A double-decker’s aerodynamic problem
The development account links the revised nose and roof ventilation to exterior noise and tunnel pressure-wave control. The large body required attention to airflow beyond the cab alone.
Shinkansen
E4 · Tōhoku · Jōetsu
Look closer
Two decks meet a much longer, lower nose than E1.
Technical profile
E4 · one eight-car set · 1999/2013 specifications
Two eight-car sets could form a sixteen-car train. The electrical equipment uses IGBT switching; the aluminium body helped reduce the mass of an all-double-deck train.
| Formation · cars / M / T | 8 · 4M4T |
|---|---|
| Train length | 201 m |
| Body width | 3,380 mm |
| Output per motor | 420 kW · continuous |
| Electrical supply | AC 25 kV · 50 Hz |
| Train protection | DS-ATC |
| Traction control | IGBT · three-level PWM 2 |
M = powered car; T = unpowered car. Figures describe one set.
Evidence · 2026-11-07
- JR-East Shinkansen · JR East · Yagishita · 2013 · Slide “Features of rolling stock”, comparison table
- 社会・産業・家庭 · E4系2階建新幹線電車 · 日立製作所 · 日立評論 · 1999-01 · 交通システム · E4系2階建新幹線電車
Inside the engineering
E4 development features · Hitachi 1999 introduction
| Roof air-conditioning | Revised air intake and discharge arrangement |
|---|---|
| Acoustic design | Reduced transformer and traction-motor noise |
| Structure | Aluminium construction for a lighter double-deck train |
Technical sources and page references
- 東日本旅客鉄道株式会社納めE4系2階建新幹線電車
日立評論 · 1999-01 · 交通システム / E4系2階建新幹線電車; indexed original excerpt (full PDF exceeds retrieval limit)
Details from the literature
Why build a double-deck Shinkansen?
Hood connects the E4’s capacity with growing commuter use around Tokyo. Two decks and the ability to couple trains addressed concentrated demand. His historical photographs also show why a lower-deck window could face a sound barrier rather than an open landscape.
Seating
In an old interior photo, look for the aisle and the nearest automatic door. On the upper deck of cars 1–3, the rows narrowed from six seats to four near that door. The second car numbers apply to a coupled set.
| Upper deck | Car 1–3 / 9–11 | 3 + 3 |
|---|---|---|
| Upper deck at the doors | Car 1–3 / 9–11 | 2 + 2 |
| Upper deck | Car 4–6 / 12–14 | 2 + 3 |
Seat plans and sources · JR東日本 · E4系MAX大解剖
Sources and updates
Checked 2026-11-07