How is the form of transport known in Japan as the Shinkansen, known as in the UK?
"trains are also known as the bullet train. The term originates from 1939, and was the initial name given to the Shinkansen project in its earliest planning stages. Furthermore, the name , used exclusively until 1972 for trains on the Tōkaidō Shinkansen, is used today in English-language announcements and signage. Japan was the first country to build dedicated railway lines for high-speed travel. Because of the mountainous terrain, the existing network consisted of narrow-gauge lines, which generally took indirect routes and could not be adapted to higher speeds. Consequently, Japan had a greater need for new high-speed lines than countries"
"uniquely high population density, and the limited amount of available usable land for road construction. The Shinkansen, or ""bullet trains"", as they are often known, are the high-speed rail trains that run across Japan. The of 8 Shinkansen lines run on completely separate lines from their commuting train counterparts, with a few exceptions. Shinkansen take up a large portion of the long distance travel in Japan, with the whole system carrying over 10 billion passengers in its lifetime. 1,114 journeys are made daily, with the fastest train being the JR East E5 and E6 series trains, which operate at a"
"travel by rail is a popular or the only cheap way to travel long distances. One notable and growing long-distance train category is high-speed rail. Generally, high speed rail runs at speeds above and often operates on dedicated track that is surveyed and prepared to accommodate high speeds. Japan's Shinkansen popularly known as (""bullet-train"") commenced operation in 1964, and was the first successful example of a high speed passenger rail system. The fastest wheeled train running on rails is France's TGV (Train à Grande Vitesse, literally ""high speed train""), which achieved a speed of , twice the takeoff speed of"
"maglev trains are considered Shinkansen, while other slower maglev trains (such as the Linimo maglev train line serving local community near the city of Nagoya in Aichi, Japan) are intended as alternatives to conventional urban rapid transit systems. ""Note that these trains were and currently are used only for experimental runs."" 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 06:00 every day for maintenance. The few overnight trains that still run in Japan run on the older narrow gauge network that the"
"Toki (train) The is a high-speed Shinkansen train service operated by East Japan Railway Company (JR East) on the Joetsu Shinkansen in Japan. The name is taken from the Japanese name of the crested ibis, for which Niigata is famous. (*) Not served by all trains The name ""Toki"" was first introduced on 10 June 1962 for limited express services operating between Ueno in Tokyo and Niigata on the Joetsu Line. This service operated until 14 November 1982, the day before the Joetsu Shinkansen opened. From the start of services on the newly opened Jōetsu Shinkansen on 15 November 1982,"
"conventional train systems, although the simpler construction of maglev vehicles makes them cheaper to manufacture and maintain. Despite over a century of research and development, maglev transport systems are in operation in just three countries (Japan, South Korea and China). The incremental benefits of maglev technology have often been hard to justify against cost and risk, especially where there is an existing or proposed conventional high speed train line with spare passenger carrying capacity, as in high-speed rail in Europe, the High Speed 2 in the UK and Shinkansen in Japan. In the late 1940s, the British electrical engineer Eric"
"on 17 November 2012 using 10-car 200 series set K47. Toki (train) The is a high-speed Shinkansen train service operated by East Japan Railway Company (JR East) on the Joetsu Shinkansen in Japan. The name is taken from the Japanese name of the crested ibis, for which Niigata is famous. (*) Not served by all trains The name ""Toki"" was first introduced on 10 June 1962 for limited express services operating between Ueno in Tokyo and Niigata on the Joetsu Line. This service operated until 14 November 1982, the day before the Joetsu Shinkansen opened. From the start of services"
"maximum speed of . Shinkansen trains are known to be very safe, with no accident-related deaths or injuries from passengers in its 50-plus year history. Shinkansen trains are also known to be very punctual, following suit with all other Japanese transport; in 2003, the average delay per train on the Tokaido Shinkansen was a mere 6 seconds. Japan has been trying to sell its Shinkansen technology overseas, and has struck deals to help build systems in India, Thailand, and the United States. The first Shinkansen line opened between Tokyo and Osaka in 1964, and trains can now make the journey"
