How did the Shinkansen bullet train change the world?

60 years ago, in the early morning of October 1, 1964, a shiny blue and white train passed through the Tokyo metropolitan area. Raised tracks take the train south toward the city of Osaka. This is the dawn of the “bullet train” era in Japan, seen as a symbol of the country’s incredible recovery after World War II. Along with the 1964 Tokyo Olympics, the technological wonder of the 1960s marked Japan’s return to world power status, according to CNN.

In the six decades since its first train, Shinkansen, meaning “new arterial road”, has become an internationally recognized name associated with speed, traffic efficiency and modernity. Japan remains a leader in railway technology. Large corporations such as Hitachi and Toshiba export ships and equipment worth billions of dollars around the world each year.

The Shinkansen train network has expanded steadily since the 515 km long Tokaido line connecting Tokyo with Shin-Osaka was completed in 1964. The trains run at speeds of about 322 km/h on lines radiating from the capital Tokyo, towards Tokyo. north, south and west to many cities such as Kobe, Kyoto, Hiroshima and Nagano.

More than just a symbol of recovery, the Shinkansen is also used as a tool for Japan’s continued economic development and an agent of change in a traditional country. The development of bullet trains is related to Japan’s early railway history. Instead of the 143.5 cm track spacing used in North America and much of Europe, Japan chose a narrower 106.7 cm spacing. Although this option is cheaper to build and easier to install in mountainous terrain, the capacity is limited and the speed is very low.

With Japan’s four main islands stretching nearly 3,000 km from one end of the country to the other, journeys between major cities are long and tiring. In 1889, the trip from Tokyo to Osaka was 16.5 hours by train, shorter than the 3 weeks on foot a few years earlier. In 1965, trip time by Shinkansen was shortened to 3 hours 10 minutes.

The need for a standard rail network began in the 20th century, but it was not until the 1940s that construction began on an ambitious project to connect Japan with South Korea and Russia via underground tunnels. under the Pacific Ocean. Defeat in World War II meant plans to build a new railway were delayed until the mid-1950s, when Japan’s economy recovered strongly and travel between major cities became essential.

Although much of the network serves the most populous area of ​​Honshu, Japan’s largest island, the long undersea tunnel allows bullet trains to travel hundreds of kilometers to Kyushu in the south and Hokkaido in the north. Japan’s rugged terrain and diverse climate, from cold winters in the north to humid tropics in the south, make the country’s engineers pioneers in finding solutions to new problems as they open up. widening the boundaries of railway technology.

One of the challenges is seismic activity. Japan is one of the least geologically stable places on Earth, prone to earthquakes and tsunamis and home to 10% of the world’s volcanoes. That makes the safe operation of high-speed trains much more difficult.

Despite the challenge, no passenger has ever been injured or killed on the Shinkansen train network due to a derailment in the vehicle’s history. The next generation of bullet trains called ALFA-X is being tested at speeds of nearly 400 km/h, although the maximum service speed is only 362 km/h.

A characteristic feature of the ALFA-X and many other recent Shinkansen trains is the extremely long nose, designed not only to improve aerodynamics but mainly to suppress the sonic boom caused by the “effect piston” as the train enters the tunnel and forces the compression wave out the other end at supersonic speeds. This is a particular problem in densely populated urban areas, where noise from Shinkansen tracks has long caused complaints. The ALFA-X test train also features new safety technology designed to cut vibration, noise, and the risk of derailment during major earthquakes.

More than 10 billion passengers today travel by Shinkansen with comfort and high speed. The train’s stability and punctuality turn high-speed traffic into a daily activity and choice for the majority. In 2022, more than 295 million people travel by Shinkansen around Japan.

It is not surprising that many other countries followed Japan’s lead and built new high-speed railway lines over the past four decades. Perhaps the most famous example of these lies in France. The country has operated the Train à Grand Vitesse (TGV) between Paris and Lyon since 1981. Like Japan, France successfully exports technology to French countries, including Europe’s longest high-speed rail network in Spain, as well as Belgium, South Korea, England and Morocco. France’s TGV network is extremely successful, cutting long-distance journey times between major cities in the country, creating more capacity, and making high-speed transport affordable and accessible for people.

Italy, Germany, the Netherlands, Taiwan, Türkiye and Saudi Arabia all now operate trains on routes connecting major cities, competing directly with airlines on domestic and international routes. international.

In the UK, high-speed Eurostar trains run from London to Paris, Brussels and Amsterdam. The closest version of a bullet train for British passengers is the Intercity Express train built by Hitachi, which uses technology based on the Shinkanshen train, although it only runs at a maximum speed of 201 km/h. Meanwhile, India and Thailand are planning to build expanded high-speed rail networks in their countries.

In recent years, China has developed the world’s longest high-speed rail network, reaching nearly 45,000 km by the end of 2023. More than just a means of transportation, these train lines spread across the vast country. , promoting economic development. Using technology from Japan and Western Europe, then from an increasingly sophisticated domestic rail industry, China quickly took the lead in high-speed rail. This country is developing a maglev train that can run nearly 644 km/h.

Japan has also tested its own maglev train since the 1970s and is building a 286km line between Tokyo and Nagoya. Expected to open in 2034, the line will extend to Osaka, reducing journey time to 67 minutes.