen

The 700 series is a Japanese Shinkansen high-speed train type built between 1997 and 2006 and entering service in 1999. Called N300 during development, it was the next generation of Shinkansen vehicle, designed jointly by JR Central and JR West for the Tokaido Shinkansen, Hakata Minami Line and San'yo Shinkansen. Its flat duck-bill nose reduces the piston effect as trains enter tunnels, and all cars have semi-active suspension and yaw dampers for ride quality at speed. A sixteen-car unit cost about 4 billion yen, against about 5 billion yen for a 500 series train. Variants include the JR Central 16-car C sets, the JR West 16-car B sets and the JR West 8-car Hikari Rail Star E sets. The last Tokaido Shinkansen run was on 1 March 2020, but the type still operates on the San'yo Shinkansen.