Shinkansen Train

The Shinkansen (lit. 'new main line'), colloquially known in English as the bullet train, is a network of high-speed railway lines in Japan. Initially, it was built to connect distant Japanese regions with Tokyo, the capital, to aid economic growth and development. Beyond long-distance travel, some sections around the largest metropolitan areas are used as a commuter rail network.

The original Tokaido Shinkansen, connecting Tokyo, Nagoya and Osaka, three of Japan's largest cities, is one of the world's busiest high-speed rail lines. In the one-year period preceding March 2017, it carried 159 million passengers, and since its opening more than five decades ago, it has transported more than 6.4 billion total passengers. At peak times, the line carries up to 16 trains per hour in each direction with 16 cars each (1,323-seat capacity and occasionally additional standing passengers) with a minimum headway of three minutes between trains.

Traveling on the Shinkansen. The service is frequent, accessible and reliable. Everything is translated in English (on every stating thorough JR / Shinkansen network). There is a team of cleaners waiting at the terminal stations that can clean a whole train in 7 minutes. Tickets can be expensive, but affordable rail passes are sold to overseas visitors. No reservations are required. If you want a preferred seat, then you can reserve. There’s no airport style check-in and no security checks. You arrive at a station, pass through the ticket barrier, go to the platform and board the next train. Most lines have departures every 15–30 minutes.

Source

• Shinkansen - Wikipedia

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