Asia and Europe are complete opposites. It is very difficult for a European to understand how an Asian builds his life, what he thinks about, what rules he obeys. But still eastern countries attract tourists with their beauty and originality, in addition, many Asian countries can boast of a high standard of living and new technologies introduced into the life of ordinary residents. Japan is especially interesting in this regard. Those who have had the pleasure of traveling around the Land of the Rising Sun will never be able to forget Japanese trains, covering many kilometers in literally a matter of minutes.

Japan is a country of high technology and patriarchal traditions

Japan is located in East Asia and occupies almost seven thousand islands. This geographical feature influences the entire way of life of the locals. The country's population of 127 million lives in large cities. Only less than five percent of all Japanese can afford to live outside the metropolis, and this division is very arbitrary. After all, in Japan it is difficult to find an area that would not be used for the benefit of the state. The Japanese are trying to build up every millimeter of land with various buildings; as a result, only coastal strips remain free, subject to periodic flooding.

But the Japanese have learned to deal with this misfortune; for many years now they have been moving deeper into Pacific Ocean and the South China Sea, creating artificial islands. The severe shortage of free land forced Japan to develop a high-tech program for the settlement of water areas, which has shown itself very well over the past decades.

The peculiarities of Japanese life force the population to constantly move around the country. Every day, several thousand people travel from the suburbs to work at their offices located in Tokyo or Osaka. The Japanese high-speed train helps you avoid rush hour traffic and save time.

Shinkansen - high speed rail

For Russians, traveling around railway can hardly be called comfortable and fast. The average resident of our country, when going on vacation, tries to choose air transport. But in the Land of the Rising Sun, Japanese trains break all records for popularity and demand. This is absolutely special kind transport that can cover a distance of 600 kilometers in just a couple of hours.

High-speed trains and railways in Japan are called Shinkansen. Literally this name can be translated as “new main line”. Indeed, during the construction of this highway, the Japanese used a lot of new technologies and for the first time moved away from the traditional type of railway adopted in those days.

Now the Shinkansen connects almost all the cities of Japan; the length of the line is more than 27 thousand kilometers. Moreover, 75 percent of the railway track belongs to the large company in Japan - Japan Railwais Group.

Japanese bullet train: first launch

The need for new railway lines arose in Japan before the eighteenth Summer Olympics. The fact is that until that time the railway track was a narrow-gauge railway. This fact did not meet international standards and significantly slowed down the development of the industry. Therefore, in 1964, the first Shinkansen line was launched, connecting Tokyo and Osaka. The length of the railway was just over 500 kilometers.

It is unknown what the future of Japanese high-speed trains will be, but one thing is certain now - they will be the fastest and most comfortable in the world. Otherwise, in Japan they simply don’t know how.

We continue to talk about unusual things and next in line are devices whose value can hardly be overestimated – trains!

The history of trains in general is a hymn to speed and reliability, passing through intrigue and a huge amount of money, but we are interested in the 10 fastest trains of our time.

The world of trains looks unusual today, this is due to the fact that since 1979, the classic rail train has been joined by its high-tech brothers, machines from the future - “Maglevs” (from the English magnetic levitation - “magnetic levitation”). Proudly floating above the magnetic sheet and moving latest achievements in the field of superconductors, they can become the transport of the future. In view of this, for each we will indicate the type of train and under what conditions the record was obtained, because somewhere on board the express there were no passengers, somewhere even drivers.

1. Shinkansen

The world speed record belongs to the Japanese maglev train; on April 21, 2015, at a special section during testing in Yamanashi Prefecture, the train was able to reach a speed of 603 kilometers per hour, with only the driver on board. This is simply an incredible number!

Test video:

Adding to the insane speed is the amazing silence of this super train; the absence of wheels makes the ride comfortable and surprisingly smooth.

Today, the Shinkansen is one of the fastest trains on commercial routes, with a speed of 443 km/h.

2. TGV POS

The first fastest among rail trains, but second overall, on the planet (as of 2015) is the French TGV POS. The amazing thing is that at the time the speed record was recorded, the train was accelerated to an impressive figure of 574.8 km/h, while journalists and service personnel were on board!

But even taking into account the world record, the speed of the train when moving on commercial routes does not exceed 320 km/h.

