Traveling at the Speed of a Bullet - Metropolitan Planning Council

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Traveling at the Speed of a Bullet

Japan’s Shinkansen bullet train is the world’s first high-speed rail service.

In 1963,Japan introduced the world to high-speed rail when it began service that connected its two major cities: Tokyo and Osaka.  Also known as a bullet train, its first passengers traveled 125 mph along the 320-mile journey.  What had once taken eight hours, multiple transfers, and slow bus service became a newly branded, state-of-the-art experience that allowed passengers to ‘fly on the ground’ in just two and a half hours.

Japan started planning and devising its bullet train network in the 1930s as a way to connect the islands to the mainland.  Lack of resources due to World War II forced Japan to abandon its plans and proposals for its national high-speed rail network until Tokyo was selected as the host city for the 1964 Summer Olympic Games. Japan’s challenge to provide quick and easy access to the various events reinvigorated its commitment to provide high-speed alternatives to air travel.  To help attract travelers, Japan’s bullet trains offered food, drinks, telephone service, and extra-wide seats with more legroom than a first-class aircraft.  Speedy and convenient, Japan’s bullet trains easily connected with local rail lines, airports, and urban centers.

Japan currently operates an extensive network of eight interconnected high speed rail lines across 1,350 miles of the island nation.  The system provides predictable, reliable and speedy access into Japan’s major metropolises and employment centers to more than 375,000 passengers per day. Trains have been upgraded and improvements to the power source allow the bullet trains to operate at 185 mph. Future expansion plans aim to enhance the efficiency, speed, capacity, and accessibility of the system.  The success of Japan’s bullet train system has inspired high-speed rail networks in Germany, Spain and France

High-speed rail offers several benefits.  California’s proposed high-speed rail network from San Francisco to Los Angeles promises to be emission free. Spain’s high-speed train makes the 375-mile trip from Barcelona to Madrid a two-and-a-half hour glide through Spain’s countryside. Germany uses its high-speed rail network to reconnect its major cities once separated by East and West boundaries as well as help alleviate domestic travel congestion at its airports.  While Amtrak’s Acela Express from Washington, D.C. to Boston is this country’s only current higher speed train, track limitations force the train to travel less than 60 mph in certain segments of the corridor – hardly providing the same speed or quality of service as our international counterparts.  With many Midwestern cities within 400 miles of each other, the Chicago region could benefit from intercity high-speed rail. Connections between Chicago, St. Louis, Detroit, and Minneapolis, for example, could help alleviate traffic congestion on our highways, capacity issues in our airports, and provide quality travel alternatives.

This article was featured in Talking Transit, MPC’s bi-weekly e-newsletter. To receive the newsletter, email talkingtransit@metroplanning.org with ‘Subscribe’ in the subject line.

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