Japan, Yamaguchi Prefecture, Kudamatsu -The nose accounts for more than 80 percent of the lead car on an experimental bullet train that is designed to set a service speed record of 360 kph.
However, East Japan Railway Co. (JR East) officials say deceleration is taking priority over acceleration in developing the next generation Shinkansen.
JR East on Feb. 8 gave media representatives a sneak peek at the car of the ALFA-X test train at Hitachi Ltd.’s Kasado Works here, one of the development centers.
The experimental train is scheduled to make a test run along the Tohoku Shinkansen Line as early as May.
The nose of the Series E5 train, the current mainstay model, is about 15 meters long.
The long nose is intended to suppress the generation of noise-inducing pressure waves when the train enters a tunnel, officials explained.
Source and full English article: The Asahi Shimbun
http://www.asahi.com/ajw/articles/AJ201902190001.html
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