High-speed Japanese trains Shinkansen. Bullet trains in Japan

Exactly 50 years ago, in October 1964, the world's first high-speed train, the Shinkansen, was launched in Japan, capable of reaching speeds of up to 210 km/h and forever becoming one of the symbols of the “new” Japan and its growing economic power. The first line connected the two largest Japanese cities - Tokyo and Osaka, reducing the minimum travel time between them from 7.5 to 4 hours.

The Shinkansen train with Mount Fuji in the background is one of the most recognizable landscapes modern Japan:

Literally translated from Japanese the word "Shinkansen" means "new highway". Before the advent of high-speed trains railways in Japan they were narrow gauge (1067 mm), and had many bends due to the local terrain. On such roads the ability to reach high speeds was too limited. New lines were specially designed for the Shinkansen, already with a standard track width of 1435 mm.

Why Japan initially deviated from the international standard is still not entirely clear. It is believed that this was the decision of a certain Mr. Okubo, who was the person in charge at the time the construction of the first railway in Japan began. Of course, narrow gauge was cheaper, and the trains themselves were smaller and more economical to produce. However, at the same time this also meant less carrying capacity and low speed. Therefore, the feasibility of this decision for the Japanese remains a big question.
At the beginning of the 20th century, projects were proposed to rebuild the line according to international standards, and although there were many who supported this idea, it was decided instead to spend funds on building new directions. Thus, the narrow gauge spread throughout Japan, which still causes a lot of inconvenience.

Broad gauge supporters managed to bring their projects to life on the railway laid by the Japanese in the early 30s. in colonized Southern Manchuria. In 1934, between the cities of Dalian and Changchun (700 km), the legendary "Asia-Express", an indicative symbol of Japanese imperialist power at the time. Capable of reaching speeds of over 130 km/h, it was far superior to China's railway system at the time, and was even much faster than the fastest express train in Japan itself.
And on a global scale, Asia-Express had impressive characteristics. For example, the world's first air-conditioned carriages were equipped there. The dining car was equipped with refrigerators, and there was also a special carriage - an observation deck with windows along the entire perimeter, furnished with leather chairs and bookshelves.

This example probably became the final argument in favor of broad gauge and gave rise to the first high-speed rail projects in Japan. In 1940, the Japanese government approved a project of incredible scale. Even then, the project envisaged the creation of a train capable of reaching speeds of up to 200 km/h, but the Japanese government did not intend to limit itself to laying lines only on Japanese territory.
It was planned to build an underwater tunnel to the Korean Peninsula and extend the tracks all the way to Beijing. Construction had already partially begun, but the war that began soon and the subsequent deterioration of military and political positions Japan's imperial ambitions came to an end. In 1943, the project was curtailed; the same year was the last for Asia-Express. However, some sections of the Shinkansen lines in operation today were built in the pre-war years.

They started talking about the construction of the Shinkansen again 10 years after the war. Rapid economic growth has created great demand for freight and passenger transportation throughout the country. However, the idea to revive the project turned out to be completely unpopular and was sharply criticized. At that time, there was a strong opinion that road and air transport would soon replace railway transport, as happened, for example, in the USA and some European countries. The project was again in jeopardy.

In 1958, between Tokyo and Osaka, on a still narrow gauge, the direct ancestor of the Shinkansen, the Kodama business express, was launched. With a maximum speed of 110 km/h, it covered the distance between cities in 6.5 hours, making one-day business trips possible. In Japan, where business culture is based on face-to-face meetings, this was a very convenient solution. However, he did not serve very long. The incredible popularity of the Kodama left no one in any doubt about the need for high-speed lines, and less than a year later the government finally approved the Shinkansen construction project.

Kodama Business Express, 1958-1964:

It is widely believed that the Shinkansen was scheduled for opening Olympic Games in Tokyo, but the Japanese deny this. Construction of the Shinkansen lines began in March 1959, more than a month before Tokyo was chosen as the host city for the games. However, the Olympics came in handy. The initially announced budget for the construction of the Shinkansen was obviously too small and everyone knew about it, but to declare real numbers it was too risky. A loan provided by the World Bank for sufficient low percentage, did not cover even half of the expenses. The real cost, which ultimately exceeded the declared one by almost 2.5 times, was covered by “begging” money from the state, supposedly in order to be in time for the opening of the Olympics!

