Tokyo-Hakata shinkansen trains to offer private rooms from FY 2026

Shinkansen bullet trains linking Tokyo, Osaka and Hakata will start to offer special seats in dedicated rooms from fiscal 2026 as its operator seeks to satisfy growing demand for luxury and privacy on rail journeys. Central Japan Railway Co. plans to install two private rooms per bullet train, equipped with reclining seats with foot rests. Passengers can have access to Wi-Fi, and adjust settings such as lighting, air-conditioning and audio based on their preference. The new seats to be installed on some N700S trains will be designed to give an improved travel experience to customers, going a step further than the already more expensive "green car" seats currently available. Image of a private room on the Tokaido Shinkansen. (Photo courtesy of Central Japan Railway Co.)(Kyodo) The operator is considering offering the new service between Tokyo and Hakata, a ward in the city of Fukuoka in the southwestern prefecture of the same name. Around 10 percent of the roughly 130 shinkansen trains could be installed with private rooms, each available for one or two passengers. "We will make sure necessary hardware is in place to cater to the diversifying needs of our customers," JR Central President Shunsuke Niwa told a recent press conference in Tokyo. An N700S series bullet train on the Tokaido Shinkansen line is shown in this file photo taken on July 1, 2020, in Kanagawa Prefecture near Tokyo. (Kyodo) Tokaido shinkansen trains used to have private rooms but they were abolished to increase the number of seats in 2003 when the 100-series cars went out of service. Shinkansen bullet trains are among the popular forms of public transport in Japan. The country is pinning hopes on inbound tourism to help drive economic growth, after the tourism sector was pounded by the COVID-19 pandemic. Related coverage: Golden Week holidays start amid post-COVID tourism boom, weak yen Snake found on bullet train at Tokyo Station, service delayed Japan railway firm pushes back maglev plan, possibly to 2034 or later

Apr 29, 2024 | KYODO NEWS