West Japan Railway Company (JR West) has announced that it will end regular operations of the 500 series Shinkansen on January 13, 2027.
After that, following operation as special trains and the like, commercial service will end in July of the same year. A retirement commemorative logo and key visual will be created and, from July onward, displayed on the sides of cars 1 and 7 of some 500 series trainsets.
Prior to the end of operation, JR West will operate a special overnight service on July 31, a tour on August 2 that allows participants to enter the Hakata General Rolling Stock Depot, and on August 30 a round-trip tour featuring a non-stop run on an upward service.
The 500 series entered commercial service in March 1997, operating at what was then Japan’s fastest speed of 300 km/h, linking Shin-Osaka and Hakata stations in as little as 2 hours and 17 minutes. Since 2008, the trainsets have been modified into 8-car formations and have been operating as “Kodama” services.
Commemorative ekiben (boxed railway meals) will go on sale sequentially from July 1, commemorative goods from July 7, and items generated from scrapped cars from late July.
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