In the early morning of October 1, 1964, the ceremony of the first launch of the Shinkansen took place at Tokyo Station from a specially built platform number 19. The platform was lavishly decorated with red and white ribbons and the traditional Japanese paper ball “kusudama”. The moving train tore the ribbons, the balloon opened and 50 snow-white doves flew out of it. Then there was music, fireworks and general rejoicing of thousands of Japanese who were not too lazy to attend such a significant event at 5 am. That evening, photographs of the Shinkansen appeared on the front pages of all major publications in the country under loud headlines announcing the start of new era in the history of Japan, and, why be modest, of the whole world.

Launching ceremony for the first Shinkansen. Tokyo, 1964

Feeling national pride for the Shinkansen, not a single Japanese was spared, and the emperor himself, they say, composed either a song or an ode about it.

In 1975, the queen of the country, the birthplace of the railway, visited Japan. It's about, of course, about England. The royal couple arrived on a friendly visit to the emperor, and one of the first items on the entertainment program was a trip on the “miracle train” to Kyoto. For Japan, this was a great opportunity to brag, but the cunning Japanese trade unions could not miss such a rare chance. Literally immediately upon the queen’s arrival, the workers staged the first strike in the history of the Japanese railway. In a word, all Shinkansen drivers, of which there were 1,100 people, refused to give the queen a ride until the union’s demands were met.

Naturally, the bosses, driven into a corner, quickly complied with the demands, but the queen only managed to take a ride on the Shinkansen on her way back. The series of failures did not end there. On the day the Queen was due to board the train, there was heavy rainfall and the train was late by a full 2 ​​minutes. In general, whether it was possible to make an impression on Elizabeth II or not is unknown, but they say that she was not at all offended by the strike, but accepted everything with humor. She said that she herself is no stranger to strikes.

Shinkansen trains painted with protest paint:

Contrary to skeptical expectations, the Shinkansen train turned out to be incredibly successful and quickly recouped its construction costs. Just 8 years later the second line was opened. By 1981, the loan debt to the World Bank was completely covered. Moreover, today the Shinkansen train provides up to 80% of profits Japan Railways. On this moment There are 8 Shinkansen lines with a total length of almost 3000 km and they continue to be built.

Shinkansen train line diagram:

Of course, over the 50 years of its existence, the Shinkansen has gone through a considerable evolutionary path, although not always cloudless.

In the 80s 575 residents of the city of Nagoya, whose houses were located along the tracks, filed a lawsuit against the management of the Shinkansen, complaining of noise and strong vibrations. Immediately after this, technologies began to be introduced to reduce noise and vibration levels and improve the quality of the railway track. A rule was also introduced to slow down when driving through densely populated areas.

Today, Shinkansen are virtually silent, with tracks often passing close to buildings without causing much discomfort. Energy saving technologies have become another step in development. And all because Japan, in which 99.7% of oil is imported (not from Russia), turned out to be very sensitive to repeated oil shocks. Thus, under pressure from both external and internal factors represented by the extremely demanding Japanese, the Shinkansen was rapidly improving. However, the very first model of the train remained unchanged until 1982, and even after the appearance of new models, it remained in operation until 2008.

In 1987, Japanese National Railways was privatized, replacing the state monopoly with 5 new independent companies. Healthy competition has given a new impetus to the development of technology and quality of service.

So-called “green cars” appeared on trains, comparable in level to business class on airplanes. Actually, airlines were and still remain the main competitors of the Shinkansen. These cars have become a kind of indicator of the economic situation in the country. In times of prosperity, many companies bought their employees seats in “green cars” for business trips, but when the economy declined, they were usually empty.

Now the interior of the car looks like this:

Tickets are available with or without a seat. In carriages without a seat, you may have to sit in the middle, but it’s cheaper.

Toilet:

There is a train diagram hanging at the station, so it’s immediately clear which car you need:

Everyone stands in neat queues to board. There are lines drawn on the platform for queues for each car:

The companies also competed in the delicacy of food on board. In general, eating bento in Shinkansen has become a kind of tradition, even if the journey takes only a couple of hours. They are sold both at stations and on the trains themselves. Each site has its own unique “bento”.
Until 2000, trains had dining cars and cafe cars, but the ever-increasing flow of passengers required more seating. Double-decker trains began to appear, but restaurants did not last long on them either. The same story affected private compartments, which could be a room for one or an entire conference room for 4-5 people. The economic downturn has almost completely destroyed the demand for such cars.

Traditional station bento lunch:

90s and the end of the bubble economy became the most unstable in the history of Shinkansen development. In addition, in 1995, an earthquake occurred in the Osaka area, and although the trains themselves were not damaged, the rails were significantly bent. It took about 3 months to recover. But there were also positive moments, such as the 1998 Olympics in Nagano, which created demand for new destinations!

