SHINKANSEN

(Japanese: New Trunk Line), high-speed rail line between Tokyo and Fukuoka on the Japanese islands of Honshu and Kyushu. The line was built and originally operated by the Japanese National Railways (JNR); in 1987 it became one of the private companies formed from the breakup of the JNR. The first section of the line, a 320-mile (515-kilometre) stretch between Tokyo and Osaka known as the New Tokaido Line, was opened in 1964. Many innovations, such as the use of prestressed concrete ties and mile-long welded sections of track, were introduced in constructing this line. A 100-mile (160-kilometre) extension from Osaka to Okayama was completed in 1972, and the final segment of the line, a 244-mile (393-kilometre) stretch between Okayama and the Hakata station in Fukuoka, northern Kyushu, opened in 1975. Other lines radiating north of Tokyo to the cities of Niigata (168 miles ) and Morioka (289 miles ) were completed in 1982. More than 50 percent of the track in the Okayama-Hakata extension runs through tunnels, including one under the Strait of Shimonoseki to Kyushu; the Tokyo-Niigata line includes a tunnel 14 miles (22.5 km) long. About 250 trains operate daily on the Shinkansen, running at 7.5-minute intervals during the morning and evening rush hours. The fastest trains, called Hikari (Light), are able to make the 664-mile (1,068-kilometre) trip from Tokyo to Hakata in less than 7 hours. The Hikari is an electric, multiple-unit train consisting of 16 cars designed to seat more than 1,000 passengers. It derives its electric power from an overhead wire system. The Hikari's maximum speed on the original section between Tokyo and Osaka is 130 miles (210 km) per hour, but on the newer section it reaches speeds of 160 miles (260 km) per hour. Such high speeds have necessitated elaborate safety features. Each car, for example, is equipped with brakes consisting of cast-iron disks and metallic pad linings specially designed not to distort under emergency braking. Moreover, all movements of the train are monitored and controlled by a central computerized facility in Tokyo.