Private rooms to be revived on Tokaido Shinkansen

JAPAN: Central Japan Railway has announced plans to reintroduce private compartments on the Tokaido Shinkansen. Due to be available for passengers during 2026, there will be two private rooms in a N700S trainset ― the company says the rooms will be gradually introduced on some of the N700S fleet.

JR Central says its decision responds to ‘the diversifying needs of our customers due to changes in lifestyles and work styles’. The aim is to offer ‘a more comfortable business environment … with completely private seats with a high sense of privacy and security’. Facilities will include dedicated wi-fi, reclining seats with leg rests, individually adjustable lighting and air-conditioning as well as controls to adjust the volume of train announcements.

The private compartments will be designed to appeal to various user groups, including passengers who wish to have uninterrupted private meetings and others seeking relaxation ‘without worrying about their surroundings’.

JR Central says it will announce further details and prices at a later date and will in the meantime continue to consider new seating options for its Shinkansen fleet.

Private compartments were a feature of the Series 100 trainsets introduced on the Tokaido Shinkansen in 1985. These had two double-deck cars, one of which had green car seating on the upper deck and nine private compartments on the lower deck: five for one person, three for two people and one for three. The other double-deck vehicle was a restaurant car, with upper deck seating and a kitchen below. All Series 100 units were withdrawn from the Tokaido Shinkansen by 2003 and private compartments were not available on the Series 300 and Series 700 sets that succeeded them on the route.