Despite the slowing pace economic growth, throughout this time, new, more advanced models of trains invariably continued to appear. Various safety systems began to be developed, primarily for protection during earthquakes. Now, in the event of an earthquake, an automatic warning system is triggered, which slows down trains a split second before the shock. Thus, even during the devastating earthquake in 2011, not a single accident occurred with Shinkansen trains; they all stopped safely in automatic mode. By the way, the danger of earthquakes is one of the main reasons why trains run slower than they technically could.

Modern Shinkansen trains:

Cars on Shinkansen trains do not detach. That's why they don't have a tail, but they always have two heads! And trains can connect with each other:

By the way, red is cooler and faster, so it usually drags green along with it. The latest model came out just a couple of months ago, in March 2014.

There is another very special train. It is called "Doctor Yellow". They say that seeing him is a very good omen. This is a special doctor who examines and checks the tracks and other related equipment for serviceability several times a month. During the day, it travels at the same speed as other trains, so as not to interfere. And at night he slowly and carefully examines all sections of the path.

Since the 2000s. Japanese Shinkansen technologies began to be actively exported abroad. Currently, China, Taiwan and South Korea have high-speed trains in the Asian region. All of these countries, except Korea, have high-speed railways based on Japanese technology (Korea borrowed technology from the French TGV). Not only technologies are exported, but also decommissioned Japanese trains themselves.

Modern Shinkansen trains in Japan reach a maximum speed of 270 km/h, next year it is planned to increase to 285 km/h, although test speeds reach more than 440 km/h. Travel time between Tokyo and Osaka is now less than 2.5 hours. The trains are equipped with everything necessary for a comfortable journey - clean toilets, smoking rooms, sockets at each seat, sometimes even vending machines with drinks.

The Tokaido Line (Tokyo–Osaka) is the busiest high-speed rail line in the world, carrying more than 150 million passengers annually. Trains from Tokyo depart every 10 minutes.

Despite the rather high cost, the Shinkansken train does not lose popularity due to its accuracy, speed, comfort, high level of service, and most importantly, safety. Over 50 years of service, not a single incident has been recorded that resulted in death or severe injuries from the high speed train. No other country in the world can boast such safety indicators for high-speed rail transport. Statistics claim that Sapsan killed more than 20 people in just the first year of its service.

Although the Japanese Shinkansen train remains one of the most advanced vehicles in the world, work on its improvement does not stop. Yamanashi Prefecture has a special Research Center, where new technologies are created and tested, in particular, JR-Maglev - Japanese system high-speed maglev trains. It was there in December 2003 that a test train of three cars of the MLX01 modification set an absolute speed record for railway transport - 581 km/h.

The high-speed rail network in Japan is exactly what I dreamed of seeing with my own eyes. These bullet trains are fired from Japanese train platforms every three minutes. Their average speed on the route is 270 km/h, the maximum is not worth mentioning - new records are broken too often.

Below the cut is a very short post about the main competitor to air travel and the most punctual passenger transport on the planet - the Shinkansen.

The long-awaited acquaintance with the “Japanese miracle” took place at Odawara Station, from where our journey through Japan starts. Hikari No. 503 promised to take us to Kyoto in just an hour and a half.
1.

Shinkansen, literally translated from Japanese as “new main line”, is the general name for high-speed railways connecting the most important cities in Japan. This road was called the “New Line” because Japanese builders for the first time, when laying the Shinkansen, moved away from the practice of narrow gauge railways - the standard gauge became 1435 mm. Before this, the entire Japanese railway network was narrow gauge (1067 mm gauge).

2.

The first section of the Shinkansen Tokyo-Osaka (“Tokaido Shinkansen”), 515 km long, was opened in 1964, on the eve of the opening of the XVIII Summer Olympics in Tokyo. The first trains reached speeds of 220-230 km/h.

The high-speed network is controlled by the Japan Railways Group. JR Group is the backbone of Japan's railway network (controls 20,135 of the 27,268 km of roads, which is ~74% of all main lines). Her share is large share intercity and suburban railway communication. Initially, the Shinkansen lines carried freight and passengers day and night. Now they serve only passengers, and from midnight to 6 a.m. traffic is stopped for maintenance and repair work. There are very few night trains left in Japan, and they all still run on the old railway, the tracks of which are laid parallel to the tracks of the “bullet train” and connect big cities countries.

