The
Shinkansen (????) is a network of
high-speed railway lines in
Japan operated by four
Japan Railways Group companies. Starting with the 210&_160;km/h (130&_160;mph)
Tokaido Shinkansen in 1964, the now 2,459&_160;km (1,528&_160;mi) long network has expanded to link most major cities on the islands of
Honshu and
Kyushu at speeds up to 300&_160;km/h (186&_160;mph). Test runs have reached 443&_160;km/h (275&_160;mph) for conventional rail in 1996, and up to a
world-record 581&_160;km/h (361&_160;mph) for
maglev trainsets in 2003.
The Tokaido Shinkansen is the world's busiest high-speed rail line. Carrying 151 million passengers a year (March, 2008),[1] it has transported more passengers (over 6&_160;billion)[2] than any other high speed line in the world.[3] Between Tokyo and Osaka, the two largest metropolises in Japan, ten trains per hour with 16 cars each (1,300 seats capacity) run in each direction with minimum 3 minutes frequency. Though largely a long-distance transport system, the Shinkansen also serves commuters who travel to work in metropolitan areas from outlying cities.
To enable high-speed operation, Shinkansen uses advanced technologies compared with conventional rail, and it achieved not only high speed but also high standard of safety and comfort. Its success has influenced other railways in the world and importance and advantage of high-speed rail has been revalued consequently.
Shinkansen uses a 25,000 V AC overhead power supply (20,000 V AC on Mini-shinkansen lines).
