STAR21

Class 952/953 "STAR21"
Class 952
Class 953
In service1992–1998
ManufacturerHitachi, Kawasaki Heavy Industries, Nippon Sharyo
Constructed1992
Scrapped1998
Number built9 vehicles
Number in serviceNone
Number preserved3 vehicles
Number scrapped6 vehicles
Formation9 cars
Fleet numbersS5
OperatorsJR East
Lines servedTohoku Shinkansen, Joetsu Shinkansen
Specifications
Car body constructionAluminium alloy
Width3,100 mm (10 ft 2 in)
Maximum speed350 km/h (217 mph) (nominal)
Traction systemVariable frequency (GTO)
Electric system(s)25 kV AC, 50 Hz Overhead catenary
Current collector(s)Pantograph
Track gauge1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) standard gauge

"STAR21" was the name given to the Class 952/953 (952・953形) 9-car experimental Shinkansen train developed in 1992 by the East Japan Railway Company (JR East) in Japan to test technology to be incorporated in next-generation shinkansen trains operating at speeds of 350 km/h (217 mph) or higher.[1] The name was an acronym for "Superior Train for the Advanced Railway toward the 21st Century".[2]

  1. ^ プロトタイプの世界 - Prototype World. Japan: Kōtsū Shimbunsha. December 2005. pp. 52–55. OCLC 170056962.
  2. ^ 日本と世界の鉄道カタログ [Japan and World Railway Catalogue]. Japan: Seibido Publishing. July 1992. pp. 36–39. ISBN 4-415-03262-1.