Today there are three categories of high-speed trains in use in Japan: nozomi, hikari and kodama. Nozomi Express is the fastest. The 500 series trains operating on these lines appearance, and especially the elongated bow section, 15 m long, creating the necessary aerodynamics, resemble spaceships. Their appearance on Japanese railways completely changed the standards for high-speed roads. In some areas, the “nozomi” reaches speeds of up to 300 km/h and stops only in large populated areas. Hikari, the second fastest, also makes stops at intermediate stations, and Kodomi - at all stations. However, the speed of the “kodomi” exceeds 200 km/h, although when passing through some areas and settlements Shinkansen speed is limited to 110 km/h.

3.

Despite the high speeds, the Shinkansen in Japan has proven itself to be an extremely reliable mode of transport: over the years of operation, starting in 1964, not a single accident has been recorded. fatal(excluding suicides). The “punctuality” of Japanese high-speed trains is also exceptionally high: the average annual delay is less than a minute, and even at peak loads it is no more than 3-4 minutes. Having become a convenient and affordable mode of transport, the Shinkansen is in many cases today the most optimal way to travel around Japan. At the same time, the traffic interval during morning and evening rush hours is 5-6 minutes!

4.

Now high-speed trains are as much a symbol of modern Japan as high-quality electronics and reliable and durable cars.

5.

High-speed trains here are much more popular than air travel within the country, since to travel on the Shinkansen there is no need to waste time on the road to the airport, check-in, etc. Shinkansen saves time in everything!
6.

These high-speed trains are also called bullet trains.
7.

A little higher, I already noted that these trains compete with airplanes only in time savings. Comfort and price are about the same! Yes, riding Shinkansen trains is not cheap - a short trip can cost a decent amount. What should a tourist do?

The most economical way to travel around Japan is the Japan Rail Pass. Such a travel ticket is simply necessary for an independent traveler.

The Japan Rail Pass allows unlimited travel on JR roads, buses and ferries (not valid on the Nozomi Super Express). This ticket is valid for 7, 14 or 21 days and can be purchased only outside Japan.

8.

The JR Pass can only be purchased by foreigners, and only before arriving in Japan. Prices for the regular JR Pass Ordinary “adult” JR Pass are $237,438 and $562 for 7, 14 and 21 days, respectively. Naturally, the criminal JR Pass Green 1st Class will be more expensive - about $150.

So if you are planning to travel around Japan a lot, I advise you to purchase such a pass in advance.

9.

10.

No one goes beyond the yellow line on the platform.
11.

12.

N700 trains reach speeds of up to 300 km/h, and the ability to tilt allows them to maintain speeds of 270 km/h on curves with a radius of up to 2500 m, where speeds were previously allowed at 255 km/h. Another feature of the N700 is that it accelerates faster than other Shinkansen trains, with an acceleration of 0.722 m/s², allowing it to reach a speed of 270 km/h in just 3 minutes.
13.

Magnetoplane trains are currently being tested in full force in Japan. In April 2015, a magnetic levitation maglev train broke its own speed record, reaching 603 km/h during tests near Fuji. JR Central, which owns the trains, aims to have them on the Tokyo-Nagoya route by 2027. The distance of 280 kilometers is planned to be covered in just 40 minutes.

14.

15.

I didn't take any photos inside the train. I will only note very comfortable seats, personal sockets and sealed smoking capsule rooms. A country for people!
16.

N700. Each such train has 16 carriages and 1323 comfortable passenger seats.
17.

And here is another video about the N700 series Shinkansen flying over:

If you want to know everything about Shinkansen trains, then you should come to Varlamov.

Japanese railway miracle "Shinkansen"

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Exactly 50 years ago, in October 1964, the world's first high-speed train, the Shinkansen (aka bullet-train), was launched in Japan, capable of reaching speeds of up to 210 km/h and forever becoming one of the symbols of the “new” Japan and its growing economic power. The first line connected the two largest Japanese cities - Tokyo and Osaka, reducing the minimum travel time between them from 7.5 to 4 hours.

I express my deep gratitude for the opportunity to visit different parts of Japan. Representative office of the National Tourism Office of Japan in Vladivostok and S7 Airlines.

More materials from the trip:

In the vicinity of Hakone there are also many thermal springs - it is not for nothing that this town not far from Tokyo has been one of the most popular resorts in Japan since time immemorial. Today, there are more than a dozen hot springs in the region, feeding the baths of many hotels and ryokans in Hakone. About everything in order under the cut.

Finally, the time has come to write reports on the results of the trip to beautiful Japan. The first point of my trip, of course, was the huge metropolis and capital of Japan - Tokyo. Below the cut I suggest you look at pictures about my two days in the most modern metropolis in the world.

