High-speed delivery: Japan launches 1st bullet train freight service

The aim is to swiftly deliver goods such as fresh produce from the northeastern region of Tohoku to the Tokyo metropolitan area.

The freight service operated for the first time on March 23, with seven freight cars coupled to a Tohoku Shinkansen passenger train, carrying around 800 boxes, which also included scallops and precision machinery. The train departed a railyard in Morioka in the morning and arrived at one in Tokyo about four hours later.

The freight cars are those remodeled from the E3 series of bullet train that once operated on the Yamagata Shinkansen Line, according to JR East. The white bodies of the cars are decorated with images of the cargo they carry, such as fresh produce.

All passenger seats in the train cars have been removed, and each car can carry between 10 and 25 trolleys, each capable of holding up to 120 kilograms of cargo.

JR East said the goods will not be loaded or unloaded at stations to avoid inconveniencing passengers. The freight train cars are coupled with Yamabiko bullet trains and operate on weekdays.

"Its strength is that it can deliver goods with minimal vibration and on time," an official of the company said.

Qazinform reported earlier that Kazakhstan and Japan move to bolster interparliamentary collaboration.