"Yamagata Shinkansen The is a Mini-shinkansen route in Japan, operated by East Japan Railway Company (JR East). It provides service between Tokyo and Shinjō in Yamagata Prefecture over the tracks of the Tohoku Shinkansen and the Ōu Main Line. The term Yamagata Shinkansen refers to the segment that connects Fukushima in Fukushima Prefecture and Shinjō. Because the shinkansen trains share tracks with regular service trains, it is often referred to as a ""mini-shinkansen"". Trains consist of 7-car E3 series trainsets operating as ""Tsubasa"" services. Between and Fukushima, the trains run coupled to ""Yamabiko"" trains on the Tōhoku Shinkansen. Between Fukushima"
"higher than the ""Kodama"", the limited express on the same line. Presently all Shinkansen services are officially limited express, but are usually referred to as ""super express"" in English. The table below summarizes the limited express on major Japanese railways (JR Group, Toei and 16 major private railways minus one major private railway that does not operate limited express, which is Tokyo Metro). In the era of steam-hauled provincial expresses, limited express services were common on highly trafficked routes. The ""Night Limited"" was the premier express train on the North Island Main Trunk Railway between Auckland and Wellington from 1924"
"at once in April 2007. Construction began in 1959, and in 1964, the world's first line, Tōkaidō Shinkansen opened to the public, then operating at a speed of 210 km/h. A maximum speed of 443 km/h was recorded in a test run in 1996. Japan is an extremely densely populated country; more than 70% of the land surface is mountainous and thus uninhabitable or unsuitable for road travel and parking. In fact, drivers must prove they have a parking space before they can buy a car. With such a population density, the only practical possibility for transport across the country"
"higher shares of transport, reducing rail and water to freight and short-haul passenger services. Scientific spaceflight began in the 1950s, with rapid growth until the 1970s, when interest dwindled. In the 1950s the introduction of containerization gave massive efficiency gains in freight transport, fostering globalization. International air travel became much more accessible in the 1960s with the commercialization of the jet engine. Along with the growth in automobiles and motorways, rail and water transport declined in relative importance. After the introduction of the Shinkansen in Japan in 1964, high-speed rail in Asia and Europe started attracting passengers on long-haul routes"
"they are the E3 and E6 series trains. Whilst no further Mini-shinkansen routes have been proposed to date, it remains an option for providing Shinkansen services to cities on the narrow gauge network. This is the name for the concept of using a single train that is specially designed to travel on both narrow gauge railway lines and the standard gauge used by Shinkansen train services in Japan. The trucks/bogies of the Gauge Change Train (GCT) allow the wheels to be unlocked from the axles, narrowed or widened as necessary, and then relocked. This allows a GCT to traverse both"
"from before World War II, when it was used for an express train operated by Japan from Rason in Korea (present-day North Korea) to Hsinking in Manchuria (present-day China). It was first used in Japan on 1 November 1960 for services operating between and . This service was renamed ""Benibana"" from 1 July 1982. From the start of services on the newly opened Joetsu Shinkansen on 15 November 1982, ""Asahi"" was the name used for the limited-stop shinkansen services operating initially between and Niigata, later between and Niigata, and eventually between and Niigata. At the start of Joetsu Shinkansen operations"
"it is not possible to use powered bogies as part of the Talgo Pendular system). In Japan, significant engineering desirability exists for the electric multiple unit configuration. A greater proportion of motored axles results in higher acceleration, meaning that the Shinkansen does not lose as much time if stopping frequently. Shinkansen lines have more stops in proportion to their lengths than high-speed lines elsewhere in the world. Over the Shinkansen's 50-plus year history, carrying over 10 billion passengers, there have been no passenger fatalities due to train accidents such as derailments or collisions, despite frequent earthquakes and typhoons. Injuries and"
"of 353 million in 2007) of any high-speed rail network until 2011, when the Chinese high-speed railway network surpassed it at 370 million passengers annually, reaching over 1.7 billion annual passengers in 2017, though the total cumulative passengers, at over 10 billion, is still larger. While the Shinkansen network has been expanding, Japan's declining population is expected to cause ridership to decline over time. The recent expansion in tourism has boosted ridership marginally. in Japanese means or , but the word is used to describe both the railway lines the trains run on and the trains themselves. In English, the"
"the plan may become more feasible after the opening the Chuo Shinkansen (sometimes referred to as a bypass to the Tokaido Shinkansen) frees up capacity, construction is already underway for other rail improvements between Haneda and Tokyo station expected to be completed prior to the opening of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, so any potential Shinkansen service would likely offer only marginal benefit beyond that. Trains are up to sixteen cars long. With each car measuring in length, the longest trains are 400 m (1/4 mile) end to end. Stations are similarly long to accommodate these trains. Some of Japan's high-speed"