3. Shanghai Maglev Train

Next, we have third place given to China with their Shanghai Maglev Train, as the name implies, this train plays in the category of wizards hanging in a powerful magnetic field. This incredible maglev maintains a speed of 431 km/h for 90 seconds (during this time it manages to swallow 10.5 kilometers!), which reaches the maximum speed of this composition, during testing it was able to accelerate to 501 km/h.

4. CRH380A

Another record comes from China, the train with the incredibly euphonious name “CRH380A” took an honorable fourth place. The maximum speed on the route, as the name implies, is 380 km/h, and the maximum recorded result is 486.1 km/h. It is noteworthy that this high-speed train was assembled and launched entirely based on Chinese production facilities. The train carries almost 500 passengers, and boarding is similar to an airplane.

5. TR-09

Location: Germany – maximum speed 450 km/h. Name TR-09.

Number five from the country of the fastest roads - autobahns, and if in terms of speed on the roads Germany can really be classified as fastest country, then the trains are far from number 1.

In sixth place is a train from South Korea. The KTX2, as the Korean bullet train is called, was able to reach 352 km/h, but currently the top speed on commercial routes is limited to 300 km/h.

7. THSR 700T

The next hero, although not the fastest train on the planet, still deserves special applause, the reason for this is the impressive capacity of 989 passengers! considered one of the most spacious and fastest modes of transport.

8. AVETalgo-350

We arrive at the eighth place and stop in Spain, we are on board the AVETalgo-350 (Alta Velocidad Española) nicknamed “Platypus”. The nickname stems from the aerodynamic appearance of the leading carriage (well, you can see for yourself), but no matter how funny our hero looks, his speed of 330 km/h gives him the right to participate in our rating!

9. Eurostar Train

9th place Eurostar Train - France, the train is not so fast 300 km/h (not far from our Sapsan), but the capacity of the train is impressive 900 passengers. By the way, it was on this train that the participants of the famous TV show Top Gear (now deceased, if you love it like me, thumb up!) in season 4, episode 1, they competed with the amazing Aston Martin DB9.

10. Peregrine Falcon

In 10th place, of course, you need to put the Italian “ETR 500” with its good 300 km/h, but I would like to put our quite fast Sapsan. Although the current operating speed of this train is limited to 250 km/h, its modernization (and rather the modernization of its routes) will allow the train to travel at a speed of 350 km/h. At the moment, this is impossible for many reasons, one of them is the vortex effect, which can knock an adult off his feet at a distance of 5 meters from the tracks. Sapsan also sets a funny record - it is the widest high-speed train in the world. Although the train is built on a Siemens platform, due to the wider gauge used in Russia, 1520 mm, versus the European one of 1435 mm, it became possible to increase the width of the car by 300 mm, this makes Sapsan the most “pot-bellied” bullet train.

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 against the backdrop of Mount Fuji is one of the most recognizable landscapes of modern Japan:

Literally translated from Japanese the word "Shinkansen" means "new highway". Before the advent of high-speed trains, railways in Japan were narrow gauge (1067 mm), and had many bends due to the local terrain. On such roads it is possible to develop 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 manufacture. 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 canvas according to international standard, 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 outbreak of the war and the subsequent deterioration of Japan's military and political positions put an end to imperial ambitions. 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 around 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 announcing real numbers was too risky. The loan, allocated by the World Bank at a fairly low interest rate, did not cover even half of the costs. 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

The feeling of national pride in the Shinkansen did not bypass any Japanese, 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. We are, of course, talking 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 rain 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. At the 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 the pressure of both external and internal factors in the person of 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 economy " soap bubble"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 slowdown in economic growth, throughout this time, new, more advanced train models invariably continued to appear. Various safety systems began to be developed, primarily for protection during earthquakes. Now it works in case of an earthquake automatic system notification, which slows down trains a fraction of a second before the push. 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's called "Doctor Yellow". They say that seeing him is 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, in the Asian region, China, Taiwan and South Korea. 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, to 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 enough high cost, the Shinkansken train does not lose popularity due to its accuracy, speed, comfort, high level of service, and most importantly, safety. In 50 years of service, not a single incident involving death or serious injury from a high-speed train has been recorded. No other country in the world can boast of 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 to improve it does not stop. In Yamanashi Prefecture there is a special research center where new technologies are created and tested, in particular, JR-Maglev - the Japanese high-speed magnetic levitation train system. 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 word "shinkansen" has become firmly established in the Japanese language, but increasingly it is not even translated into foreign languages. Everyone understands that we are talking about Japanese high-speed railways, which have long become an integral part of the daily life of many Japanese. But the phrase shinkansen, which simply did not exist in Japanese before, literally means " new gauge line".

