Fastech 360

Fastech 360 is the name given to a pair of former experimental high-speed <a href="/facts/Electric_multiple_unit/DMfyIY2n">EMU</a> trainsets developed by <a href="/facts/East_Japan_Railway_Company/75Y4HJ7H">East Japan Railway Company</a> (JR East) to test technology for the next-generation <a href="/facts/Shinkansen/Q3lH3fMJ">Shinkansen</a> rolling stock. The name is a <a href="/facts/Portmanteau/d124JEbz">portmanteau</a> of Fast, Technology, and 360 km/h (360 km/h or 225 mph), the target operational speed for production trains based on the new technologies. Speeds of up to 405 km/h (250 mph) were targeted during performance testing. Results of testing using these trains was incorporated into the <a href="/facts/E5_series/1PsFECb6">E5 series</a> and <a href="/facts/E6_Series_Shinkansen/6Y7Ag3Dy">E6 series</a> trains, entering revenue service from 2011, eventually operating at 320 km/h (200 mph).
There were 2 trains:

<ul><li>Class E954 Fastech 360S: 8-car set for use on shinkansen tracks only</li>
<li>Class E955 Fastech 360Z: 6-car set for use on both shinkansen and <a href="/facts/Mini-shinkansen/oQTVcHrp">Mini-shinkansen</a> lines</li></ul>

Fastech 360 trains were equipped with emergency <a href="/facts/Air_brake_(aircraft)/1Fygm3me">air braking</a> plates like that of an <a href="/facts/Aircraft/EhC4mBep">aircraft</a>, similar in appearance to the ears of a cat. This trait earned them a nickname of Nekomimi Shinkansen (猫耳新幹線), which literally means "cat-eared Shinkansen". This technology was not incorporated in the subsequent E5 series or E6 series trains.

Fastech 360 open-in-new

Fastech 360