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800 Series Shinkansen

新幹線800系電車

The 800 Series Shinkansen is a Japanese high-speed train type operated by JR Kyushu (Kyushu Railway Company) on the Kyushu Shinkansen, built by Hitachi. It was introduced on the all-stops Tsubame services from 13 March 2004, the day the first section of the Kyushu Shinkansen opened between Shin-Yatsushiro and Kagoshima-Chūō. The type is a six-car electric multiple unit with every car powered; its basic structure follows that of the 700 series, with technical assistance from JR Central and JR West, but the nose shape, interior surfaces, seats, and equipment layout were changed.

An 800 Series Shinkansen on a Tsubame service at Kagoshima-Chūō Station.
An 800 Series Shinkansen on a Tsubame service at Kagoshima-Chūō Station. — Takeshi Kuboki from Amagasaki, Japan · CC BY 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons

History

It has a maximum speed of 260 km/h in service, although its maximum design speed is 285 km/h. Designed by Eiji Mitooka and Don Design Associates, the train abandoned the 700 series' "duckbill" nose for a sharper form, and the livery is white with a red stripe. Because the Kyushu Shinkansen runs largely through tunnels, the interior uses traditional materials evoking Kyushu's warm, natural environment — persimmon-tannin walls, ancient-lacquer doors, a Yatsushiro-rush rope curtain in the lavatory, wooden seats with Nishijin-textile cushions, and wooden flooring, with 2+2 seating; the original sets (U001-U006) also used wooden blinds as sunshades.

JR Kyushu announced in December 2008 that three further "new 800 series" sets would be built ahead of the full Kyushu Shinkansen opening between Hakata and Kagoshima-Chūō in 2011; these later sets (U007-U009) introduced gold-leaf finishes on their inter-car end walls, and the first of them, U007, entered service on 22 August 2009. After the entire route opened on 12 March 2011, the type ran mainly on all-stations Tsubame services, mostly between Hakata and Kumamoto, and on some Sakura services within the line. The 800 series was one of the two recipients of the 45th Laurel Prize from the Japan Railfan Club in 2005.

Timeline
  • 2004Revenue service begins on 13 March on the all-stops Tsubame, coinciding with the partial opening of the Kyushu Shinkansen between Shin-Yatsushiro and Kagoshima-Chūō.
  • 2005Last of the original sets (U006) delivered on 18 July; the 800 series wins the 45th Laurel Prize (Japan Railfan Club) and a Good Design Award.
  • 2008JR Kyushu announces in December that three additional "new 800 series" sets will be built ahead of the 2011 full-line opening.
  • 2009First "new 800 series" set (U007) enters revenue service on 22 August.
  • 2011After the entire Kyushu Shinkansen opens on 12 March, 800 series trains run mainly on all-stations Tsubame services (mostly Hakata-Kumamoto) and some Sakura services within the line.
  • 2016Set U005 derails during the Kumamoto earthquakes on 14 April while running as an out-of-service train.
  • 2018Set U005 is formally withdrawn on 16 March following its earthquake damage.

Sources

Facts last verified 3 June 2026.

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