In pictures. In Japan, the Shinkansen high-speed train celebrates its 60th anniversary

With a network now crossing the entire country, the Shinkansen, which appeared notably in Brad Pitt’s blockbuster “Bullet Train” (2022), has also become an unmissable tourist attraction. The JR Central railway company claims to have never had an accident resulting in death or serious injury, in a country where earthquakes, typhoons or heavy snowfall are commonplace.

This month, however, for the first time, on a line managed by the company JR East, two high-speed trains linked together decoupled, leading to an emergency stop, without causing any injuries.

Safety, frequency and cleanliness

Safety is “our top priority,” says JR Central public relations manager Daisuke Kumajima. This is why “we take the training of our employees very seriously” whose curious gestures with fingers pointing to an empty horizon can be seen on the platforms and which are in fact strict security control procedures.

At JR Central’s maintenance sites, engineers also check a train’s internal workings, looking for any unusual noises that might indicate a loose part. Equal attention is paid to punctuality – the average delay is less than one minute on all lines – and to cleanliness. Thanks to a meticulous maintenance program, the trains are always sparkling inside and out.

Frequency is another major advantage of the success of these trains which has many enthusiasts across the country, who immortalize the lightning passage of the trains. The frequency of these “Japanese TGVs” is often closer to the Parisian RER with departures every 15 or 20 minutes to reach cities hundreds of kilometers apart. And on certain destinations, a departure can be made every 5 minutes.

Daily, nearly 250,000 passengers use the line which connects Tokyo to Fukuoka, on the southern island of Kyushu, located 5 hours and 1,000 km away, passing notably through Kyoto, Kobe and Hiroshima, with a breathtaking view of Mount Fuji. According to Christopher Hood, the growth of cities along Shinkansen routes over the decades shows its impact on the Japanese economy, where “face-to-face business is very, very important.”

Soon the end of drivers?

According to this researcher, the Shinkansen also played a role in accelerating the depopulation of the Japanese countryside, isolating many elderly people. “People prefer to live in big cities and use the Shinkansen to visit relatives in smaller towns if necessary,” he notes.

Rail operators have new projects to modernize the network. Faced with a growing labor shortage linked to an aging population, JR Central is studying a new digital inspection system capable of analyzing images of a train to spot dangers. JR East said driverless high-speed trains could be put into service from the mid-2030s.

A vast project to build a high-speed magnetic levitation (maglev) line is also underway, long delayed due to opposition from environmentalists. Maglev trains, which aim for 500 km/h, were due to start running between Tokyo and Nagoya, in central Japan, in 2027, but JR Central pushed that date back to 2034 or later.