Editing High-speed rail (section)

====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]]