#02 BULLET TRAIN

Why do bullet trains capture people's hearts?
Japan is an island country surrounded by the sea. About three-quarters of its terrain is mountainous, with plains along the coast. Since ancient times, people have developed various means of transportation suitable for different geographical conditions, such as ox-drawn carriages and rickshaws before the advent of motorized vehicles, cable cars and trolley trains in mountainous areas, and streetcars in lowland urban areas.
However, the most notable and most advanced of all is undoubtedly the Shinkansen, a high-speed rail system legally defined as “an artery railway capable of operating at a speed of 200 kilometers per hour or more in its predominant section.” The Tokaido Shinkansen, the world’s first high-speed train connecting Tokyo and Shin-Osaka, began operation in 1964 just days before the opening of the 1964 Tokyo Olympic Games. The so-called “dream super-express,” which could run at 200 km/h, was a beacon of hope for the Japanese people in the post-war period. The Shinkansen network now links most major cities in Japan, from Hokkaido to Kagoshima, at a maximum speed of 320 km/h as of 2022. That network continues to grow. The Shinkansen remains a very popular means of transport among not only among Japanese citizens but also international visitors, many of whom consider a Shinkansen ride a must-try when in Japan. What attracts so many travelers around the world to the Shinkansen? Let us find out by exploring the Tokaido Shinkansen, the front runner of the high-speed rail system.

Punctuality and Frequent Service 
The Shinkansen is perhaps best known for its punctuality and frequent service. According to JR Tokai’s 2020 Annual Report, 378 trains carrying some 458,000 passengers operated per day. A Shinkansen train departs Tokyo Station every 3.5 minutes on average, a frequency unmatched by any other high-speed train system and marveled by many international visitors. Despite the extremely tight schedule, the average delay is only 0.2 minute per train, which includes delays due to torrential rains, heavy snow, and other natural disasters. This means that trains are virtually delay free in normal circumstances and almost always on time to the second!

Why are such precise operations humanly possible? Well, one of the reasons is the schedule, tightly controlled at 15-second increments. While the timetables displayed at train stations, etc. only show departure/arrival times in hours and minutes, those used by train crew are specified down to the second, such as 6:00:15 (6 o’clock, 00 minutes, 15 seconds), 6:00:30, and so on. This is because trains are scheduled to depart at 0, 15, 30, and 45 seconds. Even the slightest delay will alert the General Command Center, which will then send instructions to train crew and station staff to make every effort together to get back on schedule as soon as possible.

JR Tokai’s staff who operate the Tokaido Shinkansen wear a uniform with the company emblem of a Japanese gentian flower embroidered on the left arm. The flower holds the meaning of justice and accuracy, reflecting their unwavering commitment to punctuality and precision.


Safety
The Shinkansen is also known for its exceptional safety, with zero passenger fatalities on board in its entire history. High-speed trains cannot be stopped easily, and a Shinkansen train travelling at 300 km/h requires about 4 km to stop. This means that a sudden intrusion of an obstacle onto a railway track can lead to a major disaster. To ensure safety by eliminating all possible causes of accidents and collisions, the Shinkansen system is designed based primarily on two safety mechanisms. One is the use of dedicated rail tracks that do not cross any other tracks or roads on the same plane so as not to create situations that require sudden braking. The other is the adoption of the Automatic Train Control (ATC) system that controls the train speed based on the distance between trains and, if a train exceeds the speed limit, automatically applies the brakes to reduce its speed.

However, no matter how sophisticated these technologies may be, they cannot prevent earthquakes, typhoons, and other natural disasters, to which Japan’s geography is inherently prone. To counter these phenomena, the Shinkansen system incorporates a variety of protective measures, including the suspension of train operations during bad weather and earthquakes based on rigorous monitoring, seismic fortification of facilities and structures, and other protections against tsunamis, rain, flooding, high winds, rockfalls, avalanches, snow, and just about any other possible environmental factor. At the time of the Great East Japan Earthquake in 2011, these measures, especially the Early Earthquake Detection System, saved the Shinkansen from major destruction and casualties, with only minor damage occurring to overhead wire structures. Moreover, the staff members undergo constant training, education, and drills to develop and upgrade their skills and knowledge of proper response to emergency/contingent situations in every possible scenario. The Shinkansen’s unparalleled safety is a result of technological innovation and persistent human efforts on many levels.


Environmental Friendliness
Contrary to popular image, the Shinkansen has a relatively low impact on the environment. In Japan, railways account for roughly 30% of passenger transportation but only 7% of CO2 emissions that are said to contribute to global warming. Compared to aircraft, travelling from Tokyo to Shin-Osaka on the Shinkansen consumes only one-eighth of the energy and emits one-twelfth of the CO2 per seat. 

How is such low impact possible? One of the reasons is the weight of train cars, made progressively lighter by using aluminum alloy in lieu of steel and adopting other lightweight solutions. As a result, the weight per car was reduced from around 60 tons with the 0-series trains to around 44 tons with the N700-series. Energy consumption was also reduced, thereby contributed to the reduction in CO2 emissions. 

In addition, electricity generated by a braking Shinkansen is reused by other trains via the catenary. A tilt of just 1 degree lets the train negotiate the bends without decelerating and without consuming significant power. Moreover, about 90% in weight of decommissioned Shinkansen rollingstock is recycled. In recognition of these efforts, the Tokaido Shinkansen was honored with the Environmental Minister’s Award for Global Warming Prevention Activity, the Grand Prize for the Global Environmental Award, and other commendations. The Shinkansen’s quest for even better energy efficiency and environmental friendliness is ongoing and will continue into the future.


Comfort
Despite the high speeds, Shinkansen rides are surprisingly comfortable and quiet owing to a number of ingenuities. The vibration control system, for instance, offsets lateral vibrations, and the use of long rails minimizes rail joints and thus eliminates the clickety-clack sound of conventional railways. The tilting mechanism to lean into curves allows high-speed navigation without discomforting the passengers. The list goes on and continues to evolve.

The pleasantness the Shinkansen provides is not just physical but also psychological. No matter how tight the timetable is, every Tokaido Shinkansen train, upon arrival at the terminal station, is thoroughly cleaned by a cleaning crew within a matter of minutes to welcome new passengers with freshly tidied up cars. Toilets inside the trains are always kept clean by meticulous and frequent cleaning. On the Tokaido Shinkansen trains, vendors known as pursers—a name also used in the airline industry—move from car to car pushing carts filled with bento boxes, snacks, drinks, and souvenirs. Shinkansen is a place where you can experience the Japanese spirit of hospitality (omotenashi), including that symbolized by the cleaning staff courteously bowing at the departing trains. The amalgamation of uncompromising hardware, software, and humanware is what makes Shinkansen a one-of-a-kind high-speed rail. 

References

• JR Tokai Integrated Report Annual Report 2020
• Tokaido Shinkansen Official Facebook
• East Japan Railway Official Website Train Catalog
• JR Tokai's official website ESG Activity Report (Safety and Environment)
• JR Tokai Linear & Railway Museum info
• JR Tokai Line Linear Central Shinkansen Official Website