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Doctor Yellow diagnosis trains to be put out of operation

The diagnosis trains, called Doctor Yellow, which are used to monitor the condition of tracks and overhead lines on the Tokaido and Sanyo Shinkansen lines, will be taken out of service due to their age. Central Japan Railway (JR Central) and West Japan Railway (JR West) announced that they plan to stop operating the trains in January 2025 and 2027 respectively. JR Central and JR West currently have one Doctor Yellow train each, which have been in operation since 2001 and 2005 respectively. An N700S Shinkansen high-speed train (HST) operated by JR Central, which is currently used for passenger rail transport, will be equipped with inspection equipment to take over the role of Doctor Yellow from 2027.