This autumn, the Tokaido Shinkansen will be equipped with private carriages!
- Published on : 19/01/2026
- by : Phoebe
- Youtube
Private compartment on the Tokaido Shinkansen
@JR Tokai
Board now! Starting this autumn, the Tokaido Shinkansen will offer a new experience: private compartments, combining comfort and elegance, as in the days of great rail travel. Discover with Japan Experience.
A tradition that disappeared 23 years ago
Want to travel in total privacy? Central Japan Railway Co (JR Tokai) will introduce fully private compartments on the Tokaido Shinkansen from October 1, 2026.
These compartments mark the return of private carriages to the line for the first time in 23 years, since the retirement in 2013 of the now defunct 100-series double-decker trains. These special compartments complemented a series of dining cars, buffets and cafeterias installed on the Tokaido line between the stations of Tokyo and Shin-Osaka stations.
Intimate compartments
The compartments will be created by redesigning the vestibule area. Each train will have two rooms, one for one person and the other for two. These mini-cars will be equipped with a dedicated Wi-Fi network, as well as individually adjustable lighting and air-conditioning.
Fares have not yet been decided by JR Tokai, but the price of these luxury seats will be higher than that of the green car wagon.
Shinkansen
@Unsplash
This is not the first time JR Tokai has attempted to modernize its facilities. In 2021, the railway tested the S Work car, a carriage allowing business travelers to comfortably use their computers. In 2023, it also introduced the S Work P seat, offering more space and privacy for people traveling in a row of three seats, thanks to a partition placed over the vacant middle seat.
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N700 Shinkansen high-speed train on the Tokaido line
@Wikimedia
If the 2026 operation is a success, JR Tokai plans to install semi-private premium seats in selected Green Car cars in 2027. A new step towards combining comfort and elegance on board Japanese trains, always at the cutting edge of innovation!
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