Every national railway system has something unique, but there is something special about Japan's roads that is not found in any other country in the world, it is unparalleled, in part because of the equipment with which it is operated.

After World War II, railroads played an important role in the revival of the nation. Japan soon took the path of intensive economic development and accelerated urbanization. In this, the railways also played an important role, transporting the bulk of the population, quickly and on time. Japan's railways are now recognized throughout the world for their high level technical equipment and management.

Japan's railway network is approximately 27,268 kilometers. Approximately 20,000 kilometers of this network are owned by six railway companies that form the JR Group (formerly Japan National Railways). The remaining tracks are private local lines. Railroad lines now link the main island of Honshu with Hokkaido, Shikoku and Kyushu. The JR Group forms the backbone of Japan's railway network.

Japan's railway system has three advantages:

1. it transports huge numbers of people safely and on schedule,
2. you can sit and enjoy the changing scenery,
3. You can enjoy a lunch box made especially for train travelers.

The backbone of JR's rail networks are the Shinkansen "bullet trains", running on five lines (or seven if you count the other two lines that accommodate them). The Tokaido and San"io Shinkansen super express lines stretch 1,175.9 km from through to Hakata (). The fastest train, Nozomi, reaches a maximum speed of 300 km/h on the San"io Shinkansen line between Shin-Osaka and Hakata. Nozomi trains, along with two others, the Hikari and Kodama, leave Tokyo at surprisingly frequent intervals - every three to seven minutes during rush hour.

Tokyo is also the starting point for the Tohoku Shinkansen line to Morioka in the north, the Joetsu Shinkansen line to Niigata on the Sea of ​​Japan, and a new line running northwest to Nagano. Yamabiko trains on the Tohoku Shinkansen line can reach speeds of 275 km/h.

On October 9, 2003, a new platform was opened at Tokyo station for Nozomi (Desire) trains going to Osaka. Of course, this was a new convenience for many passengers living in the large growing area surrounding Shinagawa Station, so running Shinkansen trains from Shinagawa would attract new passengers to the railroad.

These five Shinkansen super express lines are built with a standard gauge of 1435 mm, the same gauge found in many other countries. Standard JR lines have a track gauge of 1067 mm. On standard narrow lines, in combination with curves and steep slopes in mountainous areas, high speeds are prohibited. However, replacing the narrow gauge road with a road standard width, JR can now operate Shinkansen trains on two standard lines in northern Honshu, connecting the Tohoku Shinkansen line to Yamagata and Akita. Shinkansen super express passengers no longer have to change lines when traveling from Tokyo to these cities - Tsubasa and Komachi trains reach speeds of 240 to 275 km/h on Shinkansen lines, then slow to 130 km/h on standard lines adapted to him.

The speed of the Shinkansen...

The San'io Shinkansen line and the older San'io line pass under the New Kammon Strait and the Kammon Strait, linking Honshu with Kyushu. To the north, the 53.85 km Seikan Tunnel under the Tsugaru Strait links Honshu with Hokkaido. Two signature express trains complete this final route - the Hokutosei (night special express) and the Hatsukari special express. Honshu and Shikoku are connected by the Seto Ohashi Bridge, which includes rail and road links. Take one of the train routes that cross this bridge and enjoy views of the Seto Inland Sea dotted with islands.

You can be assured of a comfortable ride and excellent service on any Shinkansen line. The same can be said for JR express trains (which are equivalent to 2nd class cars in some countries) running on regular lines. Some private local companies provide service even with great comfort and better support.

Japan's intercity railways are complemented by city lines and subway lines in Tokyo, Osaka and other major centers. These lines will take you virtually anywhere in the city, although you may have to make a few transfers. All trains follow a precise schedule. If planes land an hour late, you won't hear about it on the news, but you will if passengers on a commuter train or Shinkansen are delayed even 15 minutes. This example shows how vital rail transport is in Japan.

Another advantage of traveling by train in Japan is that you can sit and enjoy the beautiful countryside. This is especially noticeable on non-Super Express Shinkansen lines - watching the scenery change as you move from the sea coast to the mountain gorge, then through a tunnel into another world. From the window of your carriage you can look through the hedges around the houses into fishing grounds and farms and observe nature in all its glory.

