E5 and H5 Series Shinkansen


The E5 series and the H5 series are Shinkansen high-speed train types. A total of 63 ten-car trainsets are being built by Hitachi Rail and Kawasaki Railcar Manufacturing between 2009 and the present.
The E5 series is operated by the East Japan Railway Company on Tōhoku Shinkansen services. A total of 59 sets were ordered, first placed into service on 5 March 2011.
The H5 series, a cold-weather derivative of the E5 series, is operated by the Hokkaido Railway Company on Hokkaido Shinkansen services. Four sets were ordered, with the first entering service on 26 March 2016.

Design

Technology incorporated in the E5 and H5 series trains is derived from the experimental Fastech 360S train tested by JR East.
All cars are equipped with electric active suspension and can tilt up to 1.5°, allowing high speeds on curves with a radius of.
The E5 series initially operated at a maximum speed of, which was raised to between and from the start of the revised timetable on 16 March 2013.

H5

The H5 series is based directly on the E5 series, with an identical maximum operating speed of, although speeds are limited to on the Hokkaido Shinkansen and to on the dual-gauge track through the undersea Seikan Tunnel connecting Hokkaido with Honshu.
The H5 series incorporates cold-weather adaptations, including upgraded snowplows on the lead cars, reinforced rubber connections between cars, and a stainless-steel underframe to protect electronic equipment, replacing the aluminium underframe used on the E5 series. Minor interior differences are also present compared with the E5 series.

Operations

, E5 series and H5 trainsets work with each other, and are used on the following services on the Tōhoku and Hokkaido Shinkansen lines:HayabusaHayateYamabikoNasuno
E5 series trainsets were first introduced on the new Hayabusa services between Tokyo and from 5 March 2011, initially operating at a maximum speed of. From 19 November 2011, a total of six E5 series trainsets were in operation, with sets also used on some Hayate and Yamabiko services. Hayate services operated coupled with E3 series Komachi services, and were limited to a maximum speed of. From the start of the revised timetable on 17 March 2012, E5 series sets were also introduced used on some Nasuno all-stations services.
The H5 series is the first JR Hokkaido train type to use the "H" prefix, following the method used by JR East.

Exterior

The exterior design of both series is based on the experimental Fastech 360S train. The E5 series features a colour scheme of "Tokiwa" green for the upper body and "Hiun" white for the lower body, separated by a "Hayate" pink stripe.
For the H5 series, the pink stripe is replaced by a "Saika" purple stripe, intended to evoke the lilac, lupin, and lavender flowers for which Hokkaido is known.

Interior

The trains have three classes of accommodation: premium Gran Class, Green car, and Ordinary class.

Gran Class

Car 10 is designated "Gran Class", featuring 18 power-reclining "shell" seats with leather seat covers arranged in 2+1 abreast configuration. Originally given the provisional name "Super Green Car", seat pitch in the Gran Class car is. Seats are wide and recline to a maximum angle of 45 degrees. The pre-series set, S11, did not initially include Gran Class accommodation. The carpet in the H5 series's Gran Class car is blue with a pattern intended to evoke images of Hokkaido's sea and lakes. All seats in the H5 series feature AC power outlets.

Green car

Car 9 is designated as "Green car" accommodation with 55 seats arranged in 2+2 abreast configuration. Seat pitch is. Seats are wide and recline to an angle of 31 degrees. The carpet in the H5 series's Green car is dark grey with a pattern depicting the ocean with fragments of drift ice. All seats in the H5 series feature AC power outlets.

Ordinary class

Ordinary-class cars have a seat pitch of, which is larger than on the E2 series trains. Seating is arranged in 3+2 abreast configuration. AC power outlets are provided for window seats and rows of seats at car ends for the E5 series, and all seats for the H5 series. The interior of the H5 series's ordinary-class cars is intended to evoke images of snow and the night view of Hakodate.

Formation

E5

The production E5 series sets are formed as follows, with car 1 at the Tokyo end and car 10 at the Aomori end.
Cars 3 and 7 each have one single-arm pantograph, although only one is normally raised in service.

H5

The 10-car sets, numbered "H1" onward, are formed with eight motored cars and two non-powered trailer cars. Car 1 is at the southern end. Cars 3 and 7 each have one N-PS208 single-arm pantograph.

History

E5 series
The pre-series set, S11, was delivered to Sendai Depot in May 2009 ahead of extensive test running on the Tōhoku Shinkansen. Cars 1 to 5 were built by Hitachi in Yamaguchi Prefecture, and cars 6 to 10 were built by Kawasaki Heavy Industries in Hyogo Prefecture. Set S11 made its first appearance at Tokyo Station on 9 December 2009.
The first full-production set, U2, was delivered to Sendai Depot in December 2010.
In May 2012, the E5 series was awarded the 2012 Blue Ribbon Award, presented annually by the Japan Railfan Club. A formal presentation ceremony was held at Tokyo Station on 20 November 2012.
The pre-series set, S11, was upgraded to full-production standard in February 2013 and renumbered U1. It retains the flush plug doors for the passenger doors immediately behind the driving cabs, whereas the full-production sets have recessed sliding doors.
From the start of the revised timetable on 16 March 2013, the maximum speed in service was raised from to between Utsunomiya and Morioka.