On April 28, a new direction was added to the route network of S7 Airlines - a direct regular flight connected Vladivostok and the Japanese city of Osaka. I was among the first passengers on this flight.

Flights to Osaka now operate weekly on Wednesdays and Fridays. The plane departs from Knevichi airport at 13:30, and arrives in Osaka at 14:40 local time, that is, two hours in the air - and you are in Japan. The plane departs back to Vladivostok from Osaka Kansai Airport at 15:45, and arrives at its destination at 19:05. Flights on the new flight are carried out on Airbus A320 aircraft equipped with economy and business class cabins. Below the cut is a little about the airport and the new flight of the green grasshopper plane of S7 airlines.

Japan for residents Far East for obvious reasons, it has always been one of the most popular foreign destinations for business and leisure travel. This year, due to the significant simplification of the visa regime, interest in this country should grow significantly. Well, it's time for me to visit too.

Yes, it turns out there is still a Far Easterner who has never been to Japan :))

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Hundreds of years have passed since the invention of the railway. Railway transport has overcome a long evolutionary path of development from hand-pulled massive trolleys to modern super-high-speed express trains operating on the principle of magnetic levitation, which have already become commonplace in many countries around the world. This selection will feature the fastest trains that can reach speeds of at least 300 km per hour.

11th place. HSL 1 (High-Speed ​​Line 1)- speed 300 km/h
HSL 1 is a Belgian high-speed electric train of the TGV series (Train à Grande Vitesse - "high-speed train" in French), whose operating speed is 300 km/h, runs on a high-speed railway line connecting Brussels with the French railway line LGV Nord. It was put into operation in December 1997.

10th place. - speed 300 - 315 km/h
THSR 700T is a high-speed train on the island of Taiwan, developed based on Japanese Shinkansen trains. The train, which has a maximum operating speed of 300 km/h, connects northern Taipei and southern Kaohsiung. It consists of 12 comfortable carriages and can accommodate 989 passengers. The speed record for this train was set in 2005 and is 315 km/h.

9th place. - speed 320 km/h
ICE are high-speed trains common in Germany and neighboring countries. On the Strasbourg-Paris line, InterCity Express reaches speeds of up to 320 km/h. Today, ICEs are the main long-distance train type offered by German Railways. These trains are also supplied to Russia, where they are used on high-speed railway lines Moscow - Nizhny Novgorod and Moscow - St. Petersburg.

8th place. - speed 300 - 334.7 km/h
Eurostar or British Rail Class 373 is a British high-speed electric train of the TVG series, running between the UK, Belgium and France through the English Channel Tunnel, which is the second longest railway tunnel in the world. The train's capacity is 900 passengers, its operating speed reaches 300 km/h, and the speed record for this train was set in 2003 and is equal to 334.7 km/h. The journey from London to Paris by Eurostar takes 2 hours 16 minutes.

7th place. - speed 305 - 352 km/h
Sancheon, formerly known as KTX II, entered service in South Korea in 2009. It was built by Hyundai Rotem based on technology from French TGV trains and is owned by Korail, the national railway operator of South Korea. Although it can reach speeds of up to 352 km/h (the record was set in 2004), for safety reasons it does not go faster than 305 km/h. The comfortable train with a capacity of 363 passengers operates on the route Yongsan - Gwangju - Mokpo and Seoul - Busan.

6th place. - speed 300 - 362 km/h
For the ETR-500 electric train, released in Italy in 1993, the operating speed reaches 300 km/h, and the speed record was set in 2009 in the tunnel between Bologna and Florence and is 362 km/h. The train covers the distance from the center of Bologna to Milan in 56 minutes. The release of six ETR-1000 trains is planned for 2014, which will reach speeds from 360 to 400 km/h.

5th place. - speed 330 - 365 km/h
AVE (Alta Velocidad Española) is a trademark of the Spanish Railways operator Renfe-Operador. The abbreviation is also a play on the word "bird" (ave) in Spanish. All AVE class trains are high-speed, but the AVE Talgo-350 electric train with a capacity of 318 passengers, accelerating up to 330 km/h on the routes Madrid - Valladolid and Madrid - Barcelona, ​​is especially fast. In 2004, during testing, the train reached a speed of 365 km/h. Because of appearance, similar to a duck's beak, the AVE Talgo-350 was nicknamed Pato (duck in Spanish).

