132 Japan’s Shinkansen Railway

Introduction

The Shinkansen, often called the “bullet train,” is Japan’s high-speed rail (HSR) system and has had many benefits for Japan since it was built in 1964. It currently connects many of the major cities in Japan. The Shinkansen was also the world’s first high-speed train, leading to the use of HSR in other countries, such as France, Germany, and Spain. The first line of the Shinkansen network was built to connect Tokyo with Osaka. Newer lines connect Kobe, Kyoto, Hiroshima, and Nagano. The primary purpose of the Shinkansen is to connect Japan’s larger cities and shorten the time it takes to travel between them. For example, in 1889, it took over 16 hours to travel between Tokyo and Osaka by train. When the Shinkansen opened, it cut the time down to three hours and ten minutes (Jones, 2024). The shorter travel times also led to economic benefits in Japan.

History of the Shinkansen

Japan’s economy and infrastructure were in shambles following the Second World War. Officials thought that one way to help improve the economy was to invest in Japan’s transportation system. However, rail travel was reaching its capacity. At the time, many people thought the improvements in road and air travel would become more popular than trains. Japanese National Railways (JNR), Japan’s national railway company, argued that a high-speed rail system spanning the country would not only help with transportation problems but also help the economy (Nickelsburg, 2018). Another problem was that the 1964 Olympic Games were set to be held in Tokyo, Japan. Many people were expected to travel to Tokyo and surrounding cities, and traffic congestion was expected to get worse. What is the solution to these problems? Japan created the world’s first bullet train: The Shinkansen.

In 1959, Japan invested 1.3 billion US dollars into the construction of the first Shinkansen line, running 515 kilometers between Tokyo and Osaka, two of Japan’s biggest cities, which was one of the most congested rail lines at the time. The creation of this line reduced the travel time between the cities by over 50% (Harnish, 2024). In what was originally almost a seven-hour train ride, was now only three hours (Bohn, 2022).  The line was then expanded down to Fukuoka in 1975. Currently, there are nine Shinkansen lines connecting many of Japan’s cities and regions.

Socio-Economic Benefits of the Shinkansen

One of the biggest benefits of the Shinkansen and other HSR lines across the world is shorter travel times. The fastest HSR Line in Japan can reduce travel times by 76.15% when compared to standard rail lines (Rungskunroch, 2021). These shorter travel times have impacts on both locals and tourists. For locals, shorter travel times lead to reduced commutes or being able to commute further in a shorter amount of time, which allows them to live further away from work or school. The impact for tourists is that they are able to travel to more rural parts of Japan. Tourists are also able to spend more time at their destination, leading to them spending more money while traveling. Areas near each train station have become hubs for stores and restaurants. For example, the area around the station in Kyoto is “home to 130 shops and restaurants” (Harnish, 2024).

Another economic benefit of the Shinkansen is job creation. Cities in Japan near Shinkansen stations have seen employment rates of around 16-34% higher than cities without HSR stations. The growth of the areas with the stations is around 0.5% higher than the areas without the stations (Rungskunroch, 2021). The differences in the increases in employment rates as well as growth rates when comparing cities or towns with HSR stations to those without showing the positive economic impacts of the Shinkansen.

People no longer needed to live in the city center. Because of the Shinkansen and other smaller rail lines, getting to the city for work or school was easier. This led to a shift in how the populations in Japan were distributed. Shizuoka, a city 175 kilometers west of Tokyo, saw an increase in development after the construction of the first line. The population spread out, and housing prices within larger cities decreased (Harnish, 2024). The population density around each Shinkansen station is much higher than it is in other parts of Japan.

Other Benefits

One of the main concerns that many people have with any new form of transportation is safety. This is especially true for the first high-speed rail system. Fortunately for the Shinkansen, there have not been any collisions or derailments on any of the Shinkansen lines that resulted in passenger fatality.  The Shinkansen has had zero fatalities in the sixty years it has been operational. Another impressive feat the Shinkansen is able to accomplish is that the trains will run regardless of the weather. The trains are still able to reach their maximum speed in heavy rain. This is because of the trains’ Automatic Train Control System (ATC). The ATC will automatically stop or slow down the train when it approaches another train or its next stop. One of the biggest causes of collisions on trains is at intersections with roads. The Shinkansen avoids this by having a dedicated track that goes either above or below the road to avoid any possible collision with a car (Jun, 2024).

Train travel, in general, tends to be less stressful than other forms of public transportation. There is not often security to go through, and no need to arrive at the train station hours before the train is set to depart. While traveling by plane might be comparatively faster, the convenience of train travel, especially on HSR, makes choosing to travel by train the better option. The Shinkansen is one of the most reliable railways in the world. A lot of complaints about train travel is that there can be many delays. Japan does not have to worry about that with the Shinkansen since in 2023, there was only an average delay of 1.6 minutes per train for the Tokaido Shinkansen trains (JR Central: Average Delay of Shinkansen Trains 2021, 2024). In contrast, Germany’s rail network company, Deutsche Bahn, had only 64% of the trains arriving on time or within six minutes of the scheduled arrival time (Berry, 2024).

Connection to STS

With being the first high-speed rail line, the Shinkansen is a perfect example of technological advancement and changing society. The creation of the Shinkansen paved the way for more HSR lines in other countries as well as even further advancements to train travel in general. Additionally, the Shinkansen has helped society by making the longer commutes more feasible and accessible.

Conclusion

References

Bohn, K. (2022, February 17). Exploring how the world’s first bullet train captivated the globe | Penn State University. Www.psu.edu. https://www.psu.edu/news/research/story/exploring-how-worlds-first-bullet-train-captivated-globe

Harnish, R. (2024, July 7).  The Shinkansen: How high-speed rail transformed a nation . High Speed ​​Rail Alliance. https://www.hsrail.org/blog/the-shinkansen-how-high-speed-rail-transformed-a-nation/

Jones, Ben. (2024). How Japan’s Shinkansen bullet trains changed the world of Rail Travel. CNN. https://www.cnn.com/travel/japan-shinkansen-bullet-trains-60-years/index.html

Nickelsburg, J., Ahluwalia, S., & Yang, Y. (2018). High-Speed Rail Economics, Urbanization and Housing Affordability Revisited: Evidence from the Shinkansen System. Anderson School of Management University of California, Los Angeles, 24.

Rungskunroch, P., Jack, A., & Kaewunruen, S. (2021). Socioeconomic benefits of the shinkansen network. Infrastructure, 6(5), 68.

Images

“Shinkansen Map” is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0