Changed world of travel: Japan’s bullet trains turn 60

Her white-gloved, waistcoated uniform impeccable, 22-year-old Hazuki Okuno boards a bullet train replica to rehearse the strict protocols behind the smooth operation of a Japanese institution that turned 60 yesterday.

High-speed Shinkansen trains began running between Tokyo and Osaka on 1 October, 1964, heralding a new era for rail travel as Japan grew into an economic superpower after its World War II defeat.

The service remains integral to the nation’s economy – so keeping it dazzlingly clean, punctual and accident-free is a serious job.

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Training and unyielding safety standards

At a 10-storey, state-of-the-art staff training centre, Okuno shouted from the window and signalled to imaginary colleagues, keeping her cool when a video screen down the platform shows a flailing passenger stuck in a door.

The live-in facility southwest of Tokyo offers what rail operator JR Central describes as an “intense education” for future conductors, drivers, and other team super-safe: no accidents resulting in death or injury – operator Japan’s bullet trains turn 60 Changed world of travel members.

Thank you for riding,” Okuno practised saying, bowing deeply.

Each day nearly a quarter of a million passengers ride the Tokaido Shinkansen line from Tokyo past Mount Fuji to Hakata five hours away. One top-speed Nozomi train arrives up to every five minutes.

SPOTLESS. Staff cleaning a train at JR Central’s shinkansen depot in the
Shinagawa district of Tokyo. Pictures: AFP

JR Central says it has never had an accident resulting in death or injury on the bullet train, even in a country where earthquakes, typhoons and heavy snow are common.

Safety is “our top priority”, Daisuke Kumajima, the company’s PR officer, said. So “we take our education and training of our employees very seriously”.

This month for the first time, on another line run by the company JR East, two linked bullet trains uncoupled, resulting in an emergency stop but no injuries.

With routes spanning the country, the Shinkansen’s top speed of 320km/h is no longer the world’s fastest, having been outpaced by China.

But the original high-speed locomotive’s streamlined nose and spacious interiors remain a symbol of Japanese engineering prowess and attention to detail.

A meticulous maintenance schedule means the trains are gleaming outside and in, with cleaners adjusting headrests and using brushes to ensure the seats are free of crumbs.

In some countries, train delays mean there is little time for such primping, said Christopher Hood who authored the book: Shinkansen: From Bullet Train to Symbol of Modern Japan.

On the bullet train network, however, the average delay is less than a minute.

The growth of cities along Shinkansen routes over the decades shows its impact on the economy in Japan, where “face-to-face business is very, very important”, added Hood, a researcher at Britain’s Cardiff University.

In tandem the train has played a role in speeding up depopulation in rural Japan, according to Hood.

“People would rather live in the big cities and use the Shinkansen to go and visit relatives out in smaller cities,” he said.

At a JR Central site, an engineer taps the inner machinery of a bullet train, listening for unusual sounds that could reveal a loose part.

SPEED FIRST. Passengers board a shinkansen at Tokyo station. Picture: AFP

The future of high-speed rail

With ageing Japan facing labour shortages, the company is researching a new digital inspection system that can analyse images of a train to spot dangers.

JR East has said driverless bullet trains could be introduced from the mid-2030s.

There is also a huge project underway to build a high-speed maglev – magnetic levitation – line in Japan, delayed due to environmental opposition.

Maglev trains, which can run at 500km/h, were meant to begin service between Tokyo and Nagoya in 2027, but JR Central has pushed this back to 2034 or later.

It’s easy to take the Shinkansen for granted in Japan, according to Hood.

But when Japanese people travel overseas, “they soon appreciate that ‘the Shinkansen is a little bit special.”

QUINTESSENTIALLY JAPAN. Tokaido Shinkansen and cherry blossoms in full bloom in Hiratsuka, Kanagawa. Picture: AFP

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