Tsubasa (train) Information & Tsubasa (train) Links at HealthHaven.com

	Tsubasa
	E3-1000 series Tsubasa
Service type	Shinkansen
Operator	JR East
Line used	Tōhoku Shinkansen, Yamagata Shinkansen
Maximum speed	240 km/h
Started	1992
Rolling stock	400 series, E3 series

The Tsubasa (つばさ^?) is the only service running on the Yamagata Shinkansen, which started in 1992. The services are operated by 7-car 400 series trains and 7-car E3 series trains, which are used interchangeably. They couple with E4 series trains for their journey from Tokyo to Fukushima and travel at 240 km/h. Tsubasa trains are limited to 130 km/h on the Yamagata shinkansen from Fukushima to Shinjō since there are many sharp curves and level crossings, as the line is essentially a regauged narrow-gauge line. From March 2007, all Tsubasa trains were made entirely non-smoking. ^[1]

The Japanese word "tsubasa" means "wing".

A new build of twelve 7-car E3-2000 series trains will replace the older 400 series trains between December 2008 and summer 2009.^[2]

[edit] History

1 July 1992: Service starts using 6-car 400 series trains coupled to a 200 series on Tōhoku Shinkansen tracks between Tokyo and Fukushima.
1 December 1995: Trains are extended to 7 cars.
4 December 1999: Service is extended to Shinjō Station. Two new E3-1000 series sets (L51 and L52) enter service.
21 September 2001: Double-decker E4 series replace the 200 series trains on the Tōhoku Shinkansen.
2005: A third E3-1000 series trainset (L53) enters service.
18 March 2007: All cars are made non-smoking.
20 December 2008: New E3-2000 series trains enter service, replacing 400 series trainsets.^[3]

[edit] References

^ "Shinkansen Routes and Services". Retrieved on 10 August 2008
^ JR East (2007-07-03). "山形新幹線「つばさ」用車両の新造について" (in Japanese) (PDF). Press release. http://www.jreast.co.jp/press/2007_1/20070705.pdf. Retrieved 2008-08-10.
^ "山形新幹線に新型車両" (New Trains for Yamagata Shinkansen). (20 December 2008). Retrieved on 20 December 2008. (Japanese)

[edit] External links

JR East 400 series "Tsubasa" (Japanese)

[0] "Shinkansen Routes and Services". Retrieved on 10 August 2008

[1] JR East (2007-07-03). "山形新幹線「つばさ」用車両の新造について" (in Japanese) (PDF). Press release. http://www.jreast.co.jp/press/2007_1/20070705.pdf. Retrieved 2008-08-10.

[2] "山形新幹線に新型車両" (New Trains for Yamagata Shinkansen). (20 December 2008). Retrieved on 20 December 2008. (Japanese)

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