Society

New bullet train to start rolling on July 1

Jan 06 (NHK) - A Japanese railway says that a new bullet train model will be put into service on the Tokaido Shinkansen line on July 1, in time for Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games.

Shinkansen bullet trains began their service in 1964, right before Tokyo hosted the Olympic and Paralympic Games that year.

Central Japan Railway says that the N700S is the first model the company has rolled out in five years. The company plans to introduce five of the trains before the games this summer and 40 by March 2023.

The N700S features a range of new security measures. Each carriage is fitted with six surveillance cameras, while the current model has two.

It can also draw power from built-in lithium-ion batteries to continue running in the event of a power outage.

As the new models are being introduced, the existing 700 series trains, which have been in service for about 20 years, will be retired this March.

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