Fastech 360 is the name given to a pair of former experimental high-speed EMU trainsets developed by East Japan Railway Company (JR East) to test technology for the next-generation Shinkansen rolling stock. The name is a portmanteau of Fast, Technology, and 360 km/h (360 km/h or 225 mph), the target operational speed for production trains based on the new technologies. Speeds of up to 405 km/h (250 mph) were targeted during performance testing.[1] Results of testing using these trains was incorporated into the E5 series and E6 series trains, entering revenue service from 2011, eventually operating at 320 km/h (200 mph).
There were 2 trains:
Class E954 Fastech 360S: 8-car set for use on shinkansen tracks only
Class E955 Fastech 360Z: 6-car set for use on both shinkansen and Mini-shinkansen lines
Fastech 360
Fastech 360 trains were equipped with emergency air braking plates like that of an aircraft, similar in appearance to the ears of a cat. This trait earned them a nickname of Nekomimi Shinkansen (猫耳新幹線), which literally means "cat-eared Shinkansen". This technology was not incorporated in the subsequent E5 series or E6 series trains.[citation needed]
Class E954 Fastech 360S
Class E954 "Fastech 360S"
The Fastech 360S train (stream-line end) at Omiya Station in May 2008
This 8-car set (S9) was delivered on 26 June 2005. Cars 1 to 3 were built by Hitachi, and cars 4 to 8 were built by Kawasaki Heavy Industries.[2]
Car E954-1 has a stream-line profile, reminiscent of the 500 series, and E954-8 has an arrow-line profile more reminiscent of the JR East E2 series and E4 series designs.[3]
The train was withdrawn in September 2009 and scrapped.[4]
This 6-car set (S10) was delivered on 6 April 2006. Cars 1 and 4 to 6 were built by Kawasaki Heavy Industries, and cars 2 and 3 were built by Hitachi[5] The train was withdrawn in December 2008 and scrapped.[2]
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