Editing High-speed rail (section)

===Breakthrough: Shinkansen===
[[File:Model 3000 SE of Odakyu Electric Railway.JPG|thumb|The [[Odakyu 3000 series SE]]]]
[[File:0 series Yurakucho 19670505.jpg|thumb|The original 0 series Shinkansen train. Introduced in 1964, it reached a speed of {{convert|210|km/h|abbr=on}}.]]
[[File:E6-E5-Coupling in omiya 20130320.jpg|thumb|E6 and E5 series Shinkansen models]]

====Japanese research and development====
With some 45 million people living in the densely populated Tokyo–[[Osaka]] corridor, congestion on road and rail became a serious problem after [[World War II]],{{sfn|Hood|2006|pp=18–43}} and the Japanese government began thinking about ways to transport people in and between cities. Because Japan was resource limited and did not want to import petroleum for security reasons, energy-efficient high-speed rail was an attractive potential solution.

[[Japanese National Railways]] (JNR) engineers began to study the development of a high-speed regular mass transit service. In 1955, they were present at the [[Lille]]'s Electrotechnology Congress in France, and during a 6-month visit, the head engineer of JNR accompanied the deputy director Marcel Tessier at the DETE ([[SNCF]] Electric traction study department).<ref name="douviensTGV"/> JNR engineers returned to Japan with a number of ideas and technologies they would use on their future trains, including alternating current for rail traction, and international standard gauge.{{Citation needed|date=March 2014}}

====First narrow-gauge Japanese high-speed service====
In 1957, the engineers at the private [[Odakyu Electric Railway]] in [[Greater Tokyo Area]] launched the [[Odakyu 3000 series SE]] EMU. This EMU set a world record for [[narrow gauge]] trains at {{convert|145|km/h|abbr=on}}, giving the Odakyu engineers confidence they could safely and reliably build even faster trains at standard gauge.{{sfn|Hood|2006|pp=18–43}} Conventional Japanese railways up until that point had largely been built in the {{Track gauge|1067mm}} [[Cape gauge]], however widening the tracks to [[standard gauge]] ({{Track gauge|1435mm}})  would make very high-speed rail much simpler due to improved stability of the wider rail gauge, and thus [[standard gauge]] was adopted for high-speed service.<ref name="KIMT 2020-11-18">{{Cite news |last=Jones|first=Ben|date=2 December 2019|title=How Japan's Shinkansen bullet trains changed the world of rail travel |url=https://www.kimt.com/content/national/565685772.html|access-date=18 November 2020|work=KIMT News|agency=Associated Press |language=en|archive-date=18 April 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210418072549/https://www.kimt.com/content/national/565685772.html|url-status=dead}}</ref> With the sole exceptions of Russia, Finland, and Uzbekistan all high-speed rail lines in the world are still standard gauge, even in countries where the preferred gauge for legacy lines is different.

====A new train on a new line====
The new service, named [[Shinkansen]] (meaning ''new main line'') would provide a new alignment, 25% wider standard gauge utilising continuously welded rails between Tokyo and Osaka with new rolling stock, designed for {{convert|250|km/h|abbr=on}}. However, the [[World Bank]], whilst supporting the project, considered the design of the equipment as unproven for that speed, and set the maximum speed to {{convert|210|km/h|abbr=on}}.<ref name="douviensTGV"/>

After initial feasibility tests, the plan was fast-tracked and construction of the first section of the line started on 20 April 1959.<ref>{{cite web |language=ja |url=http://www.pref.kanagawa.jp/cnt/p19871.html |script-title=ja:Kanagawa Prefecture:県央・湘南の環境と共生する都市づくりＮＥＷＳ NO. 11」新幹線豆知識クイズの解説 |publisher=Pref.kanagawa.jp |access-date=17 October 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110927053732/http://www.pref.kanagawa.jp/cnt/p19871.html |archive-date=27 September 2011}}</ref> In 1963, on the new track, test runs hit a top speed of {{convert|256|km/h|abbr=on}}. Five years after the beginning of the construction work, in October 1964, just in time for the [[1964 Tokyo Olympics|Olympic Games]], the first modern high-speed rail, the [[Tōkaidō Shinkansen]], was opened between the two cities; a {{cvt|320|mi|order=flip}} line between  Tokyo and Ōsaka.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Shinkansen {{!}} Summary & Facts {{!}} Britannica |url=https://www.britannica.com/topic/Shinkansen |access-date=2022-05-18 |website=www.britannica.com |language=en}}</ref> As a result of its speeds, the Shinkansen earned international publicity and praise, and it was dubbed the "bullet train."