H5 series

Details of the new H5 series trains on order were announced by JR Hokkaido in April 2014. The first set, H1, was shipped from Kawasaki Heavy Industries in Kobe to Hakodate Depot in October 2014. The second set was also delivered in October 2014.
In November 2014, JR Hokkaido officially announced details of the bodyside logos to be applied to the trains, combining an outline of Hokkaido with an image intended to portray the gyrfalcon native to Hokkaido.
Slow-speed test-running on the Hokkaido Shinkansen tracks within Hokkaido commenced from 1 December 2014, with the maximum speed of 260 km/h reached on 26 December. Test-running on the Tōhoku Shinkansen south of Shin-Aomori commenced in November 2015.

Fleet list

E5

Set U1 was the prototype set and originally numbered S11, it was modified February 2013.
, the fleet is as follows.
Set numberManufacturerDate delivered
U1Hitachi/Kawasaki15 June 2009
U2Kawasaki13 December 2010
U3Hitachi31 January 2011
U4Hitachi18 February 2011
U5Hitachi19 August 2011
U6Kawasaki27 September 2011
U7Hitachi13 October 2011
U8Kawasaki14 November 2011
U9Kawasaki5 December 2011
U10Hitachi30 January 2012
U11Kawasaki17 February 2012
U12Kawasaki2 April 2012
U13Hitachi26 April 2012
U14Kawasaki31 May 2012
U15Hitachi11 June 2012
U16Hitachi26 July 2012
U17Kawasaki24 August 2012
U18Kawasaki14 September 2012
U19Kawasaki12 October 2012
U20Hitachi22 November 2012
U21Kawasaki25 December 2012
U22Hitachi31 January 2013
U23Kawasaki22 February 2013
U24Hitachi28 March 2013
U25Kawasaki10 April 2013
U26Hitachi30 May 2013
U27Kawasaki7 June 2013
U28Hitachi26 July 2013
U29Kawasaki7 December 2015
U30Hitachi15 January 2016
U31Kawasaki1 February 2016
U32Hitachi3 February 2017
U33Kawasaki16 January 2017
U34Hitachi13 October 2017
U35Kawasaki19 July 2017
U36Kawasaki25 August 2017
U37Kawasaki21 September 2017
U38Kawasaki9 February 2018
U39Hitachi24 August 2018
U40Hitachi11 January 2019
U41Kawasaki23 March 2018
U42Hitachi4 February 2019
U43Kawasaki4 March 2019
U44Hitachi29 May 2019
U45Hitachi25 February 2020
U46Kawasaki21 September 2021
U47Kawasaki25 April 2023
U48Kawasaki26 June 2023
U49Hitachi6 July 2023
U50Hitachi4 September 2023
U51Hitachi16 October 2023

H5

Set H2 was withdrawn in April 2022 following damage sustained from the 2022 Fukushima earthquake. The set was dismantled as of December 2022, and later moved to a Shinkansen depot in Nanae, Hokkaido where it will be used for staff training.
, the H5 series fleet is as follows.
Set numberManufacturerDate deliveredDate withdrawn
H1Kawasaki1 November 2014
H2Hitachi8 November 201416 September 2022
H3Kawasaki23 May 2015
H4Kawasaki3 August 2015

Accidents and incidents

H5 series set H2, coupled with E6 series set Z9 and operating as Yamabiko No. 223 bound for Sendai, derailed during the 2022 Fukushima earthquake while traveling between Fukushima and Shiroishi-Zaō stations. There were no injuries on board.

Planned export to India

The E5 series trains with a red and grey livery were chosen for use on the under-construction Mumbai–Ahmedabad high-speed rail corridor in India. A total of 24 trains were planned to be purchased while the deal for the first six was intended to be signed by the end of March 2024.
Hitachi and Kawasaki Heavy Industries started talks with Indian Railways on design changes such as the modification of the air conditioning system in order for it to operate efficiently at temperatures up to 50 degrees Celsius. One of the goals of Indian Railways was to replace the high-end technical offerings on Japan's train sets with indigenous bio-toilets. Similarly, the primary languages for documentation of facility usage instructions was to be Hindi and English.
A thorough technical study was commissioned by National High Speed Rail Corporation Limited with HKC Consortium in Japan. The goal was to determine the adjustments needed for the rolling stock to run efficiently under Indian climatic conditions. The existing HVAC systems are usually sufficient, but a few minor layout adjustments are needed to maximize performance. To control dust levels, filter cleaning frequency must increase. The heavier weight of the cooling equipment was a hurdle throughout the redesign phase since it could affect energy efficiency. The power needed to maintain high speeds rises with weight, which may have an impact on the train's overall performance. To make matters more complicated, Indian passengers' average weight, including their luggage, is greater than that of Japanese passengers. A weight calculation analysis showed that simply by providing fewer seats, the Shinkansen in India could keep its weight similar to that of Japan's.
However, due to increasing costs and postponements in delivery, India moved to consider indigenously built trains. In April 2025, it was reported that Japan will provide India with two Shinkansen train sets, the E5 series and the E3 series, to support the testing and interim operation. These would operate in parallel with 280 km/h sets developed by India's Integral Coach Factory in collaboration with BEML. Following this, E10 series Shinkansen trains will be delivered in 2030.

In media

The E5 series is featured in the anime Shinkansen Henkei Robo Shinkalion as the "Shinkalion E5 Hayabusa". The H5 series also is featured, referred to as the "Shinkalion H5 Hayabusa". Both trainset types have been featured in all current installments of the franchise.
The H5 series is featured in the film Bullet Train Explosion.