How old is japans bullet train

The Tohoku Shinkansen, opened in sections starting in , currently links the capital with Shin-Aomori in northern Honshu. An extension to Shin-Hakodate, which will go through the undersea Seikan Tunnel, will bring bullet train services to Hokkaido for the first time in March ; a further extension to Sapporo is planned for around Read more about Hokkaido Shinkansen. Unlike regular Shinkansen, they use converted narrow-gauge track that is shared with regular trains.

Both bullet trains use part of the Tohoku Shinkansen when departing from Tokyo, and then run at slower speeds when using the shared tracks. Opened in , the Joetsu Shinkansen has trains that depart from Tokyo, with some going off on a very short branch line at Echigo-Yuzawa to the Gala-Yuzawa ski resort. A major offshoot of the Joetsu line is the recently inaugurated Hokuriku Shinkansen.

It will be expanded to Fukui Prefecture, possibly linking to the Tokaido Shinkansen, within the next decade or two. Kyushu has seen more bullet train development recently with the launch of the Kyushu Shinkansen between Hakata and Kagoshima. There are nearly as many kinds of Shinkansen trains as there are Shinkansen lines. The car N series is the flagship train for the popular Tokaido and Sanyo Shinkansen lines. With its white-blue livery and aerodynamic duckbill nose, it succeeded the series, which is used on slower runs.

The N has a top speed of kilometers per hour and the ability to tilt on turns. Even though billions of dollars have been invested in Shinkansen development, Japan is eyeing the next phase in the evolution of railways — magnetically levitated trains, or maglev. JR Central, operator of the Tokaido Shinkansen, is planning a maglev line between Tokyo and Osaka with trains that would travel up to kilometers per hour, reducing the journey to only 67 minutes.

By then the Shinkansen will be approaching a century of service bringing people all over Japan closer together. Ask on our forum. Royal CBD. Bullet Trains. Details Map Blog. Why choose to travel on bullet trains? High speed travel to the destinations of your choice, as well as frequent and punctual departures. Rail passes that include travel on bullet trains will save you money and time travelling through Japan. Suggested itineraries. Popular Bullet Trains.

Tohoku Shinkansen Train. Joetsu Shinkansen Train. Kyushu Shinkansen Train. Hokuriku Shinkansen Train. Yamagata Shinkansen Train. And, in , it reached the one billion passenger mark. By , it became the busiest bullet train line in the world, averaging 23, passengers in an hour per direction.

Shinkansen networks that link the islands of Kyushu and Honshu to a number of large urban areas were also established. Doctor Yellow The high-speed test trains. Sakarin Sawasdinaka — Shutterstock. In the past ten years, the Shinkansen has transported more than 10 billion commuters, averaging about million passengers per year.