Even the Tokaido Shinkansen, the superfast super express train favored by businessmen, provides a stunning panoramic view. Soon after the train leaves Tokyo towards Shin-Osaka and heads west, Mount Fuji on the right side will enchant you. This will be followed by tea plantations near Shizuoka, then wetlands near Lake Hamana. Later you will cross the lower pass to Sekigahara between the prefectures and Shiga, which is covered with snow in winter.

If the main purpose of your trip is to see countryside, select a commuter line. The Gotenba Line (near Tokyo) runs fairly close to. From Nagoya, take a route that takes the Takayama Line through gorges into the highlands below the Japanese Alps. Further to the west, the San'in line runs along the coast of the Sea of ​​Japan.

Japan's new Shinkansen bullet train system has attracted worldwide attention since construction began on the Tokaido Shinkansen line in 1960. The line was launched in October 1964 on the eve of the Tokyo Olympics and connected Tokyo with Osaka at a distance of 552.6 km.

Today, airliners and automobiles take people away from railroads around the world. Still, the railroads may find a way to use their new strengths, to regain popularity with the traveling public. One of these strengths is high mid-range speeds. Speed ​​is the trump card of Japanese trains. Japanese trains are on time and safe. The average speed of the Shinkansen super express trains exceeds 200 km/h, however, during the entire period of operation, serious accidents have never occurred with them. They depart at intervals of 5 or 6 minutes every morning and every evening.

The Central Japan Railway Company and the RTRI (Railway Technology Institute) Foundation have been experimenting with magnetic levitation trains using the principle of superconductivity for many years. These trains use the principle of magnetic repulsion to "float on top of the tracks" and move forward at amazing speeds. Experiments reached a decisive stage in May 1997 at a new site built for research purposes, and studies over the following years will determine the viability of the system. If this dream becomes a reality, passengers will one day be able to travel from Tokyo to Osaka in just one hour through the mountainous regions of central Japan.

What is most important for a railway track? This is safety environment and ease of use. Over the past few years, a new electrified system called Light Rail Transit has been built in Europe and the US, bringing back memories of street cars. In 1997, the city of Kumamoto on the island of Kyushu introduced a new German LRT system using cars with low level floor.

Passengers boarding these carriages rise only 35 cm - this is especially convenient for the elderly, disabled people in wheelchairs and parents with baby strollers. By the way, street tram and LRT tracks can be built much cheaper than metro or surface railway tracks.

Other economic benefits are demonstrated by operating Yurikamome trains in Tokyo's new waterfront area. These trains were built by the Automated Track Rail Organization, which was working to create electric trains that ran on rubber tires without drivers or conductors. Rubber tires provide less noise and vibration, while lower tractive effort reduces cost. Reduced noise and vibration are also achieved using a linear induction motor rail system, which is used on special subway lines in Tokyo and Osaka.

Shinkansen development plans await better times. These plans include the construction of expressways from to, from Fukuoka via to, from Osaka via Tsuruga and Kanazawa to, from Morioka via to.

EKI-BEN

These are boxed lunches sold at all main JR stations and smaller stations. When your train arrives at the station, the middle-aged salesman may shout: "Bento, bento!" This is your opportunity to try a lunch traditional to the area.

EKI-BEN There are three types. First - maku no ichi, which comes from the days of traditional picnics under the cherry blossoms. White rice in a box, served at the edges with various additions of other products, - omelette in the traditional Japanese style, pieces of salmon and beef, kamaboko (fish paste), cooked beans, vegetables, pickles and more. Second type - sushi lunch box, and it may be chirashi sushi(in small portions) or oshi-sushi(pressed and cut). As for the third type eki-ben, then they are all unique in their own way (one is better than the other).

Tokyo Station Master

Tokyo JR Station is at the heart of the country's railway network. Every day of the week 4,047 trains arrive at this station. Station Master Kozaki Seizo says that the pocket watch in his hand has been in sync with the watches of all station staff and drivers of Japan National Railways since privatization in 1987. Such watches symbolize the pride workers feel as their trains function like clockwork. , strictly on time.

