H5 Series Shinkansen


The H5 series is a Japanese Shinkansen high-speed train type owned by Hokkaido Railway Company for use on Tohoku and Hokkaido Shinkansen services since 26 March 2016. Based on the earlier E5 series trains, a total of four 10-car sets were built by Hitachi and Kawasaki Heavy Industries at a cost of approximately 18 billion yen. The first two sets were delivered in October 2014.

Operations

, H5 series trainsets work in a pool with similar JR East E5 series trainsets, and are used on the following services on the Tohoku and Hokkaido Shinkansen lines:
The H5 series is the first JR Hokkaido train type to use the "H" prefix, following the method used by JR East.

Design

The H5 series is directly based on the E5 series trains operated by JR East on the Tohoku Shinkansen since 2011, and has an identical maximum operating speed of, although this is limited to on the Hokkaido Shinkansen, and to on the dual gauge track extending through the undersea Seikan Tunnel connecting Hokkaido with mainland Honshu. All cars feature active suspension, and tilt by up to 1.5 degrees through curves, allowing the maximum speed of 320 km/h to be maintained even on curves with a radius of 4,000 m. The units feature a number of cold-weather improvements, including an upgraded snowplow on the lead units, durable rubber to protect the various connections between cars and a stainless-steel underframe to protect the electronics.

Exterior

The exterior finish of the trains is similar to the JR East E5 series, with a colour scheme of "Tokiwa" green for the upper body and "Hiun" white for the lower body, separated by a "Saika" purple stripe intended to evoke images of lilac, lupin, and lavender flowers for which Hokkaido is famous. Bodyside logos are carried on cars 1, 3, 5, 7, and 10.

Interior

The trains have three classes of accommodation: premium Gran Class, Green class, and Ordinary class.

Gran Class

Car 10 is designated "Gran Class", featuring 18 seats arranged in 2+1 abreast configuration with a seat pitch of. AC power outlets are provided for all seats. The carpet in the Gran Class car is blue with a pattern intended to evoke images of Hokkaido's sea and lakes.

Green car

Car 9 is designated as "Green car" accommodation with 55 seats arranged in 2+2 abreast configuration and a seat pitch of. AC power outlets are provided for all seats. The carpet in the Green car is dark grey with a pattern depicting the ocean with fragments of drift ice.

Ordinary class

Ordinary class accommodation is arranged in 3+2 abreast configuration with a seat pitch of. AC power outlets are provided for all seats. The interior of the ordinary-class cars is intended to evoke images of snow and the night view of Hakodate.

Formation

The 10-car sets, numbered "H1" onward, are formed with eight motored cars and two non-powered trailer cars. Car 1 is at the southern end. Cars 3 and 7 each have one N-PS208 single-arm pantograph.
Car No.12345678910
DesignationT1cM2M1M2M1kM2M1M2M1sTsc
NumberingH523H526-100H525H526-200H525-400H526-300H525-100H526-400H515H514
Capacity29988598599885985518
FacilitiesToilet Toilet, cardphone Toilet, AED, cardphone, wheelchair space Toilet Toilet, wheelchair space, conductor's compartment

History

Details of the new trains on order were announced by JR Hokkaido in April 2014. The first set, H1, was shipped from Kawasaki Heavy Industries in Kobe to Hakodate Depot in October 2014. The second set was also delivered in October 2014.
In November 2014, JR Hokkaido officially announced details of the bodyside logos to be applied to the trains, combining an outline of Hokkaido with an image intended to portray the gyrfalcon native to Hokkaido.
Slow-speed test-running on the Hokkaido Shinkansen tracks within Hokkaido commenced from 1 December 2014, with the maximum speed of 260 km/h reached on 26 December. Test-running on the Tohoku Shinkansen south of Shin-Aomori commenced in November 2015.

Fleet history

, the fleet is as follows.
Set numberManufacturerOfficial delivery date
H1Kawasaki Heavy Industries1 November 2014
H2Hitachi8 November 2014
H3Kawasaki Heavy Industries23 May 2015
H4Kawasaki Heavy Industries3 August 2015