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
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