300 Series Shinkansen

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300 Series Shinkansen
300 Series train set at Okayama Station, November 2006
In service	1992 - Present
Manufacturer	Nippon Sharyo, Hitachi, Kawasaki, Kinki Sharyo
Number built	1,104 vehicles (69 sets)
Formation	16 cars per trainset
Operator	JR Central, JR West
Depots	Tokyo, Osaka, Hakata
Lines served	Tōkaidō Shinkansen, Sanyō Shinkansen
Specifications
Car body	Aluminium
Car length	25,000 mm (intermediate cars), 26,050 mm (end cars)
Width	3,380 mm
Height	4,440 mm
Maximum speed	270 km/h
Acceleration	1.6 km/h/s
Traction system	40 x 300 kW
Power output	12 MW
Gauge	1,435 mm
Voltage	25 kV AC, 60 Hz overhead

The 300 Series Shinkansen high-speed trainsets for Japan's Shinkansen dedicated high-speed railways were introduced in 1992 on the Tōkaidō and Sanyō Shinkansen lines for use on the fastest Nozomi services, being capable of 270 km/h (168 mph). As more were delivered (66 trains by 1998) they replaced earlier units on Hikari service and allowed the thus displaced 100 Series units to finally in turn displace 0 Series units on almost all services.

The styling of these units is something of a 'curved wedge' at the front, replacing the aircraft-style nosecones of previous Shinkansen trains. The furthest forward point is the very bottom of the pilot. They are painted brilliant white with a medium-thick blue stripe beneath the windows.

They are only found in sixteen-car sets and have no restaurant cars, though they did originally feature two refreshment counters (later removed).

Technically, they are notable for being the first Shinkansen sets to employ three-phase AC traction motors instead of direct current units, as well as new bolsterless bogies to reduce weight.

Following the introduction of the N700 Series, withdrawals of the first 300 series trainsets started in 2007.

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