E4 Series Shinkansen

The E4 series (E4系) was a high-speed Shinkansen electric multiple unit train type operated by East Japan Railway Company (JR East) in Japan. They were the second series of completely bi-level Shinkansen trainsets to be built in Japan (the other being the E1 series). They previously operated on the Tōhoku and Jōetsu Shinkansen, and occasionally on the Nagano Shinkansen. E4 series trains feature double-decker cars to accommodate additional commuter traffic around Tokyo and other urban areas.^[1] They were often coupled to 400 series trains on the Tōhoku Shinkansen between Tokyo and Fukushima before the latter retired in April 2010 along with the E3 series trains until September 2012. The last trains of the E4 series were withdrawn from regular service on 1 October 2021.

E4 series
E4 series train set P20 on a Joetsu Shinkansen Max Tanigawa service in February 2021
In service	20 December 1997 – 17 October 2021 (23 years, 301 days)
Manufacturer	Hitachi, Kawasaki Heavy Industries
Family name	Max
Constructed	1997–2003
Entered service	December 1997 (Tohoku Shinkansen) May 2001 (Joetsu Shinkansen)
Scrapped	2013–2022
Number built	208 vehicles (26 sets)
Number in service	None
Number preserved	1 vehicle
Number scrapped	207 vehicles (26 sets)
Successor	E7 series
Formation	8 cars per trainset
Fleet numbers	P1–P22, P51–P52, P81–P82
Capacity	817 (54 Green + 763 Standard)
Operators	JR East
Depots	Niigata, Sendai
Lines served	Joetsu Shinkansen, Tōhoku Shinkansen
Specifications
Car body construction	Aluminium
Car length	End cars: 25,700 mm (84 ft 3+13⁄16 in), Intermediate cars: 25,000 mm (82 ft 1⁄4 in)
Width	3,380 mm (11 ft 1+1⁄16 in)
Doors	2 per side
Maximum speed	240 km/h (150 mph)
Weight	428 t
Traction system	IGBT-VVVF (Mitsubishi Co.)
Traction motors	16 x 420 kW (563 hp) AC traction motors
Power output	6.72 MW (9,012 hp)
Acceleration	1.65 km/(h⋅s) (1.03 mph/s)
Deceleration	2.69 km/(h⋅s) (1.67 mph/s) (service) 4.04 km/(h⋅s) (2.51 mph/s) (emergency)
Electric system(s)	25 kV AC, 50 Hz overhead catenary 25 kV AC, 50 Hz and 60 Hz (Sets P81 and 82 only, for use on Hokuriku Shinkansen.)
Current collector(s)	Pantograph
UIC classification	2′2′+Bo′Bo′+Bo′Bo′+2′2′+2′2′+Bo′Bo′+Bo′Bo′+2′2′
Braking system(s)	Pneumatic and Regenerative
Safety system(s)	ATC-2, DS-ATC
Multiple working	400/E3-1000/E3-2000 series
Track gauge	1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) standard gauge

Two eight-car sets can be coupled together for extra capacity: a sixteen-car E4 series formation trainset carries a total of 1,634 seated passengers, the highest-capacity high-speed rail trainset in the world.^[2]

26 units were built between 1997 and 2003. As with the earlier E1 series trains, maximum speed was 240 km/h (150 mph).

Operations

E4 series sets were used on the following services.

• Joetsu Shinkansen
  • Max Asahi (7 May 2001 – November 2002)^[3]
  • Max Tanigawa (7 May 2001 - 1 October 2021)^[3]
  • Max Toki (7 May 2001 - 1 October 2021)^[3]
• Tohoku Shinkansen
  • Max Nasuno (20 December 1997 - 28 September 2012)
  • Max Yamabiko (20 December 1997 - 28 September 2012)
• Hokuriku Shinkansen
  • Max Asama (22 July 2001 - 15 September 2003)^[4]

Formation

Car No.	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8
Designation	T1c	M1	M2	T	Tk	Mp	Ms	Tpsc
Numbering	E453-100	E455-100	E456-100	E458	E459-200	E455	E446	E444
Seating capacity	75	133	119	124	110	122	91	43

Cars 4 and 6 were each equipped with a PS201 pantograph.^[5]

Variants

Sets P51 and P52, delivered in January and February 2001 were designed to cope with the steep gradients of the Nagano Shinkansen for use on services to Karuizawa.^[5]

Sets P81 and P82, delivered in July and November 2003 were designed to cope with the steep gradients of the Nagano Shinkansen, and are also capable of operating under 50 Hz and 60 Hz overhead power supplies for use on services to Nagano.^[5]

Outside and inside an E4 Series Shinkansen shortly before it was retired.