Kiosk sellers

KIOSK is the trade name (and nothing else) of the kiosks at each main JR station. These are tiny retail outlets, with an area of ​​only 10 to 15 sq.m., offer a wide selection of products - from 400 to 600 items in total. A sale in one day can bring in about two million yen. The staff remembers the prices of all items. They even know the cost of different combinations, for example, a magazine with a pack of cigarettes (and the prices vary depending on the buyer's choice). Guess the average time it takes for a customer to indicate their choice, pay for their purchase, and receive change. (Answer: 6 seconds).

Boxed lunch vending machines

In case of a long trip, you will probably want to purchase one eki-ben. All long-distance train stations must have eki-ben sales points. Thirteen types of lunch are available on the Tohoku and Joetsu Shinkansen train platforms. On average, 4,200 people buy more than 14,000 meals per day! With so many customers main task is to ensure that no one misses the train. Sellers must figure out total cost and change in a split second, so automatic handheld calculators are best suited here.

Equipment for cleaning wagons

The Shinkansen train stops at the end of the line and all passengers get off. Immediately one, two or three cleaning units are supplied to each car and work begins. The most important thing is to get the job done properly as quickly as possible. Train Shinkansen after arrival, 14 minutes are allocated, after which he returns. Of this time, only 6 minutes are allocated for cleaning. Six minutes to turn chairs, collect trash, wipe floors and tables, straighten curtains and get everything looking its best.

Based on materials from the magazine NIPPONIA and Japan today.

High-speed trains are amazing and very convenient tool for traveling around Japan. In our daily movements, the main means of transportation was railway transport, and I cannot help but dwell on the topic of Shinkansen (新幹線, Shinkansen), devoting a separate article to it. At first, as usual, I gasp and admire what I saw and felt, and then I move on to the story. You say, what nonsense, she rode the train and is happy. Yes, that's right!

The Shinkansen is the first train of its class, it is comfortable to move, and you don’t feel any shaking or vibration while moving on it. The feeling is similar to that of being on an airplane, it’s like you’re flying, but it’s like you’re standing still. I found a photo on the Internet that when the Shinkansen moves, a 500 yen coin does not fall, I am 100% sure that this is not a montage. Because movement of 300 kilometers per hour is not felt inside the train. High-speed trains

But when two handsome Shinkansen meet at this very speed, you can feel the force with which the train is thrown to the side. This is what kind of force (what? attraction?) must be so that the train does not fly off the rails. I'm not a technician, I don't know how to say it correctly :).

The speed is felt only when you look out the window at the lightning-fast changing landscape, and how quickly the drops dry on the glass, the rain still did not stop.

Traveling on trains of this class is expensive; a trip for a Japanese from Tokyo to Osaka will cost 19,300 yen, at the exchange rate - $177, and this is only one way. Therefore, what a blessing that they came up with such a miracle as the JR PASS for foreign tourists; our ticket was valid for 7 days and we bought it for $230 (if I’m not mistaken). We definitely paid for it several times when we moved towards Osaka. Because there we only had time to travel between cities.

A voucher for purchasing a ticket can only be purchased outside of Japan and only for foreigners with a tourist visa, that is, you need to worry about it in advance, I wrote in more detail. Then, already in Japan, the voucher is exchanged for a travel ticket.

Shinkansen is translated from Japanese as a new highway. That’s right, they began to develop a new type of highway back in 1940, and even then they planned to run trains on a new, standard-width track that could reach speeds of up to 200 kilometers per hour. In Japan, the main length of the railway (22,231 km) is made up of so-called narrow-gauge railways, the width of which is 1067 mm. For the Shinkansen, a highway with a standard European gauge of 1435 mm was required.

During the war, work on the construction of a new highway was suspended, and since 1943 it was completely stopped. In the post-war period, due to the gradual restoration of industry and the country's economy, the insufficiency of available transport was felt more and more acutely. The Japanese government was in no hurry to develop railway transport, as under the influence of American ideology it was inclined to the position that railways would be replaced by highways and air travel.

But passenger traffic was growing, more and more cargo was required to be transported to different parts of the country, and the existing railways and train fleet could not cope with this flow. In 1957, they started talking about reviving the new highway project, and much of the credit for this goes to the fourth president of the Japanese National Highways, Shinji Sogu.

To get state support Shinji Sog developed a plan that ensured the participation and impossibility of abandonment of the project by the Japanese government.

