Japan’s New Shinkansen Inspection Train Soar to Enter Service on JR East Lines
JR East will launch its new Shinkansen inspection train, nicknamed Soar, in fiscal 2029. Meanwhile, the famous inspection train Doctor Yellow, run by JR Central and JR West, is set to retire in January 2027.
Japan’s JR East plans to introduce a new Shinkansen inspection train called Soar on multiple lines. Nicknamed after its soaring capabilities, the E927 series will be the first train capable of conducting inspections at maximum Shinkansen speeds of 320 kilometers per hour. Equipped with 48 cameras, Soar will monitor track distortion, rail loads, and railway infrastructure like overhead power lines and tunnels to promptly identify abnormalities.
Soar is set to enter service in fiscal 2029, succeeding the current East-i inspection train. Introduced in 2002, the E926 Series East-i operates at speeds up to 275 kilometers per hour and runs irregularly on the same Shinkansen lines. The popular "Doctor Yellow" inspection train, based on the 923 and 922 Series Shinkansen, has been operating on the Tōkaidō and San’yō Shinkansen lines since 2002, retiring in January 2027.
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