Putting freight on high-speed trains is not usually considered to be a viable idea. After earlier attempts in the USA (Amtrak, 1990s) and Italy (Mercitalia, 2018-2022), now Japan is having a go at it. Declining passenger demand is forcing JR East to fill up their trains by other means.
It used to be a regular high-speed passenger train, the Shinkansen E3-2000 series. Rail operator JR East has removed the seats to make room for freight. The train remains largely the same, with the old doors still in place.
The train took about 3 hours and 15 minutes for the 540-kilometer route to Tokyo on 23 March. Freight, among which is food, medical equipment and machine parts, is loaded with autonomously operated carts.
Besides declining passenger demand, the move to use the high-speed train for freight is also motivated by truck driver shortages. The Shinkansen E3-2000 reaches a top speed of 275 kilometers per hour and can transport 1000 boxes with a weight of 17.4 tonnes.
Italian adventure
The Italian rail freight operator Mercitalia also briefly operated a high-speed service. It launched the service in November 2018, offering a travel time of around four hours at an average speed of 177 kilometres per hour between the northern and southern regions of the country. ‘Mercitalia Fast’ was discontinued after four years in November 2022.