Central Japan Railway Co. (JR Tokai) and West Japan Railway Co. will spend a combined ¥200 billion more on new bullet trains than originally planned as they move to adopt more fuel-efficient cars, the two companies said Wednesday.
The two railways will increase their fleets of model N700 bullet trains to 96 by March 2012, compared with the originally planned 54, they said in a joint statement. The companies will spend the money by the end of fiscal year 2011.
JR Tokai is the nation's largest operator of shinkansen. It said in March it is boosting capital spending to an eight-year high of ¥329 billion this fiscal year as it buys bullet trains and spends more on safety.