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E1 Series Shinkansen

新幹線E1系電車

The E1 series was a Shinkansen high-speed train type operated by the East Japan Railway Company (JR East) from July 1994 until September 2012, and was the first double-deck train type built for the Shinkansen network. Together with the later E4 series it was marketed under the name "Max" (an acronym for Multi-Amenity eXpress); during test running the sets instead carried "DDS" logos, standing for double-deck Shinkansen. It had originally been planned to be classified as the 600 series, and that designation appeared in a JR East press release, but after JR East revised its Shinkansen numbering method the type was renamed using the initial "E" of "East Japan Railway Company," so the 600 series number went unused.

Refurbished JR East E1 series set M5 approaching Omiya Station on a Joetsu Shinkansen service.
Refurbished JR East E1 series set M5 approaching Omiya Station on a Joetsu Shinkansen service. — Rsa · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons

History

A total of six 12-car trainsets (72 vehicles) were built by Hitachi and Kawasaki Heavy Industries between March 1994 and November 1995. The all-double-deck design was adopted to relieve overcrowding and raise seating capacity for peak commuter demand on the Tōhoku and Jōetsu Shinkansen, prioritising mass transport over outright speed; using 3+3 seating on the upper decks of cars 1 to 4 gave a total capacity of 1,235 passengers per set, with a maximum operating speed of 240 km/h. The first set, M1, was delivered to Sendai Depot on 3 March 1994 and the first two sets entered revenue service on the Tōhoku Shinkansen on 15 July 1994; from 4 December 1999 all six sets were transferred to Niigata Depot and worked Jōetsu Shinkansen services thereafter.

From the 2003 to 2006 fiscal years the fleet was refurbished with new seating and repainted from its original sky-grey/silver-grey livery with a peacock-green stripe into a "stratus white" and "aster blue" scheme separated by an "ibis pink" stripe. As JR East introduced E5 series sets from the March 2012 timetable revision, freed-up E4 series sets replaced the E1; sets M1 and M2 were withdrawn in April 2012 and all regular E1 operation ended with the 29 September 2012 timetable revision (the last scheduled day being 28 September). A commemorative "Thank you Max Asahi" charter ran from Niigata to Tokyo on 27 October 2012, followed by a final "Goodbye E1 Max Toki" run from Tokyo to Niigata on 28 October 2012 using set M4; the type became extinct when M4 was scrapped on 7 December 2012. One car, E153-104 from set M4, is preserved at the Railway Museum in Saitama.

Timeline
  • 1994First set (M1) delivered to Sendai Depot on 3 March; first two sets enter revenue service on the Tōhoku Shinkansen on 15 July as Japan's first all-double-deck Shinkansen, marketed as "Max."
  • 1999From 4 December all six sets are transferred from Sendai to Niigata Depot; E1 operation north of Omiya on the Tōhoku Shinkansen ends and the fleet thereafter works only Jōetsu Shinkansen services.
  • 2003Fleet refurbishment begins (2003-2006 fiscal years): new seating fitted and sets repainted into the "stratus white"/"aster blue" livery with an "ibis pink" stripe; first refurbished set M4 re-entered service on a "Max Toki" run on 28 November.
  • 2012Sets M1 and M2 withdrawn in April; all regular E1 service ends with the 29 September timetable revision (last scheduled day 28 September); final charter runs on 27-28 October with set M4; type becomes extinct when M4 is scrapped on 7 December.

Sources

Facts last verified 3 June 2026.

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