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The Japan News/Yomiuri
The Japan News/Yomiuri
National
The Yomiuri Shimbun

Members of public ride 'Dr. Yellow' for 1st time

Members of the general public were allowed to ride a "Doctor Yellow" Shinkansen train for the first time on Wednesday and Thursday.

The trains, which are used to inspect tracks and overhead wires, are named for their diagnostic functionality and vivid yellow bodies.

As part of a special two-day event organized by Central Japan Railway Co. (JR Tokai), passengers rode between Tokyo and Shin-Osaka stations on one of two round-trips. It was the first time since the Nagoya-based company was established in 1987 for members of the public to be on board a Doctor Yellow train while it was running.

The event was heavily oversubscribed, with about 20,000 people applying for 200 tickets.

The participants were able to visit the "observation dome," from which overhead wires are inspected while the train is operating, according to the company.

After the event, a woman in her 50s, said, "Japanese technology is amazing," while a woman in her 20s said, "I feel that we can ride the Shinkansen safely thanks to Doctor Yellow's thorough inspections."

The event was held to celebrate more than 10 million people joining a Shinkansen-related online service offered by the company.

Read more from The Japan News at https://japannews.yomiuri.co.jp/

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