"Japan has six main regional passenger railway companies, known collectively as Japan Railways Group or simply as JR. Four JR companies operate the ""bullet trains"" on very fast and frequent Shinkansen lines that link all the larger cities, including Tokyo, Yokohama, Nagoya, Kyoto, Osaka, Hiroshima, Fukuoka and many more. Many other cities are covered by a network of JR's ""limited express"" inter-city trains on , narrow gauge, lines. Major cities are covered by convenient train services of every one hour or more frequent. In addition to the JR Group, Japan has several major regional carriers such as the Kintetsu and"
"Shinkansen parallels. Compared with air transport, the Shinkansen has several advantages, including scheduling frequency and flexibility, punctual operation, comfortable seats, and convenient city-centre terminals. Shinkansen fares are generally competitive with domestic air fares. From a speed and convenience perspective, the Shinkansen's market share has surpassed that of air travel for journeys of less than 750 km, while air and rail remain highly competitive with each other in the 800–900 km range and air has a higher market share for journeys of more than 1,000 km. Railways using Shinkansen technology are not limited to those in Japan. Taiwan High Speed Rail"
"schedule, represented an average of just under 22,000 passengers an hour. The first Shinkansen trains, the 0 series, ran at speeds of up to , later increased to . The last of these trains, with their classic bullet-nosed appearance, were retired on 30 November 2008. A driving car from one of the 0 series trains was donated by JR West to the National Railway Museum in York, England in 2001. The Tōkaidō Shinkansen's rapid success prompted an extension westward to Okayama, Hiroshima and Fukuoka (the Sanyō Shinkansen), which was completed in 1975. Prime Minister Kakuei Tanaka was an ardent supporter"
"with two units, 9000 and 9001, from Westinghouse. Although high-speed steam and diesel services were started before the 1960s in Europe, they were not very successful. The first electrified high-speed rail Tōkaidō Shinkansen was introduced in 1964 between Tokyo and Osaka in Japan. Since then high-speed rail transport, functioning at speeds up and above 300 km/h, has been built in Japan, Spain, France, Germany, Italy, the People's Republic of China, Taiwan (Republic of China), the United Kingdom, South Korea, Scandinavia, Belgium and the Netherlands. The construction of many of these lines has resulted in the dramatic decline of short haul"
"of Hokkaido Shinkansen services in March 2016, with freight trains being the only regular service utilising the narrow gauge line since that time. JR Hokkaido is exploring the use of ""Train on Train"" technology to remove the threat that the shock wave created in front of Shinkansen trains traveling at full speed pose to freight trains operating on Japanese standard narrow-gauge track in a tunnel setting. If successful, it will allow the Hokkaido Shinkansen to travel at full speed inside the tunnel in future. Shinkansen trains operate through the tunnel to Shin-Hakodate-Hokuto Station in Hakodate, connecting Tokyo and Shin-Hakodate-Hokuto stations"
"completion of the Shinkansen line to Hokkaido. Blue Train (Japan) Services slowly began to be eliminated as the Shinkansen (bullet-train) network spread and as regional airports opened in the 1980s and 1990s; then five Blue Train services were eliminated in 2008 and 2009, six more between 2010 and 2015, and the final services in 2016. Aside from luxury ""land cruise"" tourist trains such as ""Seven Stars in Kyushu"", this has left just two overnight express trains (the combined ""Sunrise Izumo"" and ""Sunrise Seto"") as the only trains in Japan with sleeping accommodation. The first Blue Train was known as the"
"Japanese railways generally used narrow gauge, but the increased stability offered by widening the rails to standard gauge would make very high-speed rail much simpler, and thus standard gauge was adopted for high-speed service. With the sole exceptions of Russia, Finland and Uzbekistan (where even wider gauge is used) all high speed rail lines in the world are still standard gauge, even in countries where the preferred gauge for legacy lines is different. The new service, named Shinkansen (meaning ""new trunk line"") would provide a new alignment, 25% wider standard gauge, continuously welded rails between Tokyo and Osaka using new"
"2016, with the opening of the Hokkaido Shinkansen from Shin-Aomori to Shin-Hakodate-Hokuto, the ""Hayabusa"" name was used for services operating between Tokyo, Sendai, and Shin-Hakodate-Hokuto. From the start of the 26 March 2016 timetable revision, ten return services operate daily between Tokyo and Shin-Hakodate-Hokuto, and one return service daily operates between Shin-Aomori and Shin-Hakodate-Hokuto. Hayabusa (train) The is a high-speed Shinkansen service operated by East Japan Railway Company (JR East) and Hokkaido Railway Company (JR Hokkaido) between Tokyo and in Japan since 26 March 2016. The name was formerly used for a limited express sleeping car service operated by JR"
