West Japan Railway, or JR West, has said its 500 series Shinkansen bullet trains, which were once among the fastest trains in the world, will be retired in 2027 due to their aging.
The 500 series debuted in March 1997 on the Sanyo Shinkansen line, linking its two terminals, Shin-Osaka Station in Osaka Prefecture, and Hakata Station in Fukuoka Prefecture, as "Nozomi" trains.
It was later introduced also to the Tokaido Shinkansen line, which connects Tokyo Station and Shin-Osaka, to offer seamless services between Tokyo and Hakata. Trains from the series traveled at a maximum speed of 300 kilometers per hour at the time.
In 1997, the 500 series was recognized by Guinness World Records for "fastest train journey" between two neighboring stops, traveling between Hiroshima and Kokura stations on the Sanyo Shinkansen line at an average speed of 261.8 kph.
The 500 series was withdrawn from service as Nozomi at the end of February 2010. Currently, the 500 series, still popular among train enthusiasts partly for its stylish exterior, including a very long nose, is operated as "Kodama" trains, which stop at every station, on the Sanyo Shinkansen line.
Designs from Hello Kitty characters and the Neon Genesis Evangelion anime series were adopted for some 500 series trains.
At a news conference Wednesday, JR West President Kazuaki Hasegawa commended the 500 series for "building an era" in the history of Shinkansen.
JR West plans to additionally introduce new N700S Shinkansen trains.