The Shinkansen is a network of high-speed railway lines in Japan operated by five Japan Railways Group companies. Starting with the Tōkaidō Shinkansen (Template:Convert) in 1964,[1] the network has expanded to currently consist of Template:Convert of lines with maximum speeds of Template:Convert, Template:Convert of Mini-shinkansen lines with a maximum speed of Template:Convert, and Template:Convert of spur lines with Shinkansen services.[2] The network presently links most major cities on the islands of Honshu and Kyushu, and Hakodate on northern island of Hokkaido, with an extension to Sapporo under construction and scheduled to commence in March 2031.[3] The nickname bullet train is sometimes used in English for these high-speed trains.
The maximum operating speed is Template:Convert (on a 387.5 km section of the Tōhoku Shinkansen).[4] Test runs have reached Template:Convert for conventional rail in 1996, and up to a world record Template:Convert for maglev trains in April 2015.[5]
Shinkansen literally means new trunk line,[6] referring to the high-speed rail line network. The name Template:Nihongo, initially used for Hikari trains, was retired in 1972 but is still used in English-language announcements and signage.
The original Tōkaidō Shinkansen, connecting the largest cities of Tokyo and Osaka, is the world's busiest high-speed rail line. Carrying 151 million passengers per year (March 2008),[7] and at over 5 billion total passengers it has transported more passengers[8] than any other high-speed line in the world. The service on the line operates much larger trains and at higher frequency than most other high speed lines in the world. At peak times, the line carries up to thirteen trains per hour in each direction with sixteen cars each (1,323-seat capacity and occasionally additional standing passengers) with a minimum headway of three minutes between trains.
Japan's Shinkansen network had the highest annual passenger ridership (a maximum of 353 million in 2007) of any high-speed rail network until 2011, when Chinese High Speed Rail network surpassed it at 370 million passengers annually, though the total cumulative passengers, at over 10 billion, is still larger.[9] While the Shinkansen network has been expanding, Japan's declining population is expected to cause ridership to decline over time. The recent expansion in tourism has boosted ridership marginally.
Though largely a long-distance transport system, the Shinkansen also serves commuters who travel to work in metropolitan areas from outlying cities one or two stops removed from the main cities, and there are some services dedicated to this market.
Shinkansen is a network of high-speed rail lines in Japan, which is to connect towns with Tokyo. Japan was the first country to build dedicated railway lines for high-speed travel. Because of the mountainous terrain, the existing network consisted of 1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in) narrow-gauge lines, which generally took indirect routes and could not be adapted to higher speeds. Consequently, Japan had a greater need for new high-speed lines than countries where the existing standard gauge or broad gauge rail system had more upgrade potential. Construction began in 1958 and the Tokaido Shinkansen began running in 1964, in time for the Summer Olympics. Shinkansen was also the host for the 1970 Osaka World Expo and Aichi 2005 World Expo, that is next to Fukuoka.
Current Lines[]
The lines are:
- Tohuku Shinkansen
- Tokaido Shinkansen
- Sanyo Shinkansen
- Joetsu Shinkansen
- Hokuriku Shinkansen
- Kyushu Shinkansen
- Hokkaido Shinkansen
Many Shinkansen lines were proposed during the boom of the early 1970s but have yet to be constructed. These are called Template:Nihongo or planned Shinkansen. One of these lines, the Narita Shinkansen to Narita Airport, was officially cancelled, but a few remain under development.
- Hokuriku Shinkansen extension from Kanazawa to Tsuruga is under construction and is scheduled to open in 2023. Between Hakusan Depot near Kanazawa and Tsuruga, the Fukui Shinkansen station was constructed in conjunction with the rebuilding of the adjoining conventional (narrow gauge) line station in anticipation of construction of the line to Osaka. The extension of the line to Osaka is proposed, with the route via Obama and Kyoto selected by the government on 20 December 2016. Construction is proposed to commence in 2030, and take 15 years.
- Construction of the Kyushu Shinkansen branch from Shin-Tosu to Nagasaki, known as the Template:Nihongo or Template:Nihongo, started in 2008. The branch will be partially built to full Shinkansen standards (Takeo Onsen – Nagasaki) with the existing narrow-gauge line from Shin-Tosu – Takeo Onsen to remain as narrow-gauge track. Gauge Change Trains and/or 'relay' services are to be provided on this route.
- Hokkaido Shinkansen from Template:STN to Template:STN is under construction and scheduled to open by March 2031.