4th place. - speed 380 - 486.1 km/h
The Chinese train CRH380A is designed for a maximum operating speed of 380 km/h, while the speed record for such a train is 486.1 km/h. The production of these iron monsters is carried out by the largest railway manufacturer in China - CSR Qingdao Sifang Locomotive and Rolling Stock Company. The high-speed 8-car train with an “airplane-style” interior can accommodate 494 passengers. In September 2010, the CRH-380A was put into service for the first time on the Shanghai - Nanjing route. It later began operating daily flights on the Wuhan-Guangzhou and Shanghai-Hangzhou lines.

3rd place. - speed 431 - 501 km/h
The Shanghai Maglev is a Chinese high-speed maglev train that has been operating in Shanghai since 2004. Maximum speed The express train speed is 431 km/h, which allows you to cover the distance from the city center to the airport (30 km) in just 7-8 minutes. In a test run on November 12, 2003, this train reached a speed of 501 km/h. The developers of the train are not the Chinese, but the Germans. The prototype of the Shanghai Maglev Train was the Transrapid SMT model.

2nd place. - speed 320 - 574.8 km/h

These French TVG series trains operate between France and Switzerland and between France and Germany. Operating speed - 320 km/h. At the same time, the TGV POS model holds the speed record among rail trains - in 2007, this train was able to accelerate to 574.8 km per hour.

1 place. Shinkansen series trains- speed 320 - 581 km/h
Shinkansen (Shinkansen - "new line" in Japanese) is a network of Japanese high-speed trains, often called "bullet" trains, and for good reason - the Shinkansen speed record for conventional railway lines is 443 km/h (the record was set in 1996 ), A maglev 581 km/h, which is an absolute world record for trains(the record was set in 2003). The first high-speed train in Japan went into operation in 1964. Today, Shinkansen express trains, consisting of sixteen cars, cover the distance between Osaka and Tokyo in 2 hours and 25 minutes. The train has a peculiar elongated nose, thanks to which it received the nickname “platypus”. By the way, Shinkansen trains have the status of not only one of the fastest trains, but also the safest - in 40 years of operation there has not been a single major accident.

Shinkansen Literally translated from Japanese, “new trunk line” is the general name for high-speed railways connecting the most important cities in Japan. This road was called the “New Line” because Japanese builders for the first time, when laying the Shinkansen, moved away from the practice of narrow gauge railways - the standard gauge became 1435 mm. Before this, the entire Japanese railway network was narrow gauge (1067 mm gauge).

Train Shinkansen

The first section of the Shinkansen Tokyo-Osaka (“Tokaido Shinkansen”), 515 km long, was opened in 1964, on the eve of the opening of the XVIII Summer Olympics in Tokyo. Despite the fact that, it would seem, the starting positions from which Japan began its post-war run-up were very unfavorable. The economy was undermined and depleted by an aggressive long war, large cities and many industrial enterprises lay in ruins (at the beginning of 1946, the level of industrial production was 14% of the average pre-war level).

And yet, the world's first high-speed railway was built in Japan. The first trains reached speeds of 220-230 km/h. Now this figure has long been surpassed by high-speed trains from other countries, but for its time it was an unconditional record. Now high-speed trains are as much a symbol of modern Japan as high-quality electronics and reliable and durable cars.

The first Shinkansen train of series 0

In 1972, the Tokyo-Osaka section was extended by 160 km to Okayama, and in 1975 by 393 km to Hakata station in Fukuoka on the island. Kyushu. The Hikari (Light) train, which reaches speeds of up to 210 km/h in places, covers the 1,068 km between Tokyo and Hakata in less than 7 hours.

In 1982, 2 more lines went into operation leading from Tokyo to Niigata (Joetsu Line, 270 km) and Morioka (Tohoku Line, 465 km). Speeds on them reach 240 km/h, and in one of the sections even 274 km/h. The train's main lines pass through numerous tunnels, including an underwater tunnel under the Shimonoseki Strait between the islands of Honshu and Kyushu. The maximum speed of trains on older sections of the mainline is 210 km/h, and on newer sections – 260 km/h. The “bullet train” often “flies” at a speed of 300 km, which is comparable to the high-speed lines TGV in France and ICE in Germany.

Map of high-speed highways in Japan

The high-speed network is controlled by the Japan Railways Group. JR Group is the backbone of Japan's railway network (controls 20,135 of the 27,268 km of roads, which is ~74% of all main lines). It accounts for a large share of intercity and suburban rail traffic. Initially, the Shinkansen lines carried freight and passengers day and night. Now they serve only passengers, and from midnight to 6 a.m. traffic is stopped for maintenance and repair work. There are very few night trains left in Japan, and they all still run on the old railway, which runs parallel to the bullet train tracks and connects the country's major cities.

