The Class E956, branded "ALFA-X" is a ten-car experimental Shinkansen train operated by East Japan Railway Company in Japan to test technology to be incorporated into future shinkansen trains operating in service at speeds of up to. The name is an acronym for "Advanced Labs for Frontline Activity in rail eXperimentation". The first train was unveiled on May 9, 2019. The Plarail "Ippai Tsunago" Shinkansen Test Train ALFA-X began to be sold on December 26, 2019. Its test run is mainly performed in sections between Sendai and Shin-Aomori of the Tohoku Shinkansen line.
Design
The experimental trainset is being tested at speeds of up to around to evaluate new technologies to be incorporated into new trains to operate in revenue service at speeds of up to. It tests new technologies including dampers to reduce vibration and reduce the likelihood of derailment in major earthquakes. It also tests body designs that reduce snow adherence in wintry conditions. The E956 train evaluates two different end car nose profiles, just like the earlier Fastech 360. The nose of car 1 is 16 meters long, and is a brand new design, while the nose of car 10 is similar to the E5 Series Shinkansen and H5 Series Shinkansen, but is 22 meters long, with only 4.5 meters remaining for passengers with three rows of seating. The E956 features eddy current brakes and an aerodynamic braking system attached to the car's roof, called air brakes or spoilers.
History
JR East officially announced its plans to build a ten-car ALFA-X test train on 4 July 2017, to be delivered in spring 2019 for extensive testing and evaluation. The finished train was unveiled on May 9th, 2019. The train reached a speed of in May 2019, matching the top operating speed of the fastest services on the line. By June that same year, the train was regularly measured to be running at by rail enthusiasts. The train was first observed running at the announced top planned test speed of on December 14, 2019. Tha train was observed in Hokkaido on February 12, 2020.