- Chuo Shinkansen (Tokyo–Nagoya–Osaka) is a planned maglev line. JR Central has announced a 2027 target date for the line from Tokyo to Nagoya, with the extension to Osaka proposed to open in 2045. Construction of the project commenced in 2014.
The following lines were also proposed in the 1973 plan, but have subsequently been shelved indefinitely.
- Hokkaido Shinkansen northward extension: Sapporo–Asahikawa
- Template:Nihongo: Oshamanbe–Muroran–Sapporo
- Template:Nihongo: Toyama–Niigata–Aomori
- Toyama–Jōetsu-Myōkō exists as part of the Hokuriku Shinkansen, and Nagaoka–Niigata exists as part of the Jōetsu Shinkansen, with provisions for the Uetsu Shinkansen at Nagaoka; Ōmagari–Akita exists as part of the Akita Shinkansen, but as a "Mini-Shinkansen" upgrade of existing conventional line, it does not meet the requirements of the Basic Plan.
- Template:Nihongo: Fukushima–Yamagata–Akita
- Fukushima–Shinjō and Ōmagari–Akita exist as the Yamagata Shinkansen and Akita Shinkansen, respectively, but as "Mini-Shinkansen" upgrades of existing track, they do not meet the requirements of the Basic Plan.
- Template:Nihongo: Nagoya–Tsuruga
- Template:Nihongo: Osaka–Tottori–Matsue–Shimonoseki
- Template:Nihongo: Okayama–Matsue
- Template:Nihongo: Osaka–Tokushima–Takamatsu–Matsuyama–Ōita
- Template:Nihongo: Okayama–Kōchi–Matsuyama
- There have been some activity regarding the Shikoku and Trans-Shikoku Shinkansen in recent years. In 2016, the Shikoku and Trans-Shikoku Shinkansen were identified as potential future projects in a review of long term plans for the Shikoku area and funds allocated towards the planning of the route. A profitability study has also been commissioned by the city of Oita in 2018 that found the route to be potentially profitable
- Template:Nihongo: Fukuoka–Ōita–Miyazaki–Kagoshima
- Template:Nihongo: Ōita–Kumamoto
In addition, the Basic Plan specified that the Jōetsu Shinkansen should start from Shinjuku, not Tokyo Station, which would have required building an additional 30 km of track between Shinjuku and Ōmiya. While no construction work was ever started, land along the proposed track, including an underground section leading to Shinjuku Station, remains reserved. If capacity on the current Tokyo–Ōmiya section proves insufficient, at some point, construction of the Shinjuku–Ōmiya link may be reconsidered.
The Narita Shinkansen project to connect Tokyo to Narita International Airport, initiated in the 1970s but halted in 1983 after landowner protests, has been officially cancelled and removed from the Basic Plan governing Shinkansen construction. Parts of its planned right-of-way were used by the Narita Sky Access Line which opened in 2010. Although the Sky Access Line uses standard-gauge track, it was not built to Shinkansen specifications and there are no plans to convert it into a full Shinkansen line.
In December 2009, then transport minister Seiji Maehara proposed a bullet train link to Haneda Airport, using an existing spur that connects the Tōkaidō Shinkansen to a train depot. JR Central called the plan "unrealistic" due to tight train schedules on the existing line, but reports said that Maehara wished to continue discussions on the idea. The current minister has not indicated whether this proposal remains supported. While the plan may become more feasible after the opening the Chuo Shinkansen (sometimes referred to as a bypass to the Tokaido Shinkansen) frees up capacity, construction is already underway for other rail improvements between Haneda and Tokyo station expected to be completed prior to the opening of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, so any potential Shinkansen service would likely offer only marginal benefit beyond that.
Future Lines[]
There would be:
- Hokuriku Shinkansen extension from Kanazawa to Tsuruga is under construction and is scheduled to open in 2023. Between Hakusan Depot near Kanazawa and Tsuruga, the Fukui Shinkansen station was constructed in conjunction with the rebuilding of the adjoining conventional (narrow gauge) line station in anticipation of construction of the line to Osaka. The extension of the line to Osaka is proposed, with the route via Obama and Kyoto selected by the government on 20 December 2016.[10] Construction is proposed to commence in 2030, and take 15 years.
- Construction of the Kyushu Shinkansen branch from Shin-Tosu to Nagasaki, known as the Template:Nihongo or Template:Nihongo, started in 2008. The branch will be partially built to full Shinkansen standards (Takeo Onsen – Nagasaki) with the existing narrow-gauge line from Shin-Tosu – Takeo Onsen to remain as narrow-gauge track. Gauge Change Trains and/or 'relay' services are to be provided on this route.[11]
- Hokkaido Shinkansen from Template:STN to Template:STN is under construction and scheduled to open by March 2031.[3]
- Chuo Shinkansen (Tokyo–Nagoya–Osaka) is a planned maglev line. JR Central has announced a 2027 target date for the line from Tokyo to Nagoya, with the extension to Osaka proposed to open in 2045. Construction of the project commenced in 2014.
