!The fastest train and more of what you do not know about the "bullet" train, the pride of Japanese technology
The original "shot" shinkansen connected Tokyo and Osaka in 1964, and since then the network has expanded to cover Japan from Kyushu to Hokkaido, with its trains moving at ever-increasing speeds.
From Kyushu to Hokkaido
The Shinkansen or "shot" train is one of the symbols of Japan. The first track for this train was the Tokaido Shinkansen line from Tokyo to Osaka and was completed before the 1964 Tokyo Olympics. The line was named after the highway that connected eastern and western Japan in the Edo period (1603-1868). The trains running on this line were the first in the world to reach speeds of 200 kilometers per hour and became a symbol of Japan's post-war recovery and subsequent economic miracle. In 1972, the Sanyo Shinkansen line connected Osaka to Okayama, and in 1975 this line was extended to Hakata in Fukuoka Prefecture in Kyushu.
The original first version of the Shinkansen series that ran on the Tokaido and Sanyo lines of the Shinkansen.
Thereafter the network expanded north and northwest from the Tokyo area with the opening of two lines from Omiya in Saitama Prefecture in 1982. The Tohoku Shinkansen line connected to Morioka in Iwate Prefecture, while the Joetsu Shinkansen connected to Niigata City in the prefecture of the same name. However, the Japan National Railway Company, which developed the shinkansen, ran into financial difficulties and underwent privatization and division into several companies in 1987. The management of the Shinkansen line network was taken over by its successor, known collectively as the Japan Railways Group (JR).
At the time, it was almost impossible to fund new routes for the Shinkansen. Instead, JR Corporation devised the so-called “mini shinkansen” in which existing lines were upgraded to be the same width as the lines of the Shinkansen trains. In this way, the Yamagata Shinkansen Line came into operation in 1992 and the Akita Shinkansen in 1997. The maximum speed on these routes is only 130 kilometers per hour, but they are directly connected to the Tohoku Shinkansen.
Later, new shinkansen lines were built by a private government agency (now an independent management agency) and leased to JR Corporation. The Hokuriku Shinkansen line from Takasaki, Gunma Prefecture, to Nagano was also built in this way and opened in 1997 in preparation for the Nagano Winter Olympics the following year. This was a full specification road, not a mini shinkansen, which allowed a top speed of 260 kilometers per hour.
A series of new, full-featured lines and extensions were subsequently constructed. The Tohoku Shinkansen line expanded north to Hachinohe and Aomori in Aomori Prefecture in 2003 and 2010, respectively. In 2004 a new Kyushu Shinkansen linking Kumamoto with Kagoshima opened before a line between Hakata and Kumamoto began operations in 2011. In 2015 the Hokuriku Shinkansen was extended to Kanazawa in Ishikawa Prefecture, while the Hokkaido Shinkansen debuted the following year with a line spanning From Aomori to Hakodate. This means that the Shinkansen network now extended from Kyushu to Hokkaido.
The newest part of the shinkansen network is the Nishi Kyushu Shinkansen, which opened between Takeo in Saga Prefecture and Nagasaki in September 2022. The Hokuriku Line in Kanazawa Prefecture is scheduled to connect with Tsuruga in Fukui Prefecture in 2024. Under current plans, the Hokkaido Shinkansen Line will connect Hakodate with Sapporo in 2031.
increasing speeds
When the Tokaido Shinkansen line began operating in 1964, its top speed was 210 kilometers per hour, and the “Hikari” service linking Tokyo with Osaka covered the distance in 3 hours and 10 minutes. By 1986, an increase in speed to 220 kilometers per hour reduced the flight time to 3 hours. This was soon surpassed in 1992 at 270 kilometers per hour on the new Nozomi service, bringing the flight time down to 2 hours and 30 minutes. In 2015, the top speed was increased to 285 kilometers per hour and the total time for that trip was reduced to just two hours and 22 minutes.
Whereas the Tohoku Shinkansen was launched in 1982 with a maximum speed of 210 kilometers per hour. That speed increased to 240 kilometers per hour in 1985, to 275 in 1992, and to 300 kilometers per hour in 2011. Since 2013, its top speed has reached 320 kilometers per hour, the fastest of any other Shinkansen service.
Railway doctor
In addition to the speed of the Shinkansen, it is famous for its many trips. The Tokaido Shinkansen Line operates an average of more than 340 services per day, with a train running every three minutes during peak hours. The Shinkansen train networks of Tohoku, Jutsu, Hokuriku and Hokkaido also contain more than 320 daily services.
Due to this heavy traffic, there are special trains to ensure the safety of the tracks and equipment. The test trains that run on the Tokaido and Sanyo Shinkansen lines are known as “Doctor Yellow” because of their bright yellow colour. Acting as a "doctor" diagnosing any problems in the rail network, one of those experimental trains runs between Tokyo and Hakata once every 10 days at a top speed of 270 kilometers per hour, checking wires, signals, tracks and other equipment. Because of the rarity of these trains, it is said among people that whoever sees them will have good fortune.
The 'Doctor Yellow' train on one of its missions (Photo courtesy of Pixta).
Theatrical performance on the Shinkansen
Besides the speed and safety of the Shinkansen, operators also aim to provide a high level of service. One example is the cleaning of train cars at stations.
When an EJR Shinkansen service arrives in Tokyo, it has about 12 minutes. It takes 2 minutes for passengers to disembark and 3 minutes for the next passenger to board, which means there is only 7 minutes left to clean up but the quality of work is exceptional during this short period. A single cleaning team consists of 22 people who line the platform before the train arrives and greet the passengers with a big bow. Normally two crewmen in each train car are responsible for collecting rubbish from around 100 seats, manually turning the seats over, then wiping all tables and window frames and changing seat covers as necessary. Once the cleaning is over, the team lines up on the platform and bows again. This “theatrical performance on the shinkansen” might get a wave of applause from the commuters.
Cleaning staff bow to passengers after the shinkansen arrives at Tokyo Station. (Photo courtesy of Pixta)
Next generation
Shinkansen continues to be developed today. Central Japan Railways began construction of a linear shinkansen in 2015 that will use maglev technology to reach speeds of up to 500 kilometers per hour, connecting Tokyo's Shinagawa Station with Nagoya in less than 40 minutes. But concerns about how tunneling for the train tracks will affect water resources in Shizuoka Prefecture have caused delays, meaning operations are unlikely to start in 2027 as originally planned.
Meanwhile, East Japan Railway Company is developing a next-generation Alfa X train with the goal of increasing speeds on the Tohoku and Hokkaido Shinkansen lines. It is targeting commercial operation at a speed of 360 kilometers per hour which would be the world's fastest for a non-magnetic 'maglev' train, and aims to have the new train introduced by the time the Hokkaido Shinkansen line is laid to Sapporo in 2031. The company is also testing automated shinkansen on The Joetsu line, which the company intends to put into operation at some point in the future.
(Originally published in Japanese. Banner photo: A Shinkansen train at Nagasaki Station during a test of the Nishi-Kyushu Shinkansen Line on May 10, 2022.
Jiji.)Source : websites