• Despite great resistance, he insisted on building a standard 1435 mm gauge, arguing that this would improve the quality of roads.
• He also stated that the maximum speed of trains will be 200 km/h (and not the mind-blowing 300), so as not to focus attention on this issue.
• I convinced everyone that this was not new construction or a new highway, but an improvement of the existing one.
• He declared the required budget to be significantly lower than required, and to pay for part of the project, a loan of $80 million was received from the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development.

Shinji Sog consciously resorted to these “tricks”, realizing that if he had stated the real cost of the project, he would not have received either approval for the construction of a new expressway or money. As soon as the money was allocated, Shinji Sog, possessing exclusive presidential powers, began to divert funds from other JNR projects for the construction of the expressway.

Of course, the declared funds were not enough exactly twice, but the main work was completed and the direction was set. The 1964 Olympic Games were looming on the horizon, to be held in Tokyo. The project had to be completed by this date. The project cost 400 billion yen. Japan was the first country to build dedicated railway lines for high-speed trains.

In 1963, taking full responsibility for the current situation, Shinji Sog resigned. But his achievements in the construction of high-speed trains in Japan are immortalized with a memorial tablet at Tokyo station.

A week, or rather 9 days, before the Summer Olympic Games, which took place from October 10 to 24, 1964, the first expressway between Tokyo and Osaka was opened, with a length of 515 km, with seventeen stations.

The Shinkansen is called the bullet train and it lives up to its name. The first Shinkansen developed a speed of 210-220 km/h, today the maximum speed of trains is 320 km/h, this is, of course, not the Chinese maglev, which reaches speeds of up to 500 km/h, but it is also a very impressive speed. In addition, the Japanese are working on their version of maglev, which reaches speeds of up to 603 km/h; this speed was first recorded on April 21, 2015 and is a world record.

The advent of expressways changed business life in Japan. The country's two largest metropolises, Tokyo and Osaka, are located “three hours” away. One-day business trips could now be made. On the Nozomi Shinkansen, which travels faster than usual, this journey will take 2.5 hours.

In addition to speed, I would like to note the ease of movement and stay on bullet trains. The seats are very comfortable, the distance between the seats both in the row itself and between the rows is such that it does not create inconvenience to neighbors. In the Shinkansen, unlike buses, planes, and other trains, it is very comfortable to go about your business while you go to work or a meeting in another city, you can prepare necessary information, work using a computer, all rows have power supply. They often have breakfast, lunch, and dinner in the Shinkansen. Then they must take all the bags with them and throw them away when leaving the train at the station, where there are always several types of containers for sorting waste. And of course, the Shinkansen is very comfortable to sleep in.

If you are traveling big company, then the chairs in front can be turned so that people sit facing each other.

Some figures in the history of the development of high-speed trains in Japan:

1. Construction of the first section of the new expressway began in April 1959, and the first Shinkansen opened on October 1, 1964.
2. The length of high-speed rail lines increased from 515.4 km in 1964 to 2,764.6 km in 2015.
3. On July 13, 1967, the mark of 100 million passengers using the services of a high-speed train was recorded; in 1976 - 1 billion.
4. The maximum speed of the Shinkansen is 320 km/h; on the section of road between Tokyo and Aomori, speeds of up to 360 km/h are possible.
5. Japan's busiest railway line, Tokyo-Osaka, carries 151 million passengers a year.
6. The entire high-speed train line in Japan carries 353 million people a year.
7. During peak hours, the Shinkansen runs at three-minute intervals and has up to 13 trains with 16 cars in each direction. Each carriage has 1,323 comfortable passenger seats.
8. The length of each car is 25 meters, with the exception of the head car. The total length of the train is 400 meters
9. During the construction of the Tokyo-Osaka line, 3,000 bridges and 67 tunnels were built, with a length of 108 km.
10. When traveling over a distance of up to 800 kilometers, the Japanese prefer the Shinkansen over air travel. Because ticket prices are comparable, while traveling by train is more comfortable, and if you take into account the registration and boarding procedure, as well as the fact that airports are located far from cities, then it is certainly more convenient to arrive at the train departure time and get off at the desired stations are almost in the city center.

On March 26, 2016, the high-speed line connected the islands of Honshu and Hokkaido. Construction of the road began in May 2005 in Aomori (northern Honshu Island) and 11 years later ended in Hakodate (northern Hokkaido Island). The railway track runs at a depth of 240 meters, 100 meters below the seabed. The unique Seikan Tunnel, which connects two islands, is the deepest tunnel in the world and the second longest. The length of Seikan is 53.85 km, its underwater part is 23.3 km.

