Japan's fastest service Shinkansen previewed

The new E5 Shinkansen, which will run on the Tohoku Shinkansen on the extension to Aomori following its opening in December 2010, was demonstrated to the press on December 15th. The E5 will enter regular service in March 2011 and reduce the journey time between Tokyo and Aomori on the northern tip of Honshu island to 3 hours 20 minutes. Current fastest journey time is a little over 4 hours, with a change of trains at the current Shinkansen terminus in Hachinohe.

By the end of 2012 E5 trains are scheduled to run at their maximum service speed of 320km/h. Currently the fastest timetabled services run at 300km/h, on the Sanyo Shinkansen.