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| Above, a cleaning crew waits to be given the go-ahead to clean the Joetsu Shinkansen double-decker train in the background at Tokyo Station. Photo by Armand Vaquer. |
During my 2010 trip to Japan, I took an excursion to Niigata to see the Sea of Japan side of Honshu for the fun of it.
I rode the Joetsu Shinkansen to Niigata. It was a double-decker train.
The Japan News (Yomiuri Shimbun) reports that the double-decker Shinkansen cars will be retired October 1.
They wrote:
The E4 series of Shinkansen trains — known for their Max Toki and Max Tanigawa services on the Joetsu Shinkansen line — will retire after their final run on Oct. 1.
The E4 are the only double-decker Shinkansen trains in Japan. Social media accounts operated by East Japan Railway Co. (JR East) have been flooded with messages from passengers and fans, describing their memories of trips and expressing their appreciation.
JR East is planning events and selling commemorative goods on an unusually large scale. Fans and the railway company are united in their desire to send the trains off in style.
The E4 series Shinkansen trains were first introduced to the Tohoku Shinkansen line in 1997 and to the Joetsu Shinkansen line in 2001. The 16-car trains had a seating capacity of 1,634, the most of any high-speed train in the world.
Age and speed were cited as the reasons for retiring the double-decker cars.
To read more, go here.
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