Transport.cat

* Catenary severed at ~200 locations
* Catenary masts bent at ~250 locations
* Columns supporting aerial structures damaged at ~90 locations
* Track damaged at ~20 locations
* Ceilings fell at 5 stations including Sendai
* Bridge girder displacement at 2 locations
* No aerial structure or tunnel collapses

Nozomi wrote:No no, esto son trenes para líneas convencionales. Velocidad máxima de 130 km/h.

Double-decked bullet trains to be scrapped in 5 years

Double-decked bullet trains will be decommissioned in five years from the Tohoku and Joetsu Shinkansen lines, their operator said.

The aging Series E-1 and E-4 trains will retire with the introduction of the most advanced Series E-5 trains capable of traveling at 320 kilometers per hour.

Double-decked E-1 and E-4 trains are called Multi-Amenity Express (MAX) trains. East Japan Railway Co. (JR East) introduced the first 12-car E-1 train for its Joetsu Shinkansen Line in July 1994.

Since all carriages are double-decked, the number of the seating capacity per coach was about 40 percent more than ordinary bullet trains that the company operates. Three seats are installed on both sides of the isle on the upper deck. This has helped ease congestion during rush hours and holiday periods.

Each carriage has an elevator for wheelchairs and a certain space on the upper deck is set aside for passengers in wheelchairs. Moreover, E-1 trains have baby beds and powder rooms.

In particular, seats on the upper decks have enjoyed high popularity with passengers because they command fine views. Currently, six E-1 trains, totaling 72 cars, are operated on the Joetsu Shinkansen Line between Tokyo and Niigata.

Eight-car E-4 trains, whose front cars have longer noses than those of the E-1 to prevent them from creating excessive noise when they enter tunnels, made their debut in December 1997. Two eight-car trains can be linked into a 16-carriage train with a total seating capacity of 1,634, the highest in the world.

Twenty-six E-4 trains, totaling 208 coaches, are operated mainly on the Tokyo-Sendai section of the Tohoku Shinkansen Line.

The service life of bullet trains was initially believed to be about 15 years, but it has been extended by about 10 years because of advancements in maintenance technology.

Seventeen years have passed since the first E-1 train was introduced and 14 years since the introduction of the E-4.

However, some passengers have complained to JR East that the upper deck seats cannot be turned around and others call for the expansion of upper deck isles, while others have pointed out that the boarding positions for MAX trains are different from those for other trains and are confusing.

JR East is scheduled to begin decommissioning older E-1 trains in July next year and put all MAX trains out of service in five years.