Shinkansen (Japanese bullet train) History

As you may know, Japan has one of the most advanced railway systems in the world. This actually makes me proud to be Japanese. 🙂 These ultra high speed train lines connect Tokyo with Japan’s major cities. Japan Railways operate shinkansen (Japanese bullet train). 新幹線 Not only Shinkansen running extremely fast but it is extremely punctual. The only bad thing about Shinkansen is its high costs. Realistically, most ordinary people cannot use Shinkansen very often unless it’s part of the business trip or people are on vacation. That is why people often use long-distance bus which can take you from one place to another overnight.

The History of Japanese Shinkansen

1959

The construction of the Tokaido Shinkansen （東海道新幹線） between Tokyo and Osaka started.

1964

The construction completed and the first train travelled from Tokyo to Shin-Osaka. (210km/h) It was just in time for the 1964 Summer Olympics in Tokyo.

Today’s Shinkansen run at speeds of up to 300 km/h (185 mph). Trains can have up to sixteen cars. The longest trains are 400m from front to the end!

*From 1964 to 2010, the Tokaido Shinkansen line alone had carried some 4.9 billion passengers, making it by far the most heavily used HSR line in the world. 

shinkansen