| Takenori Wajima | Rolling Stock Engineering Dept., Rolling Stock System Div., Transportation System Div., Industrial Systems, |
| Masakazu Matsumoto | Rolling Stock Systems Design Dept., Kasado Transportation Systems Product Div., Transportation Systems Div., Industrial Systems, |
| Shinichi Sekino | Rolling Stock Electrical Systems Design Dept., Mito Transportation System Product Div., Transportation Systems Div., Industrial Systems, |
Changes in society confront railroads today with challenging issues: how to reduce their environmental impact, reduce their life-cycle costs, and adapt to a shrinking pool of skilled labor that is projected in the years ahead. Hitachi is in the forefront in addressing these issues with its next-generation A-train* aluminum railcar system that is quieter inside, performs better in navigating curves, and provides passengers with a more relaxed and comfortable ride than ever before. The new Series N700 Shinkansen (bullet train) significantly reduces travel times and has been made more environmentally-friendly with a newly designed aerodynamic nose shape and vibration control technology. The N700 also features a new hybrid drive system that was moved quickly into production for its beneficial effects in mitigating environmental impact. It is also significantly lighter and more compact than previous drive systems thanks to advances in control technology, traction inverter, and other circuit technologies. In the area of train control, Hitachi has developed an ATC (automatic train control) system that now, for the first time in Japan, has been used in a subway train. Supporting safe and reliable subway operations, the system deals squarely with the demographic dilemma of a falling birthrate coupled with an increasing elderly population while holding down running costs.
| * | The A in A-train stands for a number of concepts and features characterizing the new system, all starting with the letter A: advanced, amenity, ability and aluminum. |
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Hitachi-Rail.com |
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The Hitachi Hyoron (Japanese Only) |
A-train, FSW, high-speed train, train traction system, power supply converter, IGBT, train control
