The Railway Technical Research Institute (Japanese: 鉄道総合技術研究所 Tetsudō Sōgō Gijutsu Kenkyūsho), officially abbreviated as RTRI (Japanese: 鉄道総研 Tetsudō Sōken), is a subsidiary of the Japan Railways Group specializing in research and development.
History[]
- Main article: Japan Railways Group
By the 1980s, the Japanese National Railways had become practically insolvent due to the decline of rail transport and fare increases failing to compensate for high labor costs. The Japanese National Railways was privatized and split into seven different companies on 1 April 1987, with the Japanese National Railway Settlement Corporation later formed to distribute the funds among the companies. RTRI was formed as a successor to JNR's past research and development divisions. The RTRI was originally formed on 1 April 1907 as the Imperial Railway Administration Railway Research Institute; it would be renamed to Railway Technical Research Institute on 14 April 1942. In its current form the RTRI was founded on 10 September 1986. It is owned by JR Group's seven main companies.
Ikuo Watanabe is RTRI's current president.
Facilities[]
| Name | Location |
|---|---|
| Railway Technical Research Institute | Kokubunji, Tokyo |
| Wind Tunnel Technical Center | Maibara, Shiga |
| Shiozawa Snow Testing Station | Minami-Uonuma, Niigata |
| Hino Civil Engineering Testing Station | Hino, Tokyo |
| Gatsugi Anti-Salt Testing Station | Sanpoku, Niigata |
Former facilities[]
| Name | Location | Operated |
|---|---|---|
| Miyazaki Test Track | Hyūga, Miyazaki, Kyushu | Closed 1996 |
| Hamamatsucho Packaging Laboratory | Minato, Tokyo | Unknown |
| Ninomiya DC Interruption Laboratory | Oiso, Kanagawa | 1955 – Unknown |
| Sapporo Snow Disaster Prevention Laboratory | Sapporo, Hokkaido | April 1963 – Unknown |
| Karikachi Experimental Line | Shintoku, Hokkaido | 1969 – 1979 |
| Funagoya Termite Laboratory | Chikugō, Fukuoka, Kyushu | 1936 – 1955 |
| Tosu Termite Laboratory | Tosa, Saga, Shikoku | December 1955 – April 1969 |
| Civil Engineering Laboratory | Narashino, Chiba | Closed March 1970 |
| "Large Steel Structure" | Kure, Hiroshima | Unknown |
Rolling stock[]
| Image | Name | Manufacturer | Build date | Quantity | Train length | Top speed/Speed record | Purpose | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
ML100 | Hitachi | 1972 | 1 | Single car | 60 km/h (37 mph) | SCMaglev development | Preserved |
|
ML500 | Hitachi | 1977 | 1 | Single car | 517 km/h (321 mph) | SCMaglev development | Preserved |
|
ML500R | Hitachi | 1979 | 1 | Single car | 204 km/h (127 mph) | SCMaglev development | Dismantled |
|
MLU001 | Hitachi | 1980 – 1982 | 3 | 2 or 3 cars per set | 2 car: 405 km/h (252 mph) 3 car: 352 km/h (219 mph) |
SCMaglev development | Stored |
|
MLU002 | Hitachi | 1987 | 1 | Single car | 394 km/h (245 mph) | SCMaglev development | Destroyed |
|
MLU002N | Hitachi | 1992 | 1 | Single car | Unmanned: 431 km/h (268 mph) Manned: 411 km/h (255 mph) |
SCMaglev development | Stored |
|
GCT01 | Kawasaki Heavy Industries, Kinki Sharyo, Tokyu Car Corporation | 1998 | 3 | 3 cars per set | 246 km/h (153 mph) | Gauge Change Train | Scrapped; one car preserved |
|
GCT01-200 | Hitachi, Kawasaki Heavy Industries | 2006 | 3 | 3 cars per set | 270 km/h (168 mph) | Gauge Change Train | Scrapped; one car preserved |
|
FGT-9000 | Hitachi, Kawasaki Heavy Industries | 2014 | 4 | 4 cars per set | 270 km/h (168 mph) | Gauge Change Train | Scrapped |
|
Mo 3301 | Nippon Sharyo | 1961 | 1 | Single car | N/A | Battery-electric powertrain development | Scrapped |
|
Mo 3302 | Nippon Sharyo | 1961 | 1 | Single car | N/A | Battery-electric powertrain development | Ownership transferred |
|
LH02 | Alna Sharyo, GS Yuasa, Tokyu Car Corporation, Tōyō Denki | 2007 | 1 | Single car | N/A | Battery-electric powertrain development | Active |
|
KuYa 497-1 | Kisha Seizō | 1987 | 1 | Single car | N/A | Variable gauge tests, factor of adhesion tests | Scrapped |
|
R291 | Kinki Sharyo | 2005 | 2 | 2 cars per set | N/A | Fuel cell development | Active |
|
KiHa 30 15 | Niigata Tekkō | 1963 | 1 | Single car | N/A | Powertrain development | Active |
|
KiHa 22 299 | Nippon Sharyo | 1963 | 1 | Single car | N/A | Diesel-electric dual mode consist development | Scrapped |
|
KuHa 103-99 | Teikoku Sharyō | 1967 | 1 | Single car | N/A | "Research material" | Scrapped |
|
KuMoHa 103-104 | Nippon Sharyo | 1967 | 1 | Single car | N/A | Direct drive motor development | Scrapped |
|
MoHa 102-230 | Kinki Sharyo | 1969 | 1 | Single car | N/A | Direct drive motor development | Scrapped |
|
KuMoNi 83006 | Nippon Sharyo | 1968 | 1 | Single car | N/A | Diesel-electric dual mode consist development | Ownership transferred |
|
DD51 849 | Mitsubishi Heavy Industries | 1972 | 1 | Single car | N/A | "Research material" | Scrapped |
|
DD16 7 | Nippon Sharyo | 1972 | 1 | Single car | N/A | "Research material" | Ownership transferred |
|
ED77 8 | Toshiba | 1967 | 1 | Single car | N/A | "Research material" | Scrapped |
Preserved vehicles in RTRI facilities[]
| Number | Class | Manufacturer | Original operator | Facility | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 500-901 | 500-900 Series Shinkansen | Kawasaki Heavy Industries | West Japan Railway Company | Wind Tunnel Technical Center | Displayed next to each other; can be viewed from roadside |
| 952-1 | Class 952/953 Shinkansen | Nippon Sharyo | East Japan Railway Company | ||
| 955-1 | Class 955 Shinkansen | Mitsubishi Heavy Industries | Central Japan Railway Company | ||
| ML100 | ML100 | Hitachi | Railway Technical Research Institute | Railway Technical Research Institute | Displayed in facility |
| ML-500 | ML500 | ||||
| MLX01-3 | MLX01 | Mitsubishi Heavy Industries | Central Japan Railway Company | ||
| MLU001-1 | MLU001 | Hitachi | Railway Technical Research Institute | Miyazaki Test Center | Stored out of public view |
| MLU001-2 | |||||
| MLU001-3 | |||||
| MLU002N | MLU002N | ||||
| ML-500R | ML500R | Body only, stored outdoors |
See also[]
| JR rolling stock | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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