"the Shinkansen network extended to Hakodate following the dual-gauging of the Seikan Tunnel in 2016. SCMaglev reached its world record speeds of 581 km/h in 2003 and 603 km/h in 2015, while the much slower Linimo, debuted in 2005, is the first maglev metro in the world. The development of Japan since 1872 is analogous to that of its rail network. Over this period, railways became the most important means of transport – especially for the movement of passengers – and they retain this role in the larger cities today. With many suburban cities having been developed by railway operators,"
"a single fatality have been caused by doors closing on passengers or their belongings; attendants are employed at platforms to prevent such accidents. There have, however, been suicides by passengers jumping both from and in front of moving trains. On 30 June 2015, a passenger committed suicide on board a Shinkansen train by setting himself on fire, killing another passenger and seriously injuring seven other people. There have been two derailments of Shinkansen trains in passenger service. The first one occurred during the Chūetsu earthquake on 23 October 2004. Eight of ten cars of the ""Toki"" No. 325 train on"
"have advantages, encouraging their development in this country. Additionally, the mountainous terrain gives the MUs an advantage on grades steeper than those found in most countries, particularly on small private lines many of which run from coastal cities to small towns in the mountains. Most long-distance trains in Japan were operated by locomotives until the 1950s, but by utilizing and enhancing the technology of short-distance urban MU trains, long-distance express MU-type vehicles were developed and widely introduced starting in the mid-1950s. This work resulted in the original Shinkansen development which optimized all of the EMU's efficiencies to maximize speed. It"
"transportation markets; for instance, 6 passenger JR enterprises, Kintetsu Railway, Seibu Railway, and Keio Corporation. Often, strategies of these enterprises contain real estate or department stores next to stations, and many major stations have major department stores near them. The Japanese cities of Fukuoka, Kobe, Kyoto, Nagoya, Osaka, Sapporo, Sendai, Tokyo and Yokohama all have subway systems. Some 250 high-speed Shinkansen trains connect major cities. All trains are known for punctuality, and a delay of 90 seconds can be considered late for some train services. There are 98 passenger and 175 total airports in Japan, and flying is a popular"
"The first Shinkansen trains, the 0 Series Shinkansen, built by Kawasaki Heavy Industries—in English often called ""Bullet Trains"", after the original Japanese name —outclassed the earlier fast trains in commercial service. They traversed the distance in 3 hours 10 minutes, reaching a top speed of and sustaining an average speed of with stops at Nagoya and Kyoto. Speed was only a part of the Shinkansen revolution: the Shinkansen offered high-speed rail travel to the masses. The first ""Bullet trains"" had 12 cars and later versions had up to 16, and double-deck trains further increased the capacity. After three years, more"
"All seats are reserved and no-smoking. Hayate (train) The name ""Hayate"" has not been used previously on any train service in Japan. The name was chosen with input from the public; roughly translated, it means a strong or violent wind; however, it carries positive connotations of speed and power. From its introduction in December 2002, the ""Hayate"" service used 10-car E2 series units. With the opening of the Tohoku Shinkansen extension to the new northern terminus of from 4 December 2010, 15 return trips a day operating between Tokyo and Shin-Aomori, with one return trip between Sendai and Shin-Aomori and"
"aircraft design during World War II. The popular English name ""bullet train"" is a literal translation of the Japanese term , a nickname given to the project while it was initially being discussed in the 1930s. The name stuck because of the original 0 Series Shinkansen's resemblance to a bullet and its high speed. The ""Shinkansen"" name was first formally used in 1940 for a proposed standard gauge passenger and freight line between Tokyo and Shimonoseki that would have used steam and electric locomotives with a top speed of . Over the next three years, the Ministry of Railways drew"
"and Shinjō, the trains run on their own at a maximum speed of and share the line with regular Ōu Main Line trains. As of July 2012, about 62 million passengers had ridden the line since it opened in July 1992. The fastest trains connected Tokyo and Yamagata stations in two hours and 29 minutes. Yamagata Shinkansen The is a Mini-shinkansen route in Japan, operated by East Japan Railway Company (JR East). It provides service between Tokyo and Shinjō in Yamagata Prefecture over the tracks of the Tohoku Shinkansen and the Ōu Main Line. The term Yamagata Shinkansen refers to"