Construction on the Hokkaido line began in 2005 on the segment between Aomori and Hakodate in southern Hokkaido, the ultimate goal being to extend the line to Sapporo. The latest N-700 Shinkansen models are capable of traveling at 522 kilometers per hour. Since the engine is sometime damaged by the victim’s body it has to be replaced. Segments of a further extension of the Nagano branch westward to Toyama and Kanazawa opened in 2015. As part of his master's program,... Japan's Shinkansen (bullet train) passing on a bridge, with Mount Fuji in the background. These amazing high speed trains have wide seats (even in normal class), they don’t need seat belts which are a little uncomfortable and you can eat and drink on the train. In the United States, Japanese companies are responding to a call by President Barrak Obama to build a better high-speed rail service there. 19 Zen Gardens in Japan You Don’t Want to Miss, The 4 Main Islands of Japan And Thousands More You Didn’t Know. This line runs at a maximum speed of 270 kilometers per hour, and the minimum trip time between Tokyo and Osaka is now 2 hours 25 minutes. It was also the very first bullet train line (1964). Each car, for example, is equipped with brakes consisting of cast-iron discs and metallic pad linings specially designed not to distort under emergency braking. Construction is underway to extend the current track from 18.4 kilometers to 42.8 kilometers, connecting Kofu and Sagamihara in 15 minutes, and have it ready by the 2020, at which time people will be able to pay for the thrill of riding 500 kph on the train. SHINKANSEN (BULLET TRAINS) The super fast trains in Japan are called the Shinkansen. Speed travel in Japan started at least 10 years before the rest of the world. The ride in a maglev train feels like the ride in an airplane. Shinakensen trains go as fast as 170 miles per hour. In July 2007, a Shinkansen train hit and killed a man near a station in Saitama near Tokyo. If you prefer to do it using ticket vending machines, here’s a simple video that shows you some examples: Otherwise, you can go to any ticket counter and purchase your ticket with the help of a real person . JR Central runs the MLX01 maglev bullet train, still in its testing phase. Car interiors are kept at a magnetic field equivalent to that found in ordinary living environments by shielding the superconducting magnets and coils.” [Source: Yoshiyuki Kasai, Yomiuri Shimbun, August 1, 2011]. The trains are called "Super Expresses". Many of the new trains are built by Hitachi at a factory ay Kasado near Hiroshima. Later the Japanese train maker decided to pull out of the Brazil high-speed deal, saying the chances of 40-year project being profitable were slim. Announcing our NEW encyclopedia for Kids! The newest train is the Nozumi Type-500. Many innovations, such as the use of prestressed concrete ties and mile-long welded sections of track, were introduced in the line’s construction. A disaster was averted because the train was equipped with an automatic control system that stopped the train when it pulled into the station. Also, when we talk about the shinkansen max speed of 320 km/h (200 mph), don’t start thinking that this is really how fast these trains can go. Meeting zero resistance, it is possible to apply a large electric current and create an extremely strong magnetic field. Well, that’s the very short version, but if you want to know more, I’ll tell you all in detail in the next paragraphs. The main expense is the elevated concrete guideway with embedded aluminum loops and magnets. The electric multiple-unit trains, which can seat 1,000 passengers or more, derive their power from an overhead wire system. None were injured even though it was traveled at 125mph when the quake struck and was rocked from side to side by the quake. When buying online, you receive a voucher to exchange for the JR pass once you arrive to Japan. However, plans had long been in place to connect all three main Japanese islands by Shinkansen with a line northward into Hokkaido (via the Seikan Tunnel under Tsugaru Strait). We’ll come back to the lines detail later in this article. It was extended 97 kilometers northward from Morioka in Iwate Prefecture to Hachinohe in Aomori Prefecture in 2002 and finally reached Aomori City in 2010. In 2007 a TGV train in France broke the world speed record when it reached a speed of 357 mph (575 kph). Hitachi supplies trains to the British section of the Eurostar. When traveling in Green class, you will benefit from: Green class can be particularly useful when you travel during busy months between June and September. Using the Nozomi (which is one type of shinkansen), you can expect a travel time of 2 hours and 18 minutes from Tokyo to Kyoto, for instance, while the travel time by car would be of almost 6 hours. Such material is made available in an effort to advance understanding of country or topic discussed in the article. Occasionally someone commits suicide by leaping in front of a shinkansen.