Why the body is so round
The compact rounded cross-section and long nose were developed together to control tunnel pressure waves while preserving cab and equipment space. The 5.6 t figure describes the structural shell, not a complete powered car.
Shinkansen
500 · San’yō
Look closer
What stands out in the nose profile?
先頭形状
A rounded tube tapers into a long, pointed nose.
日本車輌製造 · 500系A rounded tube tapers into a long, pointed nose.
Engineering details
500 series · original 16-car Nozomi configuration
| Formation | 16 cars 1 |
|---|---|
| Body construction | Aluminium honeycomb / single skin 2 |
| Traction control | VVVF inverter 2 |
| Power supply | 25 kV AC · 60 Hz 1 |
| Nose length | 15 m 3 |
Technical sources · 2026-11-07
- 新型高速新幹線電車 · 日立製作所 · 1997-02 · 表1・冊子154頁
- 新幹線の変遷 · 日本車輌製造 · — · 車体材質・台車・制御装置
- JR西日本500系新幹線 · 日本車輌製造 · — · 先頭長15 m・アルミハニカム車体
Inside the engineering
Original sixteen-car 500 series body design · 1997
| Honeycomb bodyshell mass | 5.6 t in the manufacturer’s structural comparison |
|---|---|
| Airtight structural strength | 11.0 kPa in the bodyshell comparison |
| Nose area progression | Profile developed around an ellipsoid-of-revolution model |
Technical sources and page references
- 新型高速新幹線電車
日立評論 · 1997-02 · Printed pp. 153–156; §2.2 and Table 2
Inside the train
On the eight-car Kodama, cars 4–6 have pairs on both sides of the aisle. These are ordinary-class cars. When boarding an end car, the Hakata end of car 1 and Shin-Osaka end of car 8 have no passenger door.
- Car 4–6
- 2 + 2
Sources and updates
Checked 2026-11-07