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The Shinkansen (新幹線) is a network of
high speed rail lines in
Japan, upon which the famous "Bullet Trains" run.
The Shinkansen is run by
Japan Railway, formerly a parastatal company (Japanese
National Railways) but now a private consortium.
The name "Bullet Train" is a Western translation of the Japanese term
dangan ressha (弾丸列車), which was the name given to the project
while it was initially being developed in the 1940s. Nowadays, the trains
are known in Japan as Shinkansen trains. The name Shinkansen literally
means "New Trunk Line", and thus should technically refer to the lines and
not the trains, which are officially referred to as "Super Expresses".
History
Japan is the first country that constructed dedicated railway lines for
high speed travel. Due to the largely mountainous nature of the country,
the pre-existing network consisted of 3'6" gauge (1067 mm)
narrow gauge lines which generally took indirect routes and could not
be adapted to higher speeds. There was, therefore, a greater need for new
high speed lines than in most countries where the existing
standard gauge rail system had more potential to be upgraded. In
contrast to the existing lines, the Shinkansen lines are
standard gauge, and use tunnels and viaducts to go through and over
obstacles, rather than around them.
Originally intended to carry passenger and freight trains by day and
night, the Shinkansen lines carry only passenger trains. The system shuts
down between midnight and 6:00 every day to allow maintenance to take
place, including the running of
Doctor Yellow test trains. The few overnight trains that still run in
Japan run on the old narrow gauge network which the Shinkansen parallels.
The first Shinkansen trains ran at speeds of up to 200 km/h (125 mph),
later increased to 220 km/h (135 mph). Some of these trains, with their
classic bullet-nosed appearance, are still in use for stopping services
between
Hakata and
Osaka. A driving car from one of the original trains is now in the
British
National Railway Museum in York. Many further models of train followed
the first type, generally each with its own distinctive appearance.
Shinkansen trains now run regularly at speeds of up to 300 km/h (185 mph),
putting them among the fastest trains running in the world, along with the
French
TGV and German
ICE trains.
The prefix 'shin' means 'new' in Japanese. The prefix is used to
distinguish the railway station serving Shinkansen trains in towns where
it is in a different location to the regular station, as in Shin-Osaka
station.
In recent years, due to
noise pollution, increasing speed is getting harder. Thus, the current
research is rather aimed to reduce the noise, particularly when trains
exit a tunnel.
The
Kyushu Shinkansen from
Kagoshima to
Yatsushiro is scheduled to open in 2004. Three more extensions are
planned for opening by 2013: Hakata-Yatsushiro, Nagano-Kanazawa,
and Hachinohe-Aomori.
There are also long-term plans to extend the network to
Sapporo (through the
Seikan Tunnel) and
Nagasaki, as well as complete a link from Kanazawa back to Osaka,
although none of these are likely to be completed by 2020.
List of Shinkansen lines
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Tokaido Shinkansen (Tokyo-Shin-Osaka)
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Sanyo Shinkansen (Shin-Osaka-Hakata)
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Tohoku Shinkansen (Tokyo-Hachinohe)
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Joetsu Shinkansen (Omiya-Niigata)
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Hokuriku Shinkansen or
Nagano Shinkansen (Takasaki-Nagano)
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Yamagata Shinkansen (Fukushima-Shinjo)
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Akita Shinkansen (Morioka-Akita)
Note: The above two lines are called "Mini-Shinkansen".
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Hakata Minami Line (Hakata-Hakata-Minami)
Note: The Hakata Minami Line is not treated as a Shinkansen line.
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Kyushu Shinkansen (under construction, will open in 2004)
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Chuo Shinkansen (maglev,
under construction)
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Taiwan High Speed Rail (under construction)
List of Shinkansen train
models
-
0 Series
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100 Series
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200 Series
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300 Series
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400 Series
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500 Series
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700 Series
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E1 Series (Max)
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E2 Series
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E3 Series (Max)
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E4 Series
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800 Series (hasn't started service yet)
List of types of
Shinkansen services
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Aoba (disused)
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Asahi (disused)
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Asama
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Hayate
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Hikari
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Hikari Rail Star
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Kodama
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Komachi
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Max Asahi
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Max Nasuno
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Max Tanigawa
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Max Yamabiko
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Nasuno
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Nozomi
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Tanigawa
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Toki
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Tsubame (has not begun services yet)
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Tsubasa
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Yamabiko
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