The first Shinkansen trains, the [[0 Series Shinkansen]], built by [[Kawasaki Heavy Industries]]{{snd}}in English often called "Bullet Trains", after the original Japanese name {{Nihongo||弾丸列車|Dangan Ressha}}{{snd}}outclassed the earlier fast trains in commercial service. They traversed the {{convert|515|km|abbr=on}} distance in 3 hours 10 minutes, reaching a top speed of {{convert|210|km/h|abbr=on}} and sustaining an average speed of {{convert|162.8|km/h|abbr=on}} with stops at Nagoya and Kyoto.<ref>{{cite web |title=The Shinkansen Turns 50: The History and Future of Japan's High-Speed Train |url=https://www.nippon.com/en/features/h00078/ |website=nippon.com |access-date=25 January 2021 |language=en |date=1 October 2014}}</ref>

====High-speed rail for the masses====
Speed was not only a part of the Shinkansen revolution: the Shinkansen offered high-speed rail travel to the masses. The first ''Bullet trains'' had 12 cars and later versions had up to 16,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://english.jr-central.co.jp/about/outline.html |title=Outline History and Overview of the Tokaido Shinkansen |publisher=Central Japan Railway Company |date=March 2010 |access-date=2 March 2011}}</ref> and double-deck trains further increased the capacity.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.jreast.co.jp/e/routemaps/tohokushinkansen.html |title=Tohoku Shinkansen |publisher=East Japan Railway Company |date=March 2011 |access-date=2 May 2011}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.jreast.co.jp/investor/factsheet/pdf/factsheet.pdf |title=2010 Fact Sheets |publisher=JR East |date=30 July 2010 |access-date=2 May 2011}}</ref>

After three years, more than 100 million passengers had used the trains, and the milestone of the first one billion passengers was reached in 1976. In 1972, the line was extended a further {{convert|161|km|abbr=on}}, and further construction has resulted in the network expanding to {{convert|2951|km|abbr=on}} of high speed lines as of 2024, with a further {{convert|211|km|abbr=on}} of extensions currently under construction and due to open in 2038. The cumulative patronage on the entire system since 1964 is over 10 billion, the equivalent of approximately 140% of the world's population, without a single train passenger fatality. (Suicides, passengers falling off the platforms, and industrial accidents have resulted in fatalities.){{sfn|Hood|2006|p=214}}

Since their introduction, Japan's Shinkansen systems have been undergoing constant improvement, not only increasing line speeds. Over a dozen train models have been produced, addressing diverse issues such as [[tunnel boom]] noise, vibration, [[Drag (physics)#Aerodynamics|aerodynamic drag]], lines with lower patronage ("Mini shinkansen"), [[earthquake]] and [[typhoon]] safety, [[braking distance]], problems due to snow, and energy consumption (newer trains are twice as energy-efficient as the initial ones despite greater speeds).<ref>{{cite web |url=http://ajw.asahi.com/article/behind_news/social_affairs/AJ201309190078 |title=New maglev Shinkansen to run underground for 86% of initial route |work=AJW by The Asahi Shimbun |access-date=17 December 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141226124352/http://ajw.asahi.com/article/behind_news/social_affairs/AJ201309190078 |archive-date=26 December 2014}}</ref>
[[File:JR-Maglev-MLX01-901 001.jpg|thumb|A maglev train on the Yamanashi Test Track, November 2005]]

====Future developments of Shinkansen====
After decades of research and successful testing on a {{Convert|43|km|0|abbr=on}} test track, in 2014 JR Central began constructing a [[Maglev]] Shinkansen line, which is known as the [[Chūō Shinkansen]]. These Maglev trains still have the traditional underlying tracks and the cars have wheels. This serves a practical purpose at stations and a safety purpose out on the lines in the event of a power failure. However, in normal operation, the wheels are raised up into the car as the train reaches certain speeds where the magnetic levitation effect takes over. It is proposed to link Tokyo and Osaka by 2037, with the section from Tokyo to Nagoya expected to be operational by 2034.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/japan-produces-next-generation-of-train-technology-151376 |title=Japan produces next generation of train technology |date= 25 January 2020 |access-date=26 January 2020}}</ref> Maximum speed is anticipated at {{convert|505|kph|mph|abbr=on}}. The first generation train can be ridden by tourists visiting the test track.