Tech Soar, JR East's new Dr Yellow

JR East has unveiled the design of its new E927 inspection bullet train, which is due to begin operating on its Shinkansen network in fiscal 2029. The seven-car train, nicknamed "Soar", will replace the current six-car East-i inspection train. It has a white body with asymmetrical green and red stripes. The new inspection train is fitted with 48 cameras and will be able to check rails and overhead power lines while travelling at speeds of up to 320 km/h. That matches the top speed of passenger Shinkansen services and is significantly faster than the East-i's 275 km/h maximum.

The new train, equipped with 48 cameras, can inspect the rails and overhead lines as it travels at a speed of up to 320 kilometres per hour, the same maximum speed as passenger bullet trains and faster than the 275 kph East-i. Soar will be used on the Tohoku, Joetsu and Hokuriku shinkansen lines, as well as the Akita and Yamagata shinkansen lines, which share some sections with local trains. It will also carry a newly developed device that estimates wheel and rail pressure and identifies which rail distortions need to be fixed first.

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