The Tokyo Bullet Train, or Shinkansen, connects Tokyo with major cities on Honshu and Fukuoka on Kyushu. It operates on a network of 1,528 miles of track, reaching speeds of 186 mph. The line has three types of trains and has carried over 4.5 billion passengers with no accident-related deaths. Experimental maglev trains are being tested for even faster travel.
The Tokyo Bullet Train is a high-speed train that connects Tokyo with most major cities on Honshu, Japan’s largest island, with a more recent connection to Fukuoka on the nearby island of Kyushu. Known as Shinkansen in Japan, these trains reach speeds of 186 mph (300 km/h). Tokyo’s bullet train is operated by Japan Railways on a network of 1,528 miles (2,459 km) of track. In addition to its high speeds, Shinkansen is also known for its safety and punctuality.
The Tokyo Bullet Train made its first run in 1964 between Tokyo and Osaka on a track parallel to the old Tokaido Highway, used since the days of the samurai. The first Shinkansen went as fast as 130 mph (209 km/h). The Osaka line was extended south to Hiroshima and then to Fukuoka, and north to Hachinohe. More recently, in 2004, a line between Yatsushiro and Kagoshima on the island of Kyushu was completed, and the line between Yatsushiro and Fukuoka is expected to be completed in 2010, allowing travel from the southern tip of Kyushu to the northern tip of Honshu.
There are three types of Shinkansen on the Tokaido Line, classified by how fast they travel and how often they stop. The fastest are the Nozomi trains, which make the trip between Osaka and Tokyo in about two and a half hours, stopping only at the main stations. The next fastest are the Hikari trains, which stop more frequently and can complete the Osaka-Tokyo trip in about three hours. The Kodama trains are the slowest because they stop at all the local stations, making the trip a little over three hours. Each bullet train on the Tokaido Line is 10 cars long and has a capacity for 1,300 passengers. Trains run six times an hour. Since it began operation in 1964, the Tokaido Line has carried more than 4.5 billion passengers, making it the busiest high-speed train in the world.
In addition to carrying more passengers than all other high-speed trains in the world combined, Tokyo’s bullet train has the best safety record, with no accident-related deaths. The Tokyo Shinkansen is also known for its punctuality, with all trains arriving within seconds of their scheduled times. Experimental maglev trains are currently being tested, which are powered by magnetic levitation rather than wheels, allowing the trains to travel faster, quieter, and smoother. Maglev Shinkansen is capable of speeds in excess of 300 mph (482.8 km/h).
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