Others include Mini-Shinkansen and Gauge Changing Trains.
The following lines were also proposed in the 1973 plan, but have subsequently been shelved indefinitely.
- Hokkaido Shinkansen northward extension: Sapporo–Asahikawa
- Hokkaido South Loop Shinkansen (北海道南回り新幹線? Hokkaidō Minami-mawari Shinkansen): Oshamanbe–Muroran–Sapporo
- Uetsu Shinkansen (羽越新幹線?): Toyama–Niigata–Aomori
- Ōu Shinkansen (奥羽新幹線?): Fukushima–Yamagata–Akita
- Fukushima–Shinjō and Ōmagari–Akita exist as the Yamagata Shinkansen and Akita Shinkansen, respectively, but as "Mini-Shinkansen" upgrades of existing track, they do not meet the requirements of the Basic Plan.
- Hokuriku-Chūkyō Shinkansen (北陸・中京新幹線?): Nagoya–Tsuruga
- Sanin Shinkansen (山陰新幹線?): Osaka–Tottori–Matsue–Shimonoseki
- Trans-Chūgoku Shinkansen (中国横断新幹線? Chūgoku Ōdan Shinkansen): Okayama–Matsue
- Shikoku Shinkansen (四国新幹線?): Osaka–Tokushima–Takamatsu–Matsuyama–Ōita
- Trans-Shikoku Shinkansen (四国横断新幹線? Shikoku Ōdan Shinkansen): Okayama–Kōchi–Matsuyama
- East Kyushu Shinkansen (東九州新幹線? Higashi-Kyushu Shinkansen): Fukuoka–Ōita–Miyazaki–Kagoshima
- Trans-Kyushu Shinkansen (九州横断新幹線? Kyushu Ōdan Shinkansen): Ōita–Kumamoto
Rolling Stock[]
Timothy Mok had bought Shinkansen trains in 2003 - 2005 from Takashimaya Singapore.
0-series[]
The 0 series (0系? Zero-kei) trains were the first Shinkansen trainsets built to run on Japan's new Tōkaidō Shinkansen high-speed line which opened in Japan in 1964. The last remaining trainsets were withdrawn in 2008.
- 22-141: National Railway Museum, UK
100-series[]
The 100 series (100系? Hyaku-kei) was a Japanese Shinkansen high-speed train type which operated between 1984 and 2012 on the Tokaido Shinkansen and Sanyo Shinkansen high-speed lines. They were introduced after the 200 series trains, but their numbering is such because in the days of Japanese National Railways (JNR), Shinkansen types running east of Tokyo were given even numbers and those west of Tokyo odd numbers, hence they were given the next odd number in line after 0, 100. The last remaining examples of the type were withdrawn from service following the last runs on 16 March 2012.
- 122-5010: Timothy North Transport Museum
300-series[]
The 300 series (300系? Sanbyaku-kei) was a Japanese high-speed Shinkansen train type which operated on the Tokaido and Sanyo Shinkansen lines in Japan between 1992 and 2012. When first introduced, they were used on the fastest Nozomi services, being capable of 270 km/h (170 mph). As more were delivered (66 trains by 1998) they replaced earlier units on Hikari service and allowed the thus displaced 100 series units to finally in turn displace 0 series units on almost all services. They were withdrawn from 16 March 2012.
- 323-24: Timothy North Transport Museum
600-series[]
The E1 series (E1系?) was a high-speed Shinkansen train type operated by East Japan Railway Company (JR East) in Japan from July 1994 until September 2012. They were the first double-deck trains built for Japan's Shinkansen. They were generally, along with their fellow double-deck class the E4 series, known by the marketing name "Max" (Multi-Amenity eXpress).[1] The fleet was withdrawn from regular service on 28 September 2012.
- 601-20: Timothy North Transport Museum
700-series[]
The 700 series trains is a high-speed Shinkansen train that was bought in 1999 - 2000. In addition, the 700T is also a high-speed Taiwan High Speed Rail train that was bought in 2007, where the colour is the same, and the Kawasaki Heavy Industries in Taiwan has contracted these.
- 723-9001: Timothy North Transport Museum
- 923-3000: Timothy North Transport Museum
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