Today there are three categories of high-speed trains in use in Japan: nozomi, hikari and kodama. Nozomi Express is the fastest. The 500 series trains running on these lines resemble spaceships with their appearance, and especially with their elongated 15 m long nose section, which creates the necessary aerodynamics. Their appearance on Japanese railways completely changed the standards for high-speed roads. In some areas, the “nozomi” reaches speeds of up to 300 km/h and stops only in large populated areas. Hikari, the second fastest, also makes stops at intermediate stations, and Kodomi - at all stations. However, the speed of the Kodomi exceeds 200 km/h, although when passing through some areas and populated areas, the speed of the Shinkansen is limited to 110 km/h.

Electric train “Shinkansen” 300 series

Shinkansen electric trains 300 and 700 series

Shinkansen train JR500

Despite the high speeds, the Shinkansen in Japan has proven itself to be an extremely reliable mode of transport: over 35 years of operation, starting in 1964, not a single fatal accident (excluding suicides) has been recorded. During this time, more than 6 billion passengers were transported. The “punctuality” of Japanese high-speed trains is also exceptionally high: the average annual delay is less than a minute, and even at peak loads it is no more than 3-4 minutes. Having become a convenient and affordable mode of transport, the Shinkansen is in many cases today the most optimal way to travel around Japan. At the same time, the traffic interval during morning and evening rush hours is 5-6 minutes! It is no coincidence that the third part of all costs of operating the Shinkansen falls on technical support.

When I was getting ready to go to the "country rising sun", then I definitely wanted to see two things - and Shinkansen high-speed trains. I looked at the capsule hotel almost immediately upon arrival in Tokyo, and took a high-speed train a little later from Tokyo to the ancient capital of Japan - Kyoto.

These high-speed trains are also called “Bullet train”, from English “bullet train”, they depart from Tokyo Station in the Japanese capital, and cover almost all of Japan with a wide network. Japan built its first high-speed train back in 1964, and now the length of the high-speed train network railway tracks for Shinkansen it is about 2500 kilometers. They cover with their network the main Japanese island Honshu, the southern island of Kyushu, and undersea expressways to the northern Japanese island of Hokkaido are already under construction.

In Tokyo, I lived at Shinagawa Station - this is a large transport hub, and the “bullet train” made a short stop there in just 1.5 minutes. Tokyo is a densely populated city and Japanese bullet trains operate with short stops at the city's most important transport hubs and at major intermediate stations between cities. Japan is industrially developed quite evenly and there is life here too in the suburbs, people live, work and move around. It is clear that in Russia, it is not clear why and where the high-speed Sapsan stops on the way from St. Petersburg to Moscow.

Shinagawa Railway Station Pavilion.

I was traveling by train from Tokyo to Kyoto, it was an early crossing and in the morning all the Japanese were rushing to work. At the station it was very difficult to squeeze through the crowd of “robots” trying to make it in time for the “first bell.” Indeed, the population density in Tokyo is enormous, even with their extensive transport network, in the morning “biomass traffic jams” occur at stations.

A ticket to Kyoto cost about 130 US dollars. In order to get to the high-speed train platform, you need to go through turnstiles, somewhat reminiscent of the turnstiles of the Moscow metro.

Shinkansen in Japan are usually not late, but arrive minute by minute. After all, if the train stops at the Shinagawa intermediate station for only one and a half minutes, then being late is unacceptable. In 2012, the average deviation of trains from schedule was only 36 seconds. Shinkansen to different destinations arrive at Shinagawa Station approximately every five minutes, and a specially trained Japanese person supervises the departure of these high-speed trains at the station.

Islamic-looking Japanese woman at Shinagawa Station. Shinkansen literally means "new highway" in Japanese. The name "bullet train" is also a literal translation from the Japanese "dangan ressha", this name was originally in the 30s of the 20th century, when Japan's high-speed railways were still in development.

The Japanese are a very law-abiding station and they board the train STRICTLY according to the general queue, and there are even markings on the platform where they should stand and the place where this or that car stops is also written on the platform itself. Squeezing forward, pushing through the line, is considered very uncultural here, and it is unlikely that a law-abiding Japanese would ever do this.

No one rushes anywhere without a queue; everyone gets off or boards high-speed trains in a sedate and orderly manner. In 1965, with the launch of the Shinkansen, the Japanese were finally able to " one day trips" between its two industrial centers - Tokyo and Osaka.

