E4 Series Shinkansen

Template:Short description Template:Use dmy dates Template:Infobox train

The Template:Nihongo was a high-speed shinkansen 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. 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 The last trains of the E4 series were withdrawn from regular service on 1 October 2021.

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.

26 units were built between 1997 and 2003. As with the earlier E1 series trains, maximum speed was Template:Convert.

## Formation

Cars 4 and 6 are each equipped with a PS201 pantograph.

## 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.

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.

 File:Shinkansen E4 - 2021 Sep 30.webm
## Interior

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

TEC SeriesE4 Interior P3 GREEN.jpgGreen class saloon (upper deck), February 2011E4 std lower reserved Sendai 20020825.jpgStandard-class reserved car lower deck with 2+3 seatingE4 std upper non-reserved Sendai 20020824.jpgStandard-class non-reserved car upper deck with non-reclining 3+3 seatingE4 series interior 20140406.jpgVestibule area and stairway
## History

 File:E4+E3 1000 omiya.jpg  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.

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

In March 2011, it was announced that the entire E4 series fleet would be withdrawn by around 2016.

In September 2012, E4 series were entirely withdrawn from Tohoku Shinkansen services, and all allocated for use on Joetsu Shinkansen services only. The trains were withdrawn from regular service on 1 October 2021, and were completely retired on 17 October of the same year.

## Livery change

 File:E4 P5 Max Toki 316 Takasaki 20140407.JPG  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, with the entire fleet be treated by the end of fiscal 2015.

E4 P5 Max logo Takasaki 20140407.JPGThe new logo, April 2014
## Withdrawals

Withdrawals started in July 2013, with sets P2 and P3.

## Preserved examples

 File:Niitsu Tetudou Hakubutsukan E4kei.jpg  End car E444-1 from set P1 is displayed at the Niigata City Niitsu Railway Museum in Niitsu, Niigata. It was moved by road from Niigata Depot to the museum in the early hours of 20 June 2017.

## Fleet list

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

## See also

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

## External links

Template:Commons category

* E4 Series *Max Toki/Max Tanigawa* Template:In lang

Template:Shinkansen Template:High-speed rail Template:JR East EMU

1. ↑ Template:Cite book
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3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 Template:Cite book
4. ↑ Template:Cite book
5. ↑ Error on call to Template:cite web: Parameters **url** and **title** must be specifiedSaito, Masatoshi (9 March 2011). (ja). *Mainichi jp*. The Mainichi Newspapers.
6. ↑ Template:Cite book
7. ↑ JR East to Retire the Last Double-Decker Shinkansen Train – Japan Station.
8. ↑ Error on call to Template:cite web: Parameters **url** and **title** must be specified (ja). *RM News*. Neko Publishing Co., Ltd. (7 April 2014).
9. ↑ 上越新幹線(E4系)のエクステリアデザインが生まれ変わります! (ja). *News release*. East Japan Railway Company – Niigata Division (26 March 2014).
10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 Template:Cite book
11. ↑ Error on call to Template:cite web: Parameters **url** and **title** must be specified (ja). *Tetsudo Hobidas*. Neko Publishing Co., Ltd. (7 June 2017).
12. ↑ Error on call to Template:cite web: Parameters **url** and **title** must be specified (ja). *The Asahi Shimbun* (21 June 2017).
13. ↑ Template:Cite magazine
14. ↑ 14.0 14.1 Template:Cite magazine