The speed of the Shinkansen on this section of the road is 360 km/h. From Tokyo to Sapporo you can drive in 3 hours 57 minutes.

Shinkansen is so accurate and punctual that any deviation from the schedule is regarded as an emergency. In 2014, the average train delay was 54 seconds. In 2017, the statistics should have changed for the worse, since personally our train, on which we had to go to Matsumoto due to the October typhoon Lan, was delayed for 3 hours, because fallen tree damaged the highway. But by the way, an hour later the trains went as usual and we boarded another train, not our own, and moved on.

Shinkansen - safe look transport , despite frequent earthquakes and typhoons, over its more than 50-year history there has not been a single fatality as a result of a collision or. Cases of suicide are not taken into account. Everyone remembers the sensational story in 2015, when a Shinkansen passenger traveling along the Tokyo-Osaka route committed an act of self-immolation on a train carrying 1000 passengers. As a result of this incident, 80 people were injured (minorly, mainly from smoke) and two cases of clinical death were announced.

In Japan, 6% of suicides occur on railway lines. On average, 2,000 people jump in front of a train every year due to the apparent ease of suicide. Railroad companies often sue relatives for damages caused by downtime. In turn, measures are being taken to reduce such cases: stations are equipped with blue illuminating LEDs, trains are painted bright green(which, in principle, I haven’t seen often) - this should calm the jumpers. But the most effective thing is that barriers are installed at stations that do not allow you to approach the railway track, and only when the Shinkansen stops do the doors open to allow you to board the train.

At stations in the Kyoto and Osaka area, specifically on expressways, there are such barriers almost everywhere, so I assume that barriers are now being installed everywhere. Of course, it’s not so beautiful to watch the trains coming and going, but it’s safe for people.

A little more about safety.

Two high-speed train crashes have been officially recorded. The first occurred on October 23, 2004 in Chuetsu, in Niigata Prefecture, during a powerful earthquake with a magnitude of 6.6 points. The Shinkansen passed close to the epicenter at a speed of 210 km/h and derailed. Emergency braking was performed within seventy seconds with a braking distance of 1.6 km. There were 155 passengers on the train, none of them were injured.

The second incident occurred on March 2, 2013, on the northern section of roads in Akita Prefecture. At this time, a record amount of snow fell. Due to heavy snowfall, the train was traveling at a minimum speed of 20 mph; upon hearing a loud, uncharacteristic sound, the driver began braking the train. Traffic in the area was immediately stopped. Considering that the train was located far from the tracks, the train passengers, of whom there were 130 people, had to wait for help and evacuation for six hours until the bus arrived. All this time, electricity and heating were turned on in the pastures. None of the passengers were injured. The crash occurred on Saturday; traffic on this section of the road was restored only on Monday.

The expressways of Japan along which the Shinkansen travel are completely separate from the regular highways along which regular trains travel. At each metro station you need to find signs indicating the direction to the exit to the Shinkansen platform. Ticket offices for these trains are also located separately. Having the JR Pass in hand, we tried several times to reserve a seat at such ticket offices, but the queues were always ten or more people long, and we, as usual, were in a hurry to catch the train. So we rushed to the train and sat down in the empty seats in the carriage. Considering that our movement took place mainly during the day, there were no special problems, that is, it is not at all necessary to reserve seats on a passing train. By the way, in the Shinkansen, inspectors often walk through the carriage and check passengers’ tickets.

The railways themselves for high-speed trains also run separately from regular ones, which allows the shinkensen to move without any delays. Shinkansens carry only passengers and do not transport cargo, operating hours are from six in the morning to midnight.

In addition to speed, cleanliness, comfort and convenience, it was striking that high-speed trains in Japan are so popular, despite the high cost of tickets. The bulk of the passengers are people, mostly men, in business suits. Therefore, the conclusion suggests itself that they are going to work, on a business trip, and so on to neighboring cities and regions. Children also meet school age already in smaller quantities. And on the line passing through Osaka, Kyoto there are many foreign tourists with huge backpacks. The Japanese prefer suitcases and business briefcases when traveling.

On the platforms, while waiting for the train, the Japanese line up and do not crowd in front of the intended door of the carriage. If the location of the doors (if there is no special fencing) and the car number are drawn on the platform on the floor, then it is in this place that the door will be located when the train stops, everything is accurate and punctual as usual.