And finally, slowly, our Shinkansen arrives at the station.

Externally, from the front it even looks a little more beautiful than our famous Sapsan.

Sometimes Shinkansen can even "kiss".

In the end I do last photo my "hippy Japanese" neighbor, and I jump on the train to Kyoto.

The doors of the Shinkansen open to the side, like in our Russian metro, after which passengers board. Shinkansen are very, very safe transport in Japan. In its 49 years of existence since 1964, carrying 7 billion passengers, there has not been a single fatality due to a train derailment or collision. Injuries and one death were recorded when people were pinned by the doors and the train began to move. To prevent this, there is now an employee on duty at each station who checks that the doors of the high-speed train are closed.

Japan is a very earthquake-prone country and all Shinkansen have been equipped with an earthquake prevention system since 1992. If earth vibrations or tremors are detected, the system itself very quickly stops this train. All trains are also equipped new system"anti derailment".

And of course, a train is much more environmentally friendly than a car. If now Shinkansen can reach speeds of up to 320 km/h, but in fact they travel on average 280 km/h, then by 2020 they plan to increase the top speed limit to 360 kilometers per hour.

An example of the layout of a car on a Japanese high-speed train, with three seats on one side and two on the other.

The train has machines selling mineral water and tea, so beloved by the Japanese.

Urinals on Japanese trains are equipped with transparent glass.

In addition to urinals, there are also ordinary toilets with a “normal” door, maybe simply because the Japanese believe that women are embarrassed to pee with transparent glass, but men are not)).

There are also separate small rooms where you can wash your hands.

In addition to water and tea vending machines, trains periodically sell drinks and snacks. Even the cheapest purchase can be paid with a credit card; there will be no problems with “plastic money” in Japan.

You can enjoy cold beer or hot coffee.

In Japan, as well as in Russia, several types of dried squid are sold, I always thought that dried salted squid was pure Russian theme, but no, in Japan this is also very common. The squid is very tasty, as is the Japanese beer "Asahi".

Each seat is also equipped with a power outlet, just like on trains, that is, you can work on a laptop without time restrictions.

Controllers are also a constant occurrence on Japanese trains, since Shinkansens make virtually no stops along the way; running out onto the platform of an intermediate station and “running around” the controller, as we do in Russia, will not work in Japan.

There is no way to avoid checking purchased tickets.

When the train travels from Tokyo to Kyoto, 45 minutes after departure everyone runs to take pictures famous symbol Japan - Mount Fuji. The Japanese show national symbol of their country to young children.

If someone wants to call and doesn't have mobile phone, I wonder if there are still such comrades in the 21st century, then there is a payphone on the train.

With detailed instructions for use.

Another feature of high-speed “Japanese” trains is that the seats are not fixed in place, as for example in our “Sapsan”, but can freely rotate around their axis by 360 degrees. The rotating mechanism is activated by pressing a special pedal under the seat. And behind the seats there are special nets in which you can put your things, so someone put away his Canon camera - which, as they say folk wisdom, is the "poor man's Nikon".

You can turn the seat 90 degrees and drive looking straight out the window the whole time.

The population density in Japan is enormous and when you travel from Tokyo to Kyoto you don’t even have time to catch the feeling of changing cities, since the industrial zone seems to never end, and the agricultural land is not visible at all. Outside the windows is the factory of the famous Japanese beer “Kirin”.

If, for example, you’re tired of looking out the window, then you can turn the seats another 90 degrees and play cards with your neighbor.

The Japanese on their high-speed trains have not forgotten about the “smoking junkies”; for them, special “aquarium chambers” have been made on the train, which can accommodate a maximum of two people and, in privacy, they can truly enjoy the vomit smell of nicotine.

It’s not for nothing that they say that time flies on the road. While I was walking around the train, I didn’t notice how I arrived in Kyoto. In Shinkansen, you need to carefully monitor the city of arrival, since stops at train stations, even in big cities, usually no more than 5 minutes, you need to pack your things in advance, get ready, and get off the train at the desired station. The first photos at the station in the Japanese city of Kyoto.

The high-speed train model N700 is now one of the most modern, it began to be used only in 2007.

High-speed trains are also essentially “electric trains”, and they have this type of “contact element on top”. The Shinkansen uses 25,000 volts of alternating current for propulsion.

When the Shinkansen leaves the station, a specially trained dude looks out from the rear control room and makes sure that “no one gets hurt” on the platform.

Arriving in Kyoto, I immediately went for a walk around this wonderful city, which seems to have forgotten about the race technical progress, stopped a little in time.....to be continued...