Interior

As with the earlier E1 series, the upper deck saloons of non-reserved cars 1 to 3 were arranged 3+3 with no individual armrests, and did not recline. The lower decks of these cars, and the reserved-seating saloons in cars 4 to 8 had regular 2+3 seating. The green car saloons on the upper decks of cars 7 to 8 had 2+2 seating. The trains had a total seating capacity of 817 passengers.^[6]

• 
  Green class saloon (upper deck), February 2011
• 
  Standard-class reserved car lower deck with 2+3 seating
• 
  Standard-class non-reserved car upper deck with non-reclining 3+3 seating
• 
  Vestibule area and stairway

History

Set P5 in original yellow-stripe livery in March 2011. Visible at the rear of the train is a connected E3 Series Shinkansen, which is running in tandem with the E4.

The first E4 series set, P1, was delivered to Sendai Depot on 8 October 1997, with the first sets entering revenue-earning service on the Tohoku Shinkansen from 20 December 1997.^[5]

All cars were made no-smoking from the start of the revised timetable on 18 March 2007.^[5]

In March 2011, it was announced that the entire E4 series fleet would be withdrawn by around 2016.^[7]

In September 2012, E4 series were entirely withdrawn from Tohoku Shinkansen services, and all allocated for use on Joetsu Shinkansen services only.^[8] The trains were withdrawn from regular service on 1 October 2021,^[9] and were completely retired on 17 October of the same year.

Livery change

The first set to be reliveried, P5, in April 2014

From 2014, the fleet of 24 sets still in service began to be repainted, receiving a new livery identical to that previously carried by the E1 series trains, with a toki (crested ibis) pink stripe separating the white on the upper body and blue on the lower body. The first reliveried set, P5, was returned to service in early April 2014,^[10] with the entire fleet be treated by the end of fiscal 2015.^[11]

• 
  The new logo, April 2014

Withdrawals

Withdrawals started in July 2013, with sets P2 and P3.^[12]

Preserved examples

Preserved car E444-1 in July 2017

E4 coupling, family name "Multi Amenity eXpress" Max, Tokyo station in August 2008

End car E444-1 from set P1 is displayed at the Niigata City Niitsu Railway Museum in Niitsu, Niigata.^[13] It was moved by road from Niigata Depot to the museum in the early hours of 20 June 2017.^[14]

Fleet list

The build details are as shown below.^[5] All units retired from regular service as of 1 October 2021.

Set No.	Manufacturer	Delivered	Reliveried	Withdrawn
P1	Kawasaki HI	8 October 1997	12 May 2015	2 April 2016[15]
P2	Hitachi	20 October 1997	-	3 July 2013[12]
P3	Kawasaki HI	27 October 1997	-	26 July 2013[12]
P4	Hitachi	10 February 1999	10 February 2016	15 September 2017
P5	Kawasaki HI	22 February 1999	3 April 2014	5 December 2017[16]
P6	Hitachi	15 March 1999	11 June 2014	13 January 2018[16]
P7		14 April 1999	25 March 2015	29 May 2019
P8	Kawasaki HI	31 May 1999	3 July 2015	20 June 2019
P9	Hitachi	21 June 1999	20 August 2015	12 July 2019
P10	Kawasaki HI	12 July 1999	4 February 2015	7 May 2019
P11	Hitachi	26 July 2000	3 March 2016	28 October 2021
P12		28 August 2000	13 April 2016	24 November 2021
P13	Kawasaki HI	11 September 2000	10 May 2016	20 December 2021
P14	Hitachi	13 October 2000	1 June 2016	18 January 2022
P15	Kawasaki HI	16 October 2000	17 October 2016	17 December 2019
P16	Hitachi	27 November 2000	1 May 2014	24 August 2020
P17		21 March 2001	30 September 2014	14 February 2022
P18	Kawasaki HI	4 June 2001	30 April 2015	22 February 2021
P19		25 June 2001	20 August 2015	18 March 2021
P20	Hitachi	16 July 2001	9 October 2015	26 April 2021
P21	Kawasaki HI	9 October 2001	4 November 2015	27 May 2021
P22		20 November 2001	18 December 2015	21 June 2021
P51		31 January 2001	7 July 2014	25 November 2020
P52		20 February 2001	27 August 2014	5 October 2021
P81	Hitachi	30 July 2003	22 July 2015	7 May 2021
P82	Kawasaki HI	20 November 2003	19 January 2016	30 March 2022

See also

• TGV Duplex, French double-deck high speed train
• List of high-speed trains