"Sparkling Dreams Shinkansen" train arriving at Tokyo StationYou may remember that I wrote about the 25th anniversary train on the Disney Resort Line last month. Today, I’d like to share its sequel on a different line.
Let’s take a look at the photos right away. What’s the train in the photos?
It should be an easy question for an international train enthusiast like you. Yes, that’s a Tokaido Shinkansen train—a JR Central N700A series EMU, Set G47. Its nickname is “Sparkling Dreams Shinkansen.”
On June 19 this year, JR Central put the “Sparkling Dreams Shinkansen” into service on the Tokaido Shinkansen. Needless to say, this special wrapped train celebrates the 25th anniversary of Tokyo DisneySea and promotes tourism to Tokyo Disney Resort.
Just like the anniversary train on the Disney Resort Line, you can see Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse and their friends featured on the train bodies. It’s such a fun design!
To photograph this special wrapped train, I checked the special timetable released by JR Central in advance and visited Tokyo Station. I saw many rail fans, families with small children, and inbound tourists taking photos on the platform.
“Sparkling Dreams Shinkansen”—you’re so popular!
For your information, the Tokaido Shinkansen is Japan’s iconic high-speed railway, which opened in 1964. The line is 515.4 km long and connects Tokyo and Shin-Osaka. It has a track gauge of 1,435 mm and uses a 25,000 V, 60 Hz AC overhead catenary system. JR Central operates the line.
The maximum operating speed of Tokaido Shinkansen trains is 285 km/h—not as fast as that of other Shinkansen lines, such as JR East’s Tohoku Shinkansen. One reason is the tight curves along the Tokaido Shinkansen. JR Central is currently constructing a next-generation high-speed railway, the Chuo Shinkansen, with a maximum operating speed of 500 km/h. It is often referred to as the “SCMAGLEV.”
The railway world is changing rapidly.
