Editing Shinkansen (section)

=== Track ===
[[File:Toyohashi Station 001.JPG|thumb|Shinkansen standard-gauge track, with welded rails to reduce vibration]]

The Shinkansen uses {{RailGauge|1435mm}} standard gauge in contrast to the {{RailGauge|1067mm|lk=on}} narrow gauge of most other lines in Japan. [[Continuous welded rail]] and [[swingnose crossing]] points are employed, eliminating gaps at turnouts and crossings. Long rails are used, joined by expansion joints to minimize gauge fluctuation due to thermal elongation and shrinkage.

A combination of [[Track ballast|ballasted]] and [[slab track]] is used, with slab track exclusively employed on concrete bed sections such as viaducts and tunnels. Slab track is significantly more cost-effective in tunnel sections, since the lower track height reduces the cross-sectional area of the tunnel, reducing construction costs up to 30%.<ref>Miura, S., Takai, H., Uchida, M., and Fukada, Y. "The Mechanism of Railway Tracks". ''Japan Railway & Transport Review'', 15, 38–45, 1998</ref>
However, the smaller diameter of Shinkansen tunnels, compared to some other high-speed lines, has resulted in the issue of [[Piston effect#Tunnel boom|tunnel boom]] becoming a concern for residents living close to tunnel portals.

The slab track consists of rails, fasteners and track slabs with a cement asphalt mortar. On the roadbed and in tunnels, circular upstands, measuring {{convert|400|–|520|mm|abbr=in}} in diameter and {{convert|200|mm|in||abbr=in}} high, are located at 5-metre intervals. The prefabricated upstands are made of either [[reinforced concrete]] or pre-stressed reinforced concrete; they prevent the track slab from moving latitudinally or longitudinally. One track slab weighs approximately 5 tons and is {{convert|2220|–|2340|mm|abbr=in}} wide, {{convert|4900|–|4950|mm|abbr=in}} long and {{convert|160|–|200|mm|abbr=in}} thick.<ref>{{cite journal |last=Ando |first=Katsutoshi |display-authors=etal |date=2001 |title=Development of Slab Tracks for Hokuriku Shinkansen Line |journal=Quarterly Report of RTRI |volume=42 |issue=1 |pages=35–41 |doi=10.2219/rtriqr.42.35 |doi-access=free }}</ref>