I haven’t seen the terrible pictures that are on the Internet about the endless stream of passengers on the subway, but eyewitnesses say that this is really true. This happens on particularly busy lines during rush hour.

• Friends, Olga Tanaka wrote voluminous, lively information in the comments to this article, which I found very interesting. Olga lives in Japan and knows not only the pros, but also the cons of high-speed trains. To prevent her information from getting lost in the comments section, I, with the author’s consent, am moving it to the main part of the article, and my response will be posted in the comments section.

Congratulations on your new interesting and rich article! Of course, having considerable experience of riding in shinkansen, I have some comments:

(1) Personally, I can’t sleep in the Shinkansen. The reason for this is the frequent movement of passengers. The Shinkansen carriage is not a reserved seat, much less a coupe, but rows of seats like in an Aeroexpress. When traveling alone, travel companions change quite often. And the Japanese also have a bad habit of taking with them not only what they need, but also what might be useful. Because of this, they always have a lot of baggage with them. They prefer to place this luggage at their feet. It's probably more reliable this way. Therefore, it is better to sit by the window: you won’t have to miss them. And there is one more thing - the station announcements in the carriages are given in Japanese and English, so they are quite long and loud. This also does not promote sleep. But, probably, this is a prevention of passing your station

(2) Happy is the one who did not take the Shinkansen to O-bon. If you've ever read notes about what it's like to travel on trains in China in China New Year, so this is practically it. Of course, there are no fake tickets or battles for seats on Japanese Shinkansen. However, frantic crowds of people, luggage racks filled to capacity with things and passengers packed like sardines into a barrel, filling all the aisles and vestibules (yes, standing room!!!) Thanks to the efforts of my husband, I was always provided with an armored seat, and sedately watched the poor fellows who, having bought a standing ticket at the price of a seated one, traveled in terrible conditions. In general, I was outraged that the railway workers did not reduce the price of standing places, thereby enriching themselves disproportionately. But my husband objected that it was people’s own fault for not taking care of the ticket in advance. In addition, by allowing them to travel while standing, they have a chance to go to their home prefecture. Otherwise there would not have been such a chance at all.

(3) There are real “Japanese” shinkansen not only in Japan, but, for example, in Taiwan. They bought the technology from the Japanese. But the Chinese are only imitating the Japanese and they do not have the legal right to call their high-speed trains shinkansen.

(4) Personally, I love eating at the Shinkansen. At the station you buy their signature lunch in a box - bento. Always fresh and beautiful. The design of the cardboard box itself creates the perfect mood for travel. But you can already buy coffee and ice cream from the conductor right in the carriage. Ice cream, mostly of only one type - vanilla, expensive, but so tasty that you will lick your fingers.

In Russia, for subjective reasons, I really don’t like trains, but Japanese trains made me look at railway transport a little differently.

And now a little about bento (lunch packed in a special box). As Olga wrote above, bento is part of the Shinkansen journey.

Bento prepared for consumption during a train trip has a special name - ekiben. This is a single-serve lunch box. Boxes for ekiben can be ceramic, plastic, or wood. The bento comes with chopsticks and, if necessary, spoons. Lunch can be purchased at the train station or on the train itself.

The girls (I wonder what they are officially called) regularly push a cart around the carriage with bento, drinks, dry snacks, ice cream and various goodies and unobtrusively offer passengers to buy what they need. I didn’t see people in our carriage often purchasing goods from a train employee. This probably happens more during lunchtime.

But I noticed what many people eat on the train. Mainly for two reasons: when leaving the train, passengers are holding bags of garbage in their hands, which are thrown out at the station. And sometimes, when you sit down on a seat, you can inadvertently get into trouble; not very careful “eaters” leave scattered rice behind them.

The first railroad bento was sold at Utsunomiya Station on July 16, 1885. The bento consisted of two balls of rice and pickled radish, packaged in a bamboo box. But at least seven more are vying for the role of “first creator” of ekiben. railway stations. Subsequently, ekiben became more and more popular and each prefecture tried to diversify the menu and bring local flavor to the dishes. Nowadays, there is also a continuing trend that the ingredients of ekibena consist of local products characteristic of the area.

The golden age for ekiben was the 80s, when trains did not run so fast and passengers, being on the road for a long time, felt the need to refresh themselves on the road. Today, the procedure for eating on a train is not widespread.