Dream Super Express Train - Part. I
02/05/2013
How Shinkansen Developed
into Present State
Mankind has invented various means of transportation in modern civilization. If you want to travel far in short time, you have jet planes: if you want to go slow and enjoy your journey, you can use ships: and if you want to move in your own pace, you can go by car. In such situation, Japan has led the world in developing and refining another means. That’s the “shinkansen.”
1. History
The idea of shinkansen, which literally means a new trunk line, was born in 1939 before World War II. What was then dubbed a “bullet train plan” aimed to construct a new railway besides the conventional lines to connect Tokyo with Osaka in four hours and with Shimonoseki in nine hours? The scheme deadlocked due to the chaos during and after the war. However, on October 1, 1964, in the midst of Japan’s rapid economic growth, the Tokaido Shinkansen debuted on the Tokyo-Osaka route. The launch heralded the Tokyo Olympic Games that opened on October 10 that year.
Two sets of data show how the shinkansen has developed thereafter. The first concerns the expansion of routes. Japan now has eight lines (Tokaido, Sanyo, Tohoku, Akita, Yamagata, Joetsu, Nagano and Kyushu) in operation, with three additional lines (Hokuriku, Hokkaido and Nagasaki) either under planning or construction.
The 2nd data are about reduction of the time required for traveling. When the Tokaido Shinkansen started its operation, the fastest train took four hours from Tokyo to Osaka. The time has now been shortened to 2 hours and 25 minutes. The train’s upgraded speed performance was one of the factors that made the cut possible. When the service started, the train ran at 200 km per hour. Now it runs at 300 km per hour.
2. Shinkansen and Stations
Stations are indispensable for any railway services. Shinkansen stations are basically built on three norms: (1) many people use them; (2) the distance between two existing stations is so long that a new one is needed between them, and (3) pull-off stations are needed to let faster trains overtake slower ones. The number of stations is increased in that order.
Japan today has 97 stations served by shinkansen trains.
|
Line name |
Route covered |
Number of stations[a](*1) |
Number of stations served by fastest train (*2) |
Total line length (km)[b] |
Average distance between stations (km)[b/a] |
|
Tokaido |
Tokyo – Shin-Osaka |
17 |
6 |
515.4 |
30.3 |
|
Sanyo |
Shin-Osaka - Hakata |
19 |
7 |
553.7 |
29.1 |
|
Tohoku |
Tokyo – Shin-Aomori |
23 |
5 |
674.9 |
29.3 |
|
Akita(+) |
Morioka - Akita |
6 |
5 |
127.3 |
21.2 |
|
Yamagata(+) |
Fukushima - Shinjo |
11 |
8 |
148.6 |
13.5 |
|
Joetsu(+) |
Omiya - Niigata |
10 |
6 |
269.5 |
27.0 |
|
Nagano (+) |
Takasaki - Nagano |
6 |
5 |
117.4 |
19.6 |
|
Kyushu |
Hakata - Kagoshima Chuo |
12 |
3 |
256.8 |
21.4 |
*(1) The number includes the terminal stations.
*(2) The number is based on standard fastest trains.
*(+) Official routes covered by these lines are as stated in the table. But they start at Tokyo Station for operational reasons.
One remarkable point in the table is the average distance between stations. A simple comparison is irrelevant with the Akita and Yamagata Shinkansen lines that run partially into the conventional railways. But the average distances are shorter on two other lines, Nagano and Kyushu.
The route maps show that the distance is particularly shorter between Takasaki and Sakudaira on the Nagano Shinkansen and between Shin-Tosu and Shin-Tamana on the Kyushu Shinkansen. The distance is similarly shorter between Tokyo and Shin-Yokohama on the Tokaido Shinkansen and between Fukuyama and Mihara on the Sanyo Shinkansen.
Why do such things happen to the dream super express services? We will see the reason in Part II